The news that Liverpool FC has sold its famous training ground Melwood is a major moment in what has become a tangled and difficult saga.
Yesterday the club announced that social housing provider Torus had bought the site - with the Reds set to move their training operation to a new £50m facility in Kirkby from next summer.
It is a very significant moment in a two-year long battle between the club and some local residents and politicians over what the future should hold for the iconic site.
All change
The origins of the dispute go back to 2017.
After announcing that they would be moving their first-team training operation to a newly developed £50m training base in Kirkby, attention turned to the future of the Melwood site.
In the summer of 2017, the club applied for planning permission from the city council, which would allow them to flatten the facility and build 160 family homes in its place.
Right from the off, the plans were met with anger and concern from local residents.
Hundreds signed a petition against the plan - arguing that such a development would cause traffic problems and put pressure on stretched local schools and health services.
The club insisted that local views were important and delivered 3,000 information packs to homes about the scheme.
Green light
Despite the best efforts of local people and West Derby MP Stephen Twigg, the club was granted outline planning permission for the scheme after a meeting of Liverpool City Council's planning committee in December 2017.
Mr Twigg said he was 'hugely disappointed' by the decision, but the club said it had held a full consultation over the plans leading up to the meeting.
The calm before the storm
The issue of Melwood's future then went quiet for a while - with the only stories making the news those looking at how the club's new Kirkby centre was taking shape.
But this period of calm didn't mean local people had given up - far from it.
The Save Melwood Group was being organised in the background - preparing for a full throttle campaign to try and change the future of the famous site.
In February this year, that campaign announced itself dramatically.
Hundreds of people came out in force for a public meeting opposing the housing plans - with lead campaigner Jim Hind urging the club to consider keeping Melwood as some form of community facility.
He said: "We are going to lose millions of pounds worth of potential resources that could be used by the community here."
Tempers flare
One of the key protagonists in the battle for Melwood is young Knotty Ash councillor Harry Doyle.
Not afraid to speak his mind or take on the might of Anfield, he has certainly promoted the campaign and come out swinging.
Things built to a crescendo in March when he stormed out of a meeting with club officials and branded them "extremely rude" - claiming there was no effort being made to address the community's concerns.
At the time, the club again stressed that it had carried out a full consultation before planning permission was granted.
A new plan?
Cllr Doyle and the campaign group were actively pushing Liverpool to consult on other options that would see Melwood remain as a facility.
And in May there was reason to be hopeful when it was revealed that Anfield chiefs had sat down with an organisation that was proposing to do just that.
That group was the Liverpool Futsal Group - who wanted to make Melwood the new home for their small sided football club.
While the club were clearly willing to listen to the ideas - there was no official comment from Liverpool at the time.
Decision day
Fast-forward to yesterday and the most significant news in the Melwood saga for years arrived.
And it was something of a surprise.
Liverpool - as many expected - confirmed they had sold Melwood and that it would now be replaced with housing, but the plans had changed significantly.
Gone was the idea of 160 high-end private homes - with the club instead opting to do business with local social housing provider Torus on a plan that would see affordable homes and sheltered housing created.
It was certainly a change of heart that some welcomed - but not everyone was placated.
Cllr Doyle and the campaigners were out at Melwood last night demonstrating against the news - and showing that they still aren't willing to give up in their fight.
