I can hear most of my friends reading the title of this blog post aloud and saying they don’t care about football. Fair enough. But this post is not just about Trent Alexander Arnold leaving Liverpool to join Real Madrid at the end of this season, and whether he should play the final two league games, and if it was all right for some fans to boo him in the Arsenal game or not.

It’s about two things, which are in conflict with each other. Three, if you count Trent’s right to go wherever he chooses and play for another team, but let’s concentrate on the two.

One, free speech. And that means that people have the right to express their opinions. Including on social media. And they can express their emotions live, at a game, when they choose to boo. It’s their right.

But it’s not always very loyal. And it plays right into the hands of other critics. I’ve heard so many people say, ‘Did you hear Liverpool fans booing Trent? How disgusting.’

In fact, some fans did boo him when he came on as sub, not all. Just a few. They were expressing their opinion, which is their right. We can’t stop them. They were angry that he’s leaving, betrayed even. But Trent looked hurt, of course he did. And it doesn’t help the rest of the team. It doesn’t look good.

Most sports fans are lovely, whatever team they support. Most fans are positive and philosophical and good humoured, and there to enjoy the game.They cheer, they sing, they boo sometimes. They rant about the game, they exchange opinions. It’s banter. Fair enough. It’s an emotional game. It comes with passion and excitement. Opinions are part of the cut and thrust of the game. But there are lines that can’t be crossed morally. Like singing songs that joke about the poor, the hungry, those injured and killed in disasters. You know what I’m referring to.

Trent’s a great player, talented and unique. He’s been a Liverpool player for twenty years. Whatever you think – that he should have stayed with the club that brought him up, that he’s greedy moving to Madrid, that he’s making a mistake – it’s his right to move on. Some people believe that we should have sold him and made money to buy other players. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and to say it aloud. That’s fair.

I’m hearing fans say that he shouldn’t play the last game of the season, because he’s on his way to Spain, because he’s upset fans and they’ll boo. Because he doesn’t have the right to celebrate the league being won. Okay.

Then others say he should play the last two games. He still wears the shirt. He loves the club. He’s local. He should celebrate the league title because he helped the team win it. That’s very fair. And it’s an opinion. Opinions are fine. We all have the right to them.

But may I just add one thing. Please let’s not shout our opinions too loudly or in a very public forum if they are negative or hurtful. Let’s not listen to the minority who shout too loud either and assume they represent us all. They don’t. Let’s not ever be abusive or rude or homophobic or cruel with our opinions. Let’s not flood social media with bad comments about another human being. Let’s not say ‘Liverpool fans’ when we mean ‘a few Liverpool fans.’ Let’s not share cruelty at the expense of another human being’s feelings.

We need to let Trent go now. Wish him the best. Be supportive. We are supporters, after all.

And please let’s not tar all Liverpool fans with the same brush. We don’t all boo. We’re not all critical. And many of us won’t waste our energy pushing out messages of hatred or applauding others who do.

And the big point – and this is for my friends who don’t care about football – it’s not just about Trent here.

It’s about all the people who are slated on social media and sent cruel messages. It’s in defence of all people who read negative and hurtful comments about themselves in print and feel bruised and abused. Anywhere.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t call something out if we disagree with it. That’s a basic right, to express an opinion. But I am saying, let’s not turn it into a group bullying an individual.

There’s a big difference.