Kuyt: I'm still one of fittest
Dirk Kuyt believes he is fitter than ever and ready to enjoy many more years of top-class football - and he's got the stats to prove it.
The World Cup finalist reached 250 appearances for Liverpool against Norwich last weekend having averaged more than 48 games per season since 2006.
Even at 31, his famously high stamina shows no signs of diminishing, as data collected by Liverpool's backroom staff proves.
"Stamina-wise I am one of the strongest players, even at 31," Kuyt told Liverpoolfc.tv. "Raul Meireles was also good on the stamina tests as well and to be honest all the players are good on the fitness tests. This team is in very good shape.
"In football you never know, but at the moment I'm feeling really fit. Physically maybe I'm stronger than ever, and hopefully I've got many years left because football is one of the best things you can do."
Despite believing he has plenty more time at the top, it would only be natural for Kuyt to start contemplating life after the game.
But he has no firm plans - and fans shouldn't expect him to follow close pal Pepe Reina in writing an autobiography any time soon.
"Maybe there's one for me in the future but I haven't thought about it yet," said Kuyt.
"It's nice to write one and it's good to read one about your teammates and see the way they see their career.
"Before I go to sleep (I read them) and afterwards I sleep very well! I've read Carra's and Stevie's, and Pepe's is the next one."
He added: "What I'll do after I retire is something I don't want to think about yet because I'm really enjoying my football. Since I was a young kid, football was everything to me. I can't imagine what I'll do after my football career. Hopefully I'll stay involved in football."
Kuyt was signed from Feyenoord by Rafael Benitez in 2006.
Despite his continuing wait for a first trophy, he has plenty of red letter days to remember, from his derby heroics and hat-trick against Manchester United to scoring in a Champions League final and firing the goal which secured our entry into the competition proper in 2008.
"I'm here in my sixth season at the club and to have played 250 games is something I really like," Kuyt said.
"Hopefully there are many more to follow.
Kuyt on the Hodgson era
"It was always my intention to stay for a long time. I'm not the kind of player who likes to move on every couple of years. I'm happy, my family is happy, Liverpool is a great club and I'm very happy to be here. After first signing I've signed two more contracts and hopefully I'll be here for as long as possible."
Along with the highs, there have been one or two notable lows during Kuyt's Anfield adventure, most recently when, in the midst of an ownership saga, the team found itself stuck in an unfamiliar position in the wrong half of the Barclays Premier League.
A year later, new owners are in place and former manager Roy Hodgson is back on form in his new position at West Brom.
Kuyt wishes Hodgson all the best in his endeavours - but not when Saturday comes and Liverpool meet the Baggies in the midlands.
"It was a tough period for everyone," said the Holland international. "Tough for the manager, tough for the assistant manager and tough for us as players, because things didn't go the way we wanted. We worked really hard to change things but it didn't work for any of us.
"But that's behind us, Roy Hodgson now has a great job at West Brom and he's doing really well. And at Liverpool Football Club the players have improved. Hopefully everyone will do well, except Mr Hodgson on Saturday!
"The new owners have done really well. They've tried to change things, and step by step you see this club is moving forward. You can see that with results on the pitch but also when you come to Melwood and see the people who are here now.
"It's getting better and better and hopefully we'll get back to where we want to be soon - at the top."
One of the most obvious changes instigated by Fenway Sports Group, Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish has been to instil more depth of quality into the Liverpool squad.
Despite starting our last three league games, Kuyt knows that occasionally sitting on the bench is once again an occupational hazard at Anfield - and he's not complaining.
"When I arrived at Liverpool it was like this, with a big squad and many good players," he said. "I remember when I arrived I had competition with Craig Bellamy, Peter Crouch and Robbie Fowler. That's the way it should be.
"There's a lot of competition but that makes the team stronger. The good attitude at this club is that every player wants to play every game. It's very disappointing when you're not playing but you know the team is getting stronger and stronger.
"If you're playing in England you need depth. That's what we have, we have more than 11 good players, there's competition in training and when there are players injured, tired or suspended, we have the ability to change players with other quality players."
Kuyt was Liverpool's top scorer last season with 15, five of which were penalties.
This took his LFC tally to eight out of eight from 12 yards - but his immaculate record was ruined by a spot kick miss at Goodison Park earlier this term.
Not that he'll be reluctant to step up next time a referee points to the spot.
"If you take penalties there are only two ways it can go - missing it or scoring it," he said. "It was great to have scored every penalty so far and I was really disappointed to miss, especially against Everton.
"But when the next opportunity comes I won't hesitate. I'll take another one.
"Everyone knows Stevie is back, though, and he was the penalty taker before I started taking them. I don't know what will happen but I think when Stevie is on the pitch he will step up, and for me he's one of the best penalty takers I've ever seen."
Kuyt has helped Liverpool embark on a run of six competitive games without defeat, though our last two league fixtures finished 1-1 after those in red squandered a host of excellent chances.
This profligacy continued in the first half against Stoke City on Wednesday night but, after trailing at the break, the Reds prevailed thanks to two superb finishes from Luis Suarez.
"I think we're playing very well," said Kuyt. "On Wednesday and last weekend we deserved to score more goals than we did. But we played really well, that's the main thing. As long as we're creating chances, we can score goals. But if we're more clinical we'll make things a little bit easier.
"The way we train, we're working really hard. The training sessions have been excellent. Sometimes you just need a little bit of luck.
"If you saw the game on Wednesday, it was another good game for us, we created a lot of chances - I think almost 10 great opportunities. We only scored two goals, but you could see after Luis scored one great goal he got another. Hopefully that set a target for every one of us."