It's the cruellest scenario the Anfield faithful could imagine: new owners John Henry and Thomas Werner anxiously foraging through their briefcases after hearing the taunts at Goodison Park where the club extended their worst start to a season in almost 60 years.
'I hope you kept the receipt!' was ringing through the ears of Liverpool's latest American owners as they sat and watched their recent acquisition crumble to a 2-0 defeat to Everton in last Sunday's derby game.
With the Reds now 19th on the table, three points behind Everton and 13 points off the Premiership pace, Henry and Werner could be excused for wondering if the other club on Merseyside might have been a shrewder purchase.
As well as playing their more famous cousins off the park last weekend, the Toffees are also in better financial shape and perhaps carry less emotional baggage.
Of course, the grim-faced men from New England Sports Ventures (NESV) didn't contemplate asking for their money back. And even if they did, changing their minds about buying a football club isn't quite the same as returning an item of clothing at a department store.
However, another awkward marriage of American management and an English Premier League side could again prove to be as ill-fitting as an oversized pair of trousers. While the balance sheets might look healthier initially with an injection of cash, there is not a lot of evidence to suggest that the US connection always brings that elusive combination of success, stability and profitability.