JORDAN Henderson was bought at a hefty price and with hefty expectation weighing on his feet. Having already forced his way into the England set-up while at Sunderland, the trajectory of the midfielder’s career appeared to be on a steady slope to the top.
Purchased by Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish the North East kid was expected to become a fixture in the first eleven, cultivate his precocious talent and write his name into the steeped history of great Liverpool players from the Tyne and Wear. North East greats like Ray Kennedy and Peter Beardsley have graced the sacred turf at Anfield and proven themselves worthy of being recognised in the club’s history and given the age and composed manner with which Henderson had performed at Sunderland, the expectation was that he would add to this scroll of honour.
Having spent most of last season on the right wing, Henderson toiled away out of position and under pressure. Playing in almost every game he showed glimpses of talent but struggled to produce any truly sparkling displays. However, his industrious nature and his tenacious work earned him Liverpool’s Young Player of the Year accolade of 2012. And, although the 2012 season was not a particularly exceptional vintage of Liverpool teams, the man affectionately known as ‘Hendo’ had improved with age across the season.
A corker against Chelsea, leaving John Terry on his backside, was the highlight of a purple patch of form at the back end of the season, and an end that promised a brighter future. He could have been forgiven for thinking that last season was a bedding-in season and that 2012-13 would be his opportunity to kick on, nail down a place on the right, or force another player out from the centre of midfield. However, rather than toasting his successful end to last season with regular action and improved displays this year, he has been more akin to the lonely man at the ale house with tears tumbling into his beer.
Castigated as a player with a big price tag but nothing else to boast about, Jordan has found himself out on the fringes at Anfield. He has also had to wrestle with increased competition in the centre of midfield. Joe Allen has demonstrated that he can cope with the task of delivering for Liverpool on a regular basis and while he has not been a devastating addition to the middle of the park, he has rarely put a foot wrong and has seamlessly slipped into place at L4.
Meanwhile, Shelvey has been making his mark on the first team with a bombastic hat-trick in Europe, rattling Fergie’s cage and getting into more goal scoring positions than any player that isn’t Luis Suarez.
However, while the centre of the park may be packed with the likes of Lucas, Gerrard and Sahin, Henderson still has something to offer the team with his versatility. A player who can play across the midfield and is an able right back, is a welcome addition to a squad that is thin for options outside of the first 11 and in his restricted opportunities this year, he has provided more mature displays than previously.
While he has not torn opponents to shreds, he has been composed, more thoughtful and more probing when afforded a space in the centre of the field, and has handled himself well when in less familiar roles. It would be fair to say that a lot of his good work has gone unnoticed in games where Liverpool’s results have not been overwhelming yet his contribution was more than most of his colleagues.
In fact it is easy to dismiss a player of his mould when the team he’s in plays badly. Similarly to Joe Allen, Henderson is more noticeable when he makes mistakes than when he does his job well but his game could develop to be more attacking as he progresses.
So while Henderson may not yet be pounding the door down to get back in the first team, he is in no way yet a Liverpool write off. Whether he will join his North Eastern ‘pets’ however, remains to be seen.
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He could redeem himself if he had some talent. But as he hasn’t got any, the answer to the question is…no. No serious team would contemplate finding a place for him. By serious I mean the likes of United, City, Arsenal, Chelsea etc. I go back a long way and have seen players as mediocre as Liverpore, Peplow, McLaughlin and Biscan, but even they were better than Henderson. Why Dalglish wasted money on him will remain a total secret.
Imagine what Brendan Rogers could do with the £20 million that Dalglish wasted on Henderson.
The only good signing that came out of the Dalglish era was Luis Suarez.enough said
Downing, Adam, Carroll, Henderson. It’s still hard to believe that anyone could blow money on that regelation dross!!
If Henderson had cost less than £10 million, which is nearer his true worth, then he’d have made an acceptable squad player. The unrealistic valuation has left the poor lad with massive expectations that he, as yet, hasn’t been able to fulfil. Henderson may find his form or Rodgers may decide to let him go in the next transfer window.
play him defensive midfield , he is stronger , faster , fitter , more physical presence than the lightweight allen .
he must play there because he is rubbish in the final third
Sorry but you cant make a silk purse out of a sows
ear…or something like that? i think you all know
what am trying to say ha,ha
The absolute worst player in the Prem, should be nowhere near the first team ever again, get rid on a free just to get him off the wage bill.
Cheers Ming Kenny, left Liverpool in the lurch in 1991 allowing the manc filth to fill the void, popped back in 2010 and put us back another deacde or so blowing a fortune in the process.
kenny may have made a few mistakes but doesn’t deserved to be slagged . he is a true legend and hero . remember the hillsborough aftermath ?
there is a player in there somewhere . henderson is young , he needs to go on loan to regain form ,
henderson is nothing bt rubbish to d team,he cost us anzil match where he suppose to have score and passing it to d wrong direction.
He’s nothing bt a faliure…br shld sell him nxt summer and buy exciting midfielder in place of him
the lad is trying , so give him a break
he is no worse than allen or borini or downing
and better than joe cole
Henderson does not know what to do with the ball, so he usually passes it back to whoever passed to him, or runs around with it like a rabbit in the headlights, or shoots at the upper stands to wake the spectators up. He may have lots of energy but it amounts to nothing on the field…he can’t even tackle after he runs down an opponent. Good football is about rapid and correct decision-making and unfortunately for us he consistently gets it wrong. He is out of his league (League 1) !!
read a match preview for today at scoringdaily.blogspot.com
henderson / allen whats the difference ? both pass backwards and are rubbish further forward
We can talk tactics,money,players,formation,JW Hendry,but, ultimately if we don’t bring Rafa back or another coach of his calibre,we will just remain a mid-table club. Since 2000 it has been realised in football that you can no longer keep a manager for future success,cos what happens after 5yrs if it doesnt work out? Do we start another 5yr project. Rafa won the CL in the first season,Pep won the double,Jose,Klopp,Wenger,Ancelotti to name a few. Guys like Fergie(going 5yrs without silverware,yet having the best budget) would never make the grade in the current game,he still be working somewhere in his hometown… So why as LFC are we trying to be a grooming arena for an unexperienced guy like Rogers? He should do his time like Pep did at Barca and understand the game more thoroughly,no disrespct to Rogers,but, WE ARE LIVERPOOL!!!!
We can talk tactics,money,players,formation,JW Hendry,but, ultimately if we don’t bring Rafa back or another coach of his calibre,we will just remain a mid-table club. Since 2000 it has been realised in football that you can no longer keep a manager for future success,cos what happens after 5yrs if it doesnt work out? Do we start another 5yr project. Rafa won the CL in the first season,Pep won the double,Jose,Klopp,Wenger,Ancelotti to name a few. Guys like Fergie(going 5yrs without silverware,yet having the best budget) would never make the grade in the current game,he still be working somewhere in his hometown… So why as LFC are we trying to be a grooming arena for an unexperienced guy like Rogers? He should do his time like Pep did at Barca and understand the game more thoroughly,no disrespct to Rogers,but, WE ARE LIVERPOOL!!!!BESIDES ANY COACH THAT IS FERGIE-FRIENDLY IS JUST NOT LIVERPOOL… IF FERGIE DOESNT MIND YOU, YOU NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!