Some fans had written him off, others were only hopeful of him breaking through into the senior team, but there were very few who predicted that Jay Spearing would have made the impact he has, this campaign. All credit must go to Kenny Dalglish for I for one was one of those only hopeful, rather than optimistic that he could make it in the Premier League.
Both physically and technically, I just didn’t see how Jay could really have the impact on first team affairs. Sure, he could be a real nuisance to the opposition with his persistence and tackling, but against the best opponents I felt that he would be just pushed off the ball, and bypassed by stronger, more technically gifted opponents in the Premier League. A Championship first teamer, or bit part player for a Premier League club, but instinctively I felt, that regular first team football in the top tier would be a little too much for him.
It shows you how far a little belief can take you because in the last few games, since the West Brom defeat, Spearing has shown his determination to make it at the top level. He previously had a very good game against Sunderland, but he went missing for long stretches versus WBA, making me feel vindicated that he might not be consistently up for it if he wasn’t playing the big teams. In an interview after the match at the Hawthorns however, he expressed his dissatisfaction at his performance and expressed his determination to become more consistent.
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Good article. And I really don’t know. yes, he’s msall, but so is Mascherano, and Jay could turn out to play that holding midfield role to a very high level. On the other hand, to be his size and manage it takles an exceptional player, and I really don’t think he is that. In a year’s time? I suspect he will have to make a choice – a squad player at Liverpool or a first-team one at club like Birmingham
The only reason Jay Spearing is in the team right now is because he is a scouser. He does not possess the quality that is needed to move the club forward. Spearing has put in a good shift over the last few weeks but he is a Premier League squad player at best. Spearing is average at his very best and offers very little in midfield. He’s probably a nice bloke and gives 100% every match but that does not make up for his lack of quality. People need to realise that he is already 22, not 19 or 20 like Wilshere or Rodwell. If Liverpool are to challenge at the top then average players like Spearing have to go. As much as I like his commitment and love for the club, he just isn’t Liverpool quality. Having said this, however, I can’t see Kenny selling him in the summer as it’s clear that he treats him like his son. In a year’s time, Spearing will either be warming the bench or playing he occasional match but I cannot see him being a regular starter. FSG will invest heavily in the squad this summer so there’s no room for Spearing. It’s time for him to go. Liverpool should take a look at Marek Hamsik and James McCarthy who are quality players that will improve midfield. Having average squad players like Spearing won’t get us anywhere.
Definitely worth keeping in the squad… reliable and honest but won’t be a first teamer
Squad player at Liverpool! but I think he will improve under Kenney and I disagree that because a player is 22 he won’t develop any further – Lucas has had his first very good season and he’s 24. He will be ideal as a squad player if he is willing to play that part.
For goodness sake, cut the lad some slack. Facts are, this is the first run in the side he’s had and he has done very well – enough said.
if we really want to be the best or compete with the best we have to have the best players sadly s[pearing isnt one we have an exciting youth setup thatll produce the goods im certain of that with the spaniards in charge anyone who cant cut it needs to be dicarded regardless of their address we need to be ruthless to get to were we belong ynwa
I totally agree with Eric 10:18 pm…Jay is doing a very good job but this is is max level, no more potential, and looking at fisic weaknesses he has not enough talent to play in a starting eleven who wants to compete for the Premier and the Champions League…and don’t give too much importance at this period, it’s the end of the season…most of the teams and players are empty of energy…Jay is pretty fresh, so are robinson and flanagan (but they’re a different story), i just wanna say “don’t take few games in the end of a season to judge a player”…
Is this how we should treat a LFC player who works his socks off on the pitch? To say that the only reason he is in the team is because he is a scouser is disrespectful. And to say that Kenny wouldnt sell him because he treats him like a son is even worse.
I agree Cal… I begin to wonder if some of the comments above are from Liverpool supporters at all, so negative.
Working his socks off on the pitch does not make up for his lack of quality. Giving 100% every match means nothing if you do not possess the quality that is required at a top club like Liverpool. Jay Spearing is an average squad player who is not cut for the top level.
Really glad none of you were around to judge Jan Molby when he first started breaking through! Not saying Jay will reach Jan’s level of quality but many of the unfair and silly points above could be applied to both ‘non young’ short stocky players raised from the reserves. The only negatives you can use for Jay are the WBA game where nothing clicked and he was still one of our better players and his inability to convince past managers that he was worth the risk of trying out. This OS the guys first chance to shine, yeah he is ‘already 22’ not 19 but he never got the chance then he got it now and he is repaying Kenny’s faith give the lad a break.
I’ve just finished Carra’s autobiography and a recurring theme in it is how immediately he could see if a player coming in would give it his all on the field – especially foreign players. He seems to believe that this is as important a factor for the team as the talent of the player.
It seems like Kenny has placed on emphasis on players who are highly committed. Jay Spearing fits into this category. Carra has maintained that personality and talent must be taken into account when signing players. That’s why i love Meireles so much – talented and gives it all on the field!
My feeling is that it is always a risk to sign foreign players, so if Spearing can improve that would be great. Only time tell I suppose though if he can step up to the plate..
@ eric the negative comments on Spearing have gone way too far. let’s be fair and give him a chance to do the talking on the pitch. if you cannot do that, the least you can do is to leave KK out of it
spot on Cal, although there seems to be a handful of other “fans” out there who you could also have directed your comment to.
in kenny we trust, and thankfully not eric.
well, Chris, you are absolutely correct in saying that we should trust kenny in making the right decisions. unfortunately, this same group of other ‘fans’ seems to think they know better than the manager or other bloggers. A comment made by one of these ‘fans’ was quite eye opening to say the least.
‘…my ambitions for the club do seem to be a lot higher than the bloggers that are posting all over the place…So no, on second thoughts, a major overhaul isn’t necessary to fulfill your ambitions of seeing Liverpool elevated back into also-ran status again…’
Embarrassing. Those people should go and support man city. Most, if not every other club cannot afford to buy 3-4 “world class” players every year. We are better off financially than many other clubs, but we certainly don’t have a bottom-less pit, so we have to be clever in the transfer market and in the development of our existing players.
In any event it’s not about the individuals, it’s about the team – we only have to look at city’s neighbours to see how far teamwork can take a side, they certainly don’t have a squad full of world class players.
To a certain extent under rafa we were a 2-man team, where the other players would seemingly (sub-consciously) rely on them to produce something special. Under kenny we are becoming a team again, where everyone can play their part, and long may that continue.
Where do I see him in a year or two? Newcastle, Bolton, Birmingham or some such team hopefully.
The guy isn’t sh*te, and it is possible to win trophies with such players in your first team squad (he’s better than Gibson or Denilson who play similar roles for contending teams) but the simple fact is that none of them should be handed such a role and we shouldn’t follow their lead in sticking with players that are unsuitable for the roles. We’d be much better off by letting him move on and upgrading or developing a player with the potential to make the position his own long term (e.g. Coady).
It may be a prejudiced opinion, but his size is a massive impediment to his progress at the top level and I just don’t see the physical (strength wise) or technical capability to overcome that and make him a force in our midfield.
As such, as I keep saying, I’d much rather that we invested the time in developing Conor Coady as our young homegrown central midfielder, not least because he has the physical qualities to successfully make the role his own, but also because he looked the better player in the reserves.
sammy lee played 197 games for liverpool and he according to wikipedia he’s only 5ft2. explain that one please.
And who says we need a homegrown central midfielder? strange comment. it doesn’t matter where players come from, however it stands to reason that we would have more local lads on our books than foreigners, and southeners for that matter.
really beginning to get annoyed with the attitude of some you. perhaps these posts are wind-ups from pathetic mancs…
What does the number of games that other undersized players have to do with anything? And where did I say that we have to have a homegrown central midfielder?? I don’t even need to respond to last part of your post.
Strange comments. I really am annoyed at the attitude of some of you…
Are you being serious?? Are you not all there??
Humouring you:
You said: “size is a massive impediment” : then sammy lee must have been as good as messi to compensate for his lack of height…. or perhaps he brought other attributes to the team. it’s not as if Spearing is playing in defence. heaven forbid if flanagan and robinson don’t grow a couple more inches… (i’m being sarcastic)
You said: “I’d much rather that we invested the time in developing Conor Coady as our young homegrown central midfielder” – surprised you missed that, or upon reflection, perhaps i shouldn’t be surprised.
You said: “strange comment” – no need to apologise, considering.
You said: “I’m really annoyed at the attitude of some of you” – how can you be annoyed with anyone that is happy to place his faith in our current manager? i have my opinions, but mine are not so black and white as some people here. reason being: i don’t know the player personally so have no idea about his attitude, dedication or his mental toughness, nor do i watch him train monday through to friday. all i’ve got to go on are his performances on a saturday, and in the case of spearing i have been very impressed, and my mind boggles at how some people have turned such an obvious positive into a negative.
to be fair to you, my previous comment was not only directed at you, but also the others on here who are not give spearing a fair crack of the whip simply because he’s 5ft6. if he was 6ft, or argentinian, brazilian or spanish, then you lot would be revelling in his performances.
nope, Sammy Lee played in a better team than our current lot and in a time when size wasn’t such a major element. We currently have Lucas and Meireles already playing major roles in our central midfield, and we’ve seen how well the experiment has worked for Arsenal in playing a host of undersized players (with more talent than our lot). I’d much rather follow a template that has proven to be a success in winning titles.
Btw, saying that I wanted to develop Coady as our young, homegrown central midfielder and saying that it is imperative that we have a young, homegrown central midfielder are two totally different things. If we had a better prospect from elsewhere than I’d be all for him being promoted ahead of Coady. Work on your reading comprehension mate.
Being in support of the manager and the club doesn’t mean that I have to blindly agree with every decision that he makes, and whenever I have reason to do so I will continue to raise my own opinion. We had fans that put total faith in Hodgson and his decisions that were wrecking our club – seeing as he was our manager when I was voicing my counterarguments, from your standpoint I shouldn’t have been able to disagree with those fans or any of his decisions either right?
Again, I’m really annoyed at the attitude of some of you.
The response is stretching too long and it’s not as if you have the capacity to actually comprehend anything that I might say anyway, so I’ll leave it there. YNWA
gone past being annoyed, you actually make me laugh. good on you. keep it up, and good luck with your 11+, you’ll need it.