Back, not barrack, Henderson and he will blossom at Anfield

Expert Opinion

22Nov

Back, not barrack, Henderson and he will blossom at Anfield

by Iain Macintosh

Why do so many people seem to hate Jordan Henderson? If you listen to the phone-ins or spend more time than is healthy on Twitter, you’ll have noticed a growing number of Liverpool fans queuing up to put the boot in on their own £16million summer signing. There’s even a Facebook group, inventively titled, “Jordan Henderson is S**T.” It’s not all Liverpool fans, but it is a significant portion of them and they’re not being very fair. Henderson is a more than useful footballer.

In his brief cameo at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, he completed seven out of 10 passes. Seven out of 10. It’s actually rather tempting to use that statistic as a means of quickly describing Henderson to the uninitiated. The 21-year-old really is a 7/10 kind of guy. He’s a cheese and pickle sandwich. He’s a Tom Clancy novel. He’s the second Stone Roses album. He’s good. Not great, but good. If we were to apply the Gary Neville ‘PlayStation Controller’ test, Henderson would be operated by a mature gamer uncomfortable with all those fancy ‘special move’ buttons. And that’s no bad thing.

In all but one of his 12 Premier League appearances this season, Henderson’s pass completion rate has been above 70%. In three games, it has been above 90%. The only aberration was the White Hart Lane massacre (69%) and in that, he was hardly the worst offender. Generally, he gets the ball, he gives the ball and he moves up the field. Get, give, go. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Like another understated Liverpool midfielder, Ray Houghton, Henderson tends to play on the right wing only when his colleagues have the ball. When they are on the back foot, he trots in to form a midfield three. He does his job well and he never complains. But even if Henderson wasn’t giving entirely competent performances, the criticism would be over the top. This is, after all, a young man living in a new city in his first season with one of the most popular clubs on the planet. A little patience might be nice.

The problem, you suspect, is that many of his critics are unaware of the concept of patience, or of Houghton, or of the fact that Liverpool’s success in the 1970s and 80s was built on getting the ball, giving the ball and moving up the field. Today’s game is far more hysterical. In today’s game, if you don’t grab the bull by the horns and flush its head down the toilet like, say, Sergio Aguero at Manchester City, you’re in trouble. Henderson doesn’t grab bulls. He smiles politely and passes the ball around them.

Like his club, he’s in the early stages of what Reds fans will hope is a glorious metamorphosis. In the same way that Kenny Dalglish should never have been expected to convert Roy Hodgson’s misbegotten hoofballers into tiki-taka title contenders inside a year, Henderson should not be expected to wrestle the Ballon D’or from Lionel Messi’s tiny mitts in his debut season. Or indeed, ever. Yes, £16million was probably more than he is worth, but it’s not like he negotiated the fee himself. He shouldn’t be punished for the premium incurred by increasingly stringent ‘homegrown’ player restrictions.

In true Henderson style, let’s make this simple. He is already good. At some point in the future he will be very good and then, as they did with the much-maligned, now much-adored Lucas, those hard-to-please Liverpool fans are going to yank the handbrake and perform a screeching mental U-turn. Perhaps if they got behind their man now, instead of attempting to destroy him, he might get there sooner.

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Comments

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Ian

Great article. You’re absolutely right as well. Hendo will come good. Even know he’s showing signs of promise. Plus he is being played out of position. Against the Mancs up the middle he was fantastic.
Bruce D

To be honest I don’t think there are many knowledgeable Liverpool fans who are doubting Henderson. It’s opposition fans and the media having a pop because of his £20m price tag (they won’t hear the £16m bit for one second) or watch what he actually does during a game.

Of the Downing, Carroll and Henderson signings, Henderson has slotted in the most comfortably and if played with Kuyt, Suarez, Lucas, Bellamy and Maxi he would (and has) slot in comfortably and the football would be quick passing like much of the end of last season. Liverpool’s bigger issue is fitting Downing and Carroll into that style of play.

Adam now seems to be less interested in the long ball which is good (although nice long ping to Glen Johnson against Chelsea), but Henderson had that right from the start. Like you say though, he’s not the type of player to stand out like Suarez or Messi and the comparison to Lucas is a good one. Hopefully a few years down the line he can fulfill that role or even come of age like Scott Parker has in the last 3 or 4 seasons.
Anonymous

He could probably do a similar job to Adam in the middle. And when Gerrard’s fit they’ve got 3 very similar players causing traffic for Hendo. So why did they sign Adam? When Liverpool need to defend Adam looks like someone’s inverted the d-pad on his controller.
kybler

Most midfielders peak late, so if he’s this good at this age, he’ll definitley, at some point become world class. He been shy with the ball, he needs to let himself free, like the game against Chelsea. kid’s special
BR@

It’s amazing how we let these players WALK ALONE without giving them any chance or time to settle in. disgraceful.

I really agree with what you are saying here. He is only 21, that’s right 21. Lets rather get behind him an give him the encouragement he needs and deserves.
He didn’t set the transfer fee like you said, he only wanted to play for the best club in the world. He also gives his all when he comes on the pitch and I believe that in time he will come seriously good. The select number of fans who turn so quickly on players need to change their attitude and towards these type of players.
I know we are all dying for trophy’s but by turning against players doesn’t help.
Why don’t we as LFC fans try to start backing all our players with songs about how we believe in them and that we think that they are there because they are good enough, maybe then they won’t dread walking onto the pitch thinking of what the fans will say when they make a mistake.

The same goes for Andy Carol, Downing etc. lets back them for the rest of the season and give them a fair chance to settle in and then we can take it from there.

YNWA.
Beef_up_a_duck

I actually believe he will be much much better then a “good” player for us. I think he will be great, and I cant wait when he is
Ross

Good article, though I will add most (reading the ones that goes to games) Liverpool fans are getting behind Hendo. Online seems to be another case though
http://twitter.com/Guguweng Gu Gu Weng

very bad player. wat a waste of money by stupid manager!
http://twitter.com/Guguweng Gu Gu Weng

i dont why dalglish like to buy british? all failure! if aquilani is still here, liverpool will be much blossom and now maybe top 3! stupid kenny dalglish!
KA1991

i like henderson, but the reason he gets so much stick is the following,
he only plays simple passes – always five yards either side of him.
he makes to many mistake- in the first 1/4 of the season at least.
i also believe he will become a good player for liverpool but it will take time. he needs to become more confident in his passing and his dribbling, he also need to cut out the mistakes as he loses the ball too often.
Seddothekopite

The only ‘fans’ (and I use that term loosly) are the ones who are fickle enough to believe everything they read on twitter and go along with it.

The knowledgeable ones know that not only does he need time to settle in Liverpool he also needs time to settle in the Liverpool team.

He has been mostly played wide on the right, and to be frank, he hasn’t been great.

But then watch him in the centre and he’s a different proposition. His movement is excellent, he is quick (not a strong attribute of either Adam or Lucas). At times he has looked for the easy ball, but as I said earlier, he’s still settling in and will undoubtedly be nervous. (Especially with ‘fans’ such as Gu Gu Weng, who quite frankly is either racist or needs his eyes testing!)

They don’t look at his performances for the U21′s (usually the best player on the pitch) or his cameo’s in the centre for Liverpool where he has looked a lot better. He made the difference on Sunday against Chelsea and I doubt we would have won the game without him.
Rgsmith84

Henderson will continue to develop into a top player for club and country, the stick won’t affect him, he disgracefully received it from sunderland fans last season.

He never goes missing, always wants the ball and will show why he cost a hefty fee.

I’d have him back in a heart beat
varun

Hey f**king man whats your problem?? Did kenny steal your GF or had some nice time with her?? “stupid analysis! henderson is a failure!” from http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2011/11/is-didi-hamann-right-with-this-wild.html? .. Whats your problem man?? Anything stuck inside your a*s??!!!
Una cerveza, por favor

Brilliant.
Anonymous

Spot on 100%!!
He is a good lad (lad being the point here – not the finished article, More importantly, not a 27 year old part-time Spanish/ Swiss/ Portugese / Israeli / Croation wanna be international) and one day – sooner rather than later – he will be very good.

He has the lot. He runs he tackles he shoots. Just watch him for the U21′s where he shines, a) because he is comfortable and b) because he is wanted and appreciated. I watched Lucas play for Brazil U19′s and U21′s – same Story and look how he has turned out when given support instead of barracking. When someone is waiting for you to make a mistake (in any walk of life) the pressure is on and you can guarantee you will make that mistake – simple as that!
YnwaB

Granted that he completes 70% of his passes on average. However what I am more interested in knowing are the stat of whether he plays the ball backwards or forward? He seems to make more backwards passes hence easier to be accurate. If we agree that he is still young and has room for improvement, then why dont you play more mature players who are better than him and bring him on as a sub, e.g Maxi and Craig? Its a matter of time before he gets better than them but currently we cannot justify him having the jersey over these guys..I would be interested to get your comments on this?
Silky

There’s a bloke stood near me for the last couple of seasons shouting ‘Kick it you muppet’ at Scott Parker. It’s amazing how some people just see things differently. Henderson’s obviously a decent link player, who keeps possession, keeps a move going, and doesn’t make too many mistakes. The great Liverpool sides of the 70s and 80s had a few of those. But some fans want something different these days. If you’re not Xavi you’re rubbish. They’re the same fans who think moving to shiny new stadiums make their teams as good as Barcelona.
Ray Wilkins played regularly for Chelsea and man United, and was capped 84 times by England as a result of keeping it simple.
Some fans should grow up, learn a bit about football, and let Henderson mature into the much-more-than-decent midfielder he’s going to be.
Love the Henderson comparisons by the way.
CCM

In all bar the Spurs game, his pass completion rate has been above 70%? I have to say that really surprises me.

Obviously I havent done the research you have, but I would be flabbergasted if his pass completion stats werent poor for the first 45 mins of the Swansea game. He seemed to give the ball away nearly every time he had it, and that was presumably the reason he was taken off at HT.

I would say that I’m one of the fans who probably isnt giving him a fair crack of the whip. And he probably deserves more time to settle. But my biggest problem is that he isnt good enough to make our starting XI yet, so why should he be there? Because he was expensive? I cant see a position where he would be our best option. So I’m happy for us to train him and develop him and improve him. But not in the first team. Until he’s at that level.

I also feel he just hasnt progressed since we signed him. Perhaps I’m asking for too much too soon. Granted it hasnt helped putting him out on the right, as he looks significantly better in the middle. Did a good job on Sunday, and that should be his niche for the time being. My worry is that Kenny will have been suitably impressed to start him next game, and we’ll take a step backwads again.

It goes without saying that I hope he proves me wrong, but I dont think he is a player who will help us get back towards the the top.
CCM

Seddo. How can you say he ‘made the difference against Chelsea’?

He came on and was neat and tidy and helped close out the game. Had he started, I am sure we wouldnt have won. Maxi and Bellaamy made the difference as they currently offer much more than JH.

Not knocking the lad, but he isnt good enough to be starting.
Red4Eva71

Well said. These so called ‘supporters’ should keep it shut. The reason why our fans are the envy of every club in world football is because we stick with out team through thick & thin. We ‘support’ our team. If we lose, we don’t walk out early from the match with our chins dragging on the floor. We stay to the end, and sing You’ll never walk alone. This is our mantra. Practice what you preach, be patient and get behind our team. This year is part of a transitional period of rebuilding, finishing 4th is all we require. Look for the positives and not the negatives. Henderson will become world class and the envy of our rivals. I was behind Lucas from day 1 and look at him now, Henderson will come good so give him some slack and as said above, he’ll come good quicker. The so called supporters need to start and support our team, if they can’t, go and support someone else instead. YNWA
Red4Eva71

Your a racist Manc fan. No intelligence.
BMWhaley88

I was most excited for Hendo to come to Liverpool. He has the ability to become more than just a good player and in fact i believe he can become world class. It’s been a tough couple of years for Liverpool but one thing is certain. we have owners who care about the team, a manager who’s honours out shine any other manager and finally we have a squad that when the time comes and they click…. we’ll be the club to recon with once again. You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Argyll6

I think Adam’s tackling and positioning will be worked on hard this season. His tackling and harrying against Chelsea was Masher-esque in its execution. My motm.
Hardmane

Most fans would like us to sign players like Tevez who couldnt care less about the club but because he puts 20 plus in the goal a season they dont care. Henderson has been staying behind hours after training to improve and ok he isnt the finished article at the minute but at least he has the desire and commitment to the club and not just bothered about picking his wage up and going home. Sometimes its an embarrasment to call myself a Liverpool fan, I could maybe understand if the lad was lazy and never give 100% but its clear he does. Also hes English and all we want to do is put him down, hes beat before he even goes out there.
YNWA

this is similar to that case of our lovable Lucas. His first season here was horrible and everyone called for his head. Now, everyone praises him like he’s a saint. Give Henderson time to settle into the club, and im pretty sure he’ll be worth 30million in a span of a few seasons
Anonymous

If he’d have emerged through our own academy, we’d be cooing about him. As we paid £16m there’s the unreasonable demand for immediate impact. He’ll come good. He has a tremendous attitude. He’s intelligent. He applies himself really hard in training. He’s hungry to learn. And those are qualities that can’t be taught. He is not setting the world alight at the moment but I have great faith that he’s one for the future. I certainly have much more faith in his development than Andy Carroll, who I think seems to lack a few of the aforementioned qualities.
http://www.anfieldforum.com/forum/liverpool-fc-discussion/3476/back-not-barrack-henderson-he-will-blossom-anfield.html#post28221 back not barrack henderson and he will blossom at anfield

[...] if they got behind their man now, instead of attempting to destroy him, he might get there sooner. Back, not barrack, Henderson and he will blossom at Anfield | Life's A Pitch One day I'm going to grow wings, A chemical reaction, Hysterical and useless. Reply [...]
steve ks ng

That’s what they used to say about Lucas, didn’t they?
Steve

Spot on. I’ve seen plenty of encouraging signs in the lad, both in his appearances for us and with the England U21′s. He’s one for the future, he has no ego at all and is a willing pupil of the game.

Mark my words, in 3 years this lad will be an established star of the English game.
Michael

As a Liverpool fan I too am aghast at the stick everyone at the club gets, it doesn’t matter if your King Kenny or Jordan Henderson the gobshites are there and they are getting more numerous. I like Jordan and think he will be a good asset for us next term.

Cant go with out saying Gary Speeds family are in my thoughts tonight RIP fella.
http://www.lfgss.com/thread14435-901.html#post2547080 Football – Page 901 – London Fixed-gear and Single-speed

[...] Henderson a 7/10 player. http://www.lifesapitch.co.uk/opinion…om-at-anfield/ [...]
Aylish

Jordan Henderson go grow in a bush then come out oh I really hate Jordan Henderson he can’t even run let alone walk and he is a rubbish player I hope you read this Jordan go get lost
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Anonymous

Absolute donkey of a player. Balls the size of Quails eggs. Please turn off the lights on your way out.
Anonymous

Absolute garbage player. Balls the size of Quails eggs. You only have to look at Oxlade at 18 to see why you need balls to succeed. I dont think he even has the courage to go ask a girl her name. 110 meter pitch is a large place to hide a player like that. Either he comes out the other side with this abuse or he will be another has been. We will se what kind of character he is soon enough. When you are worth £20 million , you will not have time. Thats the nature of the game. Why? Well i dont get paid in a year what he gets paid a week. For that kind of payoff, it goes with the territory. So please dont say he doesnt deserve the stick or abuse.

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