28 Jan 2015

Fans tell BR: Forget Hendo & make £12m 'warrior' LFC's captain. Surprise?

Earlier this month, Anfield legend Mark Lawrenson argued that Martin Skrtel is a better candidate for the Liverpool captaincy than apparent favourite Jordan Henderson, and it appears that a significant number of Reds fans agree.

In recent weeks, Brendan Rodgers has talked-up 'fantastic' Henderson's prospects of becoming the club's next captain, but in a recent column, Lawro insisted that Skrtel has 'more leadership qualities', and outlined why the Slovakian is a better choice. He explained:

"Skrtel plays almost every game, could handle the responsibility and it would help him communicate more. He is a battler, too. He got stood on the head by Giroud [vs. Arsenal] but he stayed on to head home a late equaliser".

I recently conducted a poll asking fans who should be Liverpool's next captain:

* 12600 (approx) site visitors participated in the poll.
* 55% of participants voted for Skrtel. Only 28% chose Henderson.
* 10% chose Lucas; 7% Lallana; 1% Lovren.

This suggests that there's a slight disconnect between the fans and Rodgers on this particular issue.

I've suggested £12m-rated Skrtel for the job several times, and he is the best choice at this stage.

* After Gerrard, 'warrior' Skrtel is one of the most senior players in the squad; he's paid his dues, and after six years at the club, he's arguably earned the right to lead the team.

* After being dumped for Jamie Carragher last season, €14m-rated Skrtel showed real strength of character and admirable attitude to fight his way back to being Liverpool's number-one centre-half. In that time, the Reds have spent £45m on three different central defenders, yet Skrtel remains the one constant in the heart of defence.

* Skrtel is the perfect bridging option. After Gerrard leaves, there will be immense pressure on the next captain to live up to the skipper's influence. That's even more likely to the case with Hendo as he is a midfielder, and therefore directly comparable to Gerrard.

* Skrtel is a defender, so there will (arguably) be less pressure on him. Plus, at the age of 30, he probably only has a couple of years left at LFC, so it makes sense to give him the job, and allow Henderson to work at increasing his influence on the field.

* Once he's achieved that, Henderson will - through the consistent level of his performances - command more respect from players and fans alike, and that will help his transition into the role of captain.

* Additionally, Henderson will have the advantage of taking over from Skrtel, and not Gerrard.

Alas, I can't see this happening. Judging by the constant effusive praise over the last two years, Henderson is clearly a Rodgers favourite, whereas - given the chance - the manager probably wouldn't hesitate to sell Skrtel to the highest bidder.

Some players buckle under the pressure of captaincy, and that consequently hurts their performance, and it'll be a shame if that happens to Henderson.

Author:


55 comments:

  1. 1% choose Lovren. Hi there NGCTC

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  2. It would be a massive sign of no trust in hendo if BR doesn't give him the captain's armband... Skrtel should be vice IMO, just like carra was gerrards co captain

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  3. im surprised BR did not hand the captaincy to glen johnson given how much manly love he has for glen...

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  4. It's tattooed on his bicep. Who needs a piece of cloth when it's imprinted on his skin.


    Glen Johnson - Captain 4 Life

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  5. Did NGCTC get banned or something?


    I feel like we haven't heard from him in ages.

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  6. A rose by any other name

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  7. He's sheik shams. - and probably a few others

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  8. So Skrtel who has had trouble with his own consistency should be there instead of Henderson as he needs to be more consistent. I don't get the logic?

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  9. Its Shamsy and NGCTC back.

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  10. He said people on this site pissed him off cos they knew nothing about football- so he was leaving forever-special mention goes out to Orme for delivering the coup de grace- thanks mate. Am sure he will return as Screan And Shout

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  11. Henderson talked up our winning against Chelsea all week and then fluffs his lines when it comes to it yet again missing a sitter . Not a captain IMO just yet if he will ever be good enough in that role. Been disappointing this season in many games. Has to start making a difference in games and not playing easy safe or hospital balls as we have Joe Allen who is the master of the five yard hospital ball.

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  12. He is always on TIA. There are more posters, lots of people hating Rodgers and talking out of the wrong orifices there so he can blend more easily.

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  13. Skirtel is the senior man and Henderson not worthy of Captaincy as he disappears when the going gets tough, no composure and lacks creativity,drive ,technical skill required at the top level. Skrtel has been our rock for years. The team lacks experience now and Henderson can prove during the next couple of seasons he is up to the job or not IMO

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  14. Strange how Hendo has received almost no real stick for missing a sitter of a header. I couldn't believe it.

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  15. He has had a bit from some quarters. It really was a terrible miss.

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  16. It seems like there are no outstanding candidates. I'd put Henderson as the best option simply because he's got many of the qualities the manager wants in a player. Rodgers doesn't like Henderson for no reason, he doesn't just arbitrarily pick favourites. Henderson is a Rodgers favourite because he's a Rodgers type player and there is nothing wrong with that at all. Being a favourite because you fit the managers plan and do what he asks of you is a good thing, it's good for the tactics and therefore good for the team.


    It doesn't seem right to me to suggest that Skrtel could be given the captaincy in order to help improve his communication. As mentioned, the guy is already a senior player at the club and has been through plenty of rough seasons. If at the age of 30 he isn't yet an effective communicator and leader in defence then he's not going to magically improve by being given the captaincy. It should work the other way around: you are an effective communicator first and that earns you the right to be captain. Carragher had no problem communicating and he was very rarely given the armband. Rodgers has clearly highlighted the need to replace those leadership qualities in defence and, two years later, Skrtel still hasn't filled the gap. Giving him the captaincy in the hope that it would change him seems like a gamble and there is little evidence to suggest it would work.

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  17. Terry McDermotts perm12:27 am, January 29, 2015

    I think the lack of candidates shows the quality of squad up. There arent realy many players who coudnt be replaced if we get our act together in the transfer market.

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  18. This is off topic and might be a bit late but where exactly was the 4th official during the whole costa/can incident?

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  19. Figuring out who the next captain should be is about as useless at this stage as our transfer committee....Must be a bleak news week.........if we only were doing some real business there would be something worth writing about.......

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  20. Sakho should be a candidate has captained France and unlike Skrtel does his own thinking on the field Skrtel isnt a leaders backside.
    He cant position himself properly half the time i prefer Hendo and Lallana to him as well.

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  21. 4th official was Phil Dowd. That probably explained more than I intended... :D

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  22. Don't look now, but guess who liked your comment ;D Shamsy's ghost lives on....

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  23. Yeah ok guys if you insist. Hand over the armband Stevie. We're on.

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  24. It's an interesting situation and i agree there is no outstanding cadidate at this stage. My view on a captain is a little bit different from the norm. We know there are different types of captains but personally i favour goving the armband to a player who can then thrive on the extra responsibility and raise their game. The likes of Carragher and Terry for example i almost feel dont need the armband as they are exactly the same on the pitch with or without it. Whereas if you give it to someone like Henderson, it is possible that he could thrive on it and raise his game to even greater heights, I honestly believe that was the making of Gerrard. His game improved significantly in a short space of time once he took over from Hyypia and i also think his England performances improved whilst he was captain.
    Now, it is difficult to know which players will thrive and which ones will wilt, but i think its something worth considering when we appoint the next captain. Henderson is the obvious one in this sense as the hope is it would have a siilar impact that it had with gerrard (although im not comparing quality here). But equally, it could have a very positive impact on Skrtel and perhaps that is something to consider because if Skrtel could add those qualities mentioned, it would be fantastic for us.
    I completely take on board it SHOULD work the other way round i.e. the skills you develop warrant you getting the armband, but people do react differently and if whoever gets it improves as a ressult and it has a positive impact on the team, that surely would be good enough.

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  25. I'd go with Henderson on that basis. I think he has more room for improvement and I think he's more likely to grow as a player with the extra responsibility. Skrtel ... maybe. I just don't see it happening.

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  26. Lucas or Skrtel for me.

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  27. he's a weirdo ;-)

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  28. Andrew Kyle Jenks8:26 am, January 29, 2015

    Absolutely believe it should be Henderson. No man shows more heart during each match and he works his ads off from start to finish every game. Reminds me of Stevie G.

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  29. I suggest a mental check for some so called fans. It's a scandal that a really poor centre back like skrtel is the Liverpool ' s defending leader. He can't mark, He's unable to control Ball, his positioning is a mess and He's faulth of ivanovic' header, as carra rightly outlined. Two yrs ago He was dumped out and liverpool went on to collect eight consecutive Clean sheets. If you are really convinced that a crop like skrtel can really be a proper liverpool cpt, You must be fools.

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  30. Mr. Point Of View8:27 am, January 29, 2015

    Dun judge the ability on pitch as criteria for captain ! What make a good candidate at outside

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  31. Henderson played in two different Roles during the match. He never gave up his Liverpool ' s career and He knows well he mean of the word sacrifice. He epitomises the perfect spirit of a Liverpool ' s cpt. To The pathetic People who said he disappears in the though times, I could remind He's been so near to get us to Wembley with a header. The pathetic buffoon of skrtel, is the one who cried for a place in the team when he was rightly dumped out from the first team Two yrs ago, due to his evident lack of quality and defensive leadership.

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  32. He is in the shadows watching and waiting with only the odd up vote here and there providing fleeting evidence of his continued presence amongst us. Be afraid.....

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  33. Lets look at this people. Hendo was trying to place it. If it was on target, who's to say the Cat wouldn't of saved it. Stop being so narrow minded people. Skirtel is hit a miss. And with being a CB could come inn for more stick than most, depending on situation. Get behind who ever gets picked. God Save The Kop

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  34. at the moment he's busy fighting himself whether is against of for Rodgers

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  35. It's going to be Henderson anyway

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  36. Rafa never picked skirtel in team. Skirtel does try but he isn't an LFC great CB. To put it nicely

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  37. What a lovely name Riccardo. You must be from Skem or somewhere

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  38. That's not saying much though is it?

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  39. Isn't Dowd one of the more competent of the PL-Referees?

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  40. I think he has done well lately. He looks pretty assured on the ball and often is the main outlet for Mig. He has even cut out the worst of his shirt tugging antics. Not saying he should be Captain though

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  41. I know the guy is young but I would rather see Can as captain rather than Henderson. Perhaps Hend/Skrtel for a couple of years but Can shows more of the kind of talent of Steve. He could become quite the mid-field maestro as he shows already an alert reaqding of the way a game is going.

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  42. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..... Oh wait, you were serious? Whoa...
    Nah he probably is, but at the moment that is like picking the prettiest turd out of a cow paddock. It may have a dandelion growing out of it, but it's still quadruple digested bodily waste. Much like Phil Dowd.

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  43. Can anyone tell me what does Henderson offers team in terms of creating chances, cutting defenses and scoring goals?
    nothing...he is a Joe Allen with a little more weight.
    Compare him to the central midfielders of any current top 5 teams of the league.
    0% creativity. 1% goals - if that's the definition of a CENTRAL MIDFIELDER

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  44. Eerie Sham imagine how dangerous he will be when puberty arrives

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  45. Disappears when the going gets tough? Like his debut when he ran onto the pitch, taking command and letting the senior players know the plan? Or when he squared up to Costa, one of the most well known bully-boys in the world at the moment and who has a face like a bucket full of smashed crabs? Lack of drive? Really? Not saying you are wrong, but you'll have to put forward a bit of evidence on those points. Technical skill, fair enough, he isn't Coutinho/Sterling, but he's no slouch. I've got nothing against Skrtel, in fact he remains one of my favourite players, but he isn't NEARLY vocal enough to be captain. He can't even organise his back line, let alone the whole team. Vote Hendo 4 Capitan!

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  46. Henderson IMO is not good enough !
    Except for his running , I don't see a single quality to call him a good central midfielder. LFC should seriously buy a creative midfielder to replace him, because he has no serious impacts on games.
    We don't need fillers , we need serious impact players !

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  47. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. ;-)

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  48. Again this is something that annoys me, where fans of a club think they know who should be captain, unless you are privy to what goes on in every training session and in the dressing room i don't see how you can hope to make a good decision on the captaincy. BR and his team are in the best position to make this judgement.


    Also wasn't the whole point of buying Lovren to try and find a leader at the back as the defense had been lacking one and a voice at the back.


    Don't get me wrong i like Skrtle and have been one of the few to defend him when he was getting slated alot even at the start of the this year, just don't think the Captaincy should be decided by a fans as they inevitably would vote for the inform player at the time. Should Henderson get a few goals and a couple of assists in the next few games and Skrtle made a few defensive errors and you put the vote up again i'm sure it would change.

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  49. Skrtel is the better choice because he is the only leader in the team other Gerrard at the moment and he has at the club longer than Hendo

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  50. No need to get personal.

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  51. I actually agree, while Hendo has been captain of sides before, I like Can as a possible future captain as well.

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  52. If you think this, you mustn't watch any Liverpool games, as Hendo is constantly talking to his teammates, leading his teammates, especially the younger players.

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  53. Are you qualified to calculate current player market values? Do you use an algorithm or do you just write down a number?

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