Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rohan Ricketts has launched an astonishingly unprofessional public attack of three of Liverpool FC's midfielders.
During the club's premier league defeat at Newcastle last Sunday, Ricketts - who has also played for Shamrock Rovers and Toronto FC - posted the following on Twitter:
"Spearing, Henderson and Shelvey would not have got in my youth team but they have managed to play for #LFC. Absolute garbage"
Ricketts - who currently plays for Exeter City - is entitled to his opinion, but to publicly label three fellow professionals 'absolute garbage' is totally unprofessional IMO.
By no stretch of the imagination are Spearing, Henderson and Shelvey 'absolute garbage' anyway; all three players are definitely Premier League standard, and theyve shown that many times.
They may not be world beaters, but of the three, Shelvey definitely has the potential to be a special player.
Sounds like a serious case of sour grapes to me.
Reminder: Any post containing personal abuse of players will be deleted.
Jaimie Kanwar
During the club's premier league defeat at Newcastle last Sunday, Ricketts - who has also played for Shamrock Rovers and Toronto FC - posted the following on Twitter:
"Spearing, Henderson and Shelvey would not have got in my youth team but they have managed to play for #LFC. Absolute garbage"
Ricketts - who currently plays for Exeter City - is entitled to his opinion, but to publicly label three fellow professionals 'absolute garbage' is totally unprofessional IMO.
By no stretch of the imagination are Spearing, Henderson and Shelvey 'absolute garbage' anyway; all three players are definitely Premier League standard, and theyve shown that many times.
They may not be world beaters, but of the three, Shelvey definitely has the potential to be a special player.
Sounds like a serious case of sour grapes to me.
Reminder: Any post containing personal abuse of players will be deleted.
Jaimie Kanwar
May well be low tier premier league standard, Jaimie but nowhere near liverpool quality. Reflective of how poor we are to be honest.
ReplyDeletespearing wouldn't get in the chelsea,utd,city,spurs,arsenal sides and i doubt he'd make the newcastle side.he's not a top level player.
ReplyDeletei know some people think he's an able replacement for lucas but he isn't.
enough has already been said about hendo but shelvey is a talent,i just hope he sticks around lfc for us to see him develop but i've a feeling lack of games and kenny's favortism to hendo will see him go.
out of line from ricketts to talk about other footballers like that though.
i'm sure he's setting exeter alight.
Agree with the above comment.If Shelvey is player we think has the potential to become special then we are in deep decline....
ReplyDeleteNice to see Rohan Ricketts playing for a world-beating side. He ought to look at his own failure to live upto potential than have a go at 3 young English players who are just starting out.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest yes all 3 are absolute garbage and they cant even make the teams like Swansea,Stoke or even Wolves.They belong to the lower Championship teams.
ReplyDeleteHe's right.
ReplyDeleteFrom Alonso, Macherano and a prime Gerrard to Spearing, Shelvey and a 31 year old Gerrard.
When you walk.....etc
You say Spearing isn't a replacement for Lucas but if you look at their stats(LFC Web site) they are very similar and Spearing has still only played 25 league games at 23 and Lucas has 123 games at 25, Spearing is proving he his worth and his place in the team like Lucas.
ReplyDeleteShelvey and Henderson, can't see how another professional can attack young players when Adam and Downing are the targets he could have gone for in the team. Henderson has admitted to playing safe and needs to watch Shelvey no nerves gets on the pitch and shows what he can do. Henderson needs to show why he was being talked about not do the opposite and open himself to ridicule.
The difference is their impact on results. I seem to recall that liverpool have a terrible record with spearing in the side and the reverse with lucas. Not slagging off spearing as i think he is decent but it is noteworthy.
ReplyDeleteListen to yourselves! All three are doing a damn sight better than Ricketts. And all three will have successful Premiership careers (either at Anfield or elsewhere), unlike this never-was, who thinks he has the right to pass judgement on others far superior to him. Total wanker.
ReplyDeleteThink of it this way - if you supported a team such as Fulham or Norwich, how impressed would you be if you found out your club was looking to buy Spearing as one of your main midfield players?
ReplyDeleteshelvey is raw but has no fear.he is a real threat, or will be. hendo has teh quality, i am just not sure that he has the mentality, especially now that the boo boys are on his back. he may wilt away under the pressure. sad to see the boo boys all over him. the chap is played out of position and is learning. but whatever. and spearo has improved exponentially. he isnt top notch, but he is earning his stripes. anyway, the fact that we started the season with gerry, raul, lucas and aqua, yet end up with hendo, adam, spearo, shelevy and gerry is shame of note.
ReplyDeletei know where you're coming from with stats etc but spearing never has an impact on games the way lucas can.lucas can set the tone of our game with a couple of tackles whereas for me spearing never does more than he's expected.
ReplyDeletei personally don't rate him.
spearing is awful sorry to say, he gives 100% so I'll give him credit for that but seriously he is no where near liverpool class! if he is part of our future then god help us! he looks like he should be on a building site and not even as a trade man but a labourer.
ReplyDeletedon't forget we had meireles at the start of the season too.
ReplyDeletefar superior to henderson and way more of an attacking threat.
More our lack of goals and the loss of Agger then Spearing or Lucas playing! Teams are getting the ball into the box where defensive midfield players can't do their job either from the wing or chipped over before they can get a tackle in. To soon to judge Spearing and the other 2, like Lucas to quick to judge players fans and media
ReplyDeleteI have burnley fan friends who wouldn't take him! that says it all!
ReplyDeleteI have backed Lucas on the way he can take the sting out of the game a short pass backwards sideways can just be as effective has a ball forward in controlling a game, you are right that Spearing needs to learn that but so did Lucas and his needless fouls round the area which blighted Lucas's early days a defensive midfield player. Spearing learnt from his red card against Fulham and will carry on learning seeing that his season didn't start until January he has been a small positive!
ReplyDeleteShelvey is a really talented player and with few more games under his belt, he will show his real quality. For me Shelvey has the talent to succeed at Liverpool and be an important player for Liverpool and he looks like a readymade replacement for Gerrard. Henderson too has the talent but he lacks the confidence, with time he will prove to be a decent signing.
ReplyDeleteCan't say the same about Spearing though, the only reason he is playing for Liverpool is because he is a local lad otherwise he might not even play for a team like Wolves. Spearing plays in one of the most important positions where you can't make any mistakes but Spearing makes 2-3 every game and sometimes we get lucky and sometimes not. I remember last game against Newcastle he was so easily beaten by Ben Arfa for the first goal and also against Wigan it was only after his loose pass that we conceded a penalty.
Dindnt even realised that a player with that name existed somewhere. I think talking about other players publicly is disrespectful. Wouldn't write Shelvey off just yet but the other two I'm afraid r not up the standards to play for big club.just compare the midfield of Alonso,Mascherano ,Gerrard with henderson Spearing and Adam. That's why we r where we r I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteMakes a change for Jaimie Kanwar to be sticking up for the players, or is it a case of only he can slag them off?
ReplyDeletedalglish should sign.. Granero 6m,Affellay 8m,seydou keita on a free, dempsey for 10-12m,justin hoilet on a free...sell kuyt,maxi,j.cole for 12m together add 10m and make a bid for adam johnson."
ReplyDeleteIrrelevant comment from a journey man
ReplyDeleteAnother inquest has to be called into the sale of Meireles!
ReplyDeleteWhen you see Shelvey play you don't see a young Gerrard then?
ReplyDeleteDrive, not scared to impose himself, can pass, cross,shoot and tackle ,you can't see any potential in him? What more qualities do you want showing in a 20 year old who has started 2 games this season and only 17 games altogether for us mainly as a sub?
you hit the nail on the head shelvey will be a world class midfielder if he continues to progress as he has been
ReplyDeletespearing is playing as a holding mid cos of lucas absence and so many other options for further forward, but i dont see him as a full on defencive mid, his best qualities are finding space and finding a quick pass to a team mate. get some decent wingers, and if he got a game further forward id be interested to see if he could transfer his abilities to that role. hes so small he'd get every foul against him given.
ReplyDeleteshelvey needs game time, could be great, could be average. got a great shot on him.
hendo doesnt play well on the wing, hes a central mid, he is better in the middle. he keeps getting shunted out wide like meireles did, and his form suffers.
who the F is rohan ricketts? like i remember the name, but i cant remember a single goal, assist, bit of skill, good tackle or even good game that he has played. i feel confident saying none of our three will play at such a low level as Shamrock rovers or toronto FC in their entire career.
Spearing and Henderson are very average. And he is right, if you play against Newcastle, with their midfield and have these kind of players starting or coming off the bench, you are going to lose. And we did. Shelvey is ok, but I think the poor level of some of our other players has made people think he is better than he is.
ReplyDeleteYou are a muppett
ReplyDeleteSpot on again.
ReplyDeleteyep bang on the money here
ReplyDeleteI can't argue with his comments about Henderson and Spearing.
ReplyDeleteShelvey will be a good player but not yet
pleaseeeee dalghish outttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
ReplyDeleteEnough with stats wtf is it with stats i could play 10 games and pass 200 times sideways backwards and have 70 shots and hit the roof but that means shit will everyone shut up with the stats. Stats is way KK and co bought these average players in the first place.
ReplyDeleteIt's u Jamie that needs a reality check!!
ReplyDeleteFrom a lifelong LFC fan- those players are absolute garbage, and Charle Adam and Stewart Downing have achieved what seemed impossible by proving they are even worse.
Why do u keep going on about these player being young and needing time? It's rubbish, pundits are forever saying if you are GOOD enough you are OLD enough, how come players like JACK WILSHERE, PHIL JONES, GARETH BALE, CHRIS SMALLING, DAVID LUIZ, JUAN MATA, RAMIREZ, KYLE WALKER, ALEX OXLADE- CHAMBERLAIN are able to produce the goods when required? And that's just the PREMIERSHIP.. Most of the ARSENAL side are young but media berates them. By the time Downing and Adam become even average, someone like Wilshere will be a great grandad!
Lucas Leiva was way down the pecking order at Anfield, behind Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano, now the players we have bought are so shite-people talk about Lucas as automatic first choice and some sort of SAVIOUR! How LFC HAS
He has a point
ReplyDeleteThe players you all mention are individuals bought to support and improve an established team. Dalglish and Comolli are rebuilding a squad including the ethos which is an incredibly tough thing to do and does take time. Remember, LFC were very close to signing Oxlade-Chamberlain and Phil Jones.
ReplyDeleteNot a great fan of Lucas either, especially when mentioned with Alonso and Mascherano, personally, I think that was one of if not the best midfield in the world at the time!
Patience is a virtue here, if Man U had sacked Ferguson in 1989 where would they be today? Dalglish is a good man manager, anyone who he thinks hasn't pulled their weight and is not showing the right attitude would, I imagine, be under serious scrutiny in the summer.
Spearing wasn't brought academy player, Shelvey was brought by Rafa and Henderson is a Kenny buy but hopefully will improve like he did today by playing in midfield.
ReplyDeleteHes clearly an idiot, watching shelvey in the villa game he looked much more mature than his age would suggest, what i like most is his desire to get on the ball and drive the team forward which is very gerrard-esque!! Thats something henderson needs to learn though...
ReplyDeleteThe worst players I've seen in my life to play for lfc Stewart downing Charlie Adam and jay spearing absolute toilet class get rid and get rid of kenny.where are you rafaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
ReplyDeleteHenderson had an excellent game today. He created a lot of openings we just don't have the talent to use these openings.
ReplyDeleteSpearing is very average and only one year younger than Lucas. It's hard to imagine Jay getting into the Brazilian national team...
As for Shelvey he's a little younger but he has a lot of the same attributes Gerrard had, minus the pace so therefore he isn't as versatile.
It is a fact that we started leaking goals like crazy after Agger and Lucas got injured. Before that we had the best defensive record in the league.
I'm going to guess that Shelvey and Henderson (barring difficult injuries) will have a future in Liverpool. Jay not so much.
Shelveys top class you nothing my friend !!
ReplyDeleteNever liked that Ricketts when he was in Corrie, he couldn't act, so what the fook does he know about football :)
ReplyDeleteSo why on earth are they pursuing this policy ? The club was not in that bad a shape at the end of last season. A few seasons before we nearly won the league.
ReplyDeleteThe American owners expected top 4 this season the reason this hasn't happened is because of awful transfers, and bad tactics.
I get rid of the lot and start again give the youth a chance they can't be any worse least out excuse could be there young , Gerard downing hendo Carroll spearing kuyt get rid of them no longer lfc quality , but first queen kenny must go ASAP fed up with all these excuses , had it been Roy hodgeson there would be hell to pay
ReplyDeleteMore than KD, it seems.
ReplyDeleteThe man was two thirds right - Shelvey isn't bad.
ReplyDeleteI've long given Shelvey credit for his confidence and desire to make things happen on the pitch at any opportunity, but I was pleasantly surprised by his more restrained and composed performance against Villa.
ReplyDeleteThat Dalglish decided that he should be the first man off of the pitch, yet again, was just another nail in the coffin for me. Dalglish clearly doesn't have a clue about developing young talent, and as such he is not the man to move the club forwards (without another ridiculous outlay in the transfer market).
The sooner that this season is over and Dalglish is replaced, the better!
That's a bit hard on Shelvey but you're right about the other two.
ReplyDeleteIf only they'd start out with some other club.
ReplyDeleteLucas DID have a negative impact on results too. We went from a title challenging team to midtable as soon as he was gifted a first team berth. Just like Henderson now, Lucas WAS elevated to being a regular starter too soon, to the detriment of the club.
ReplyDeleteThe players LFC have bought match the FSG profile that they have applied to their other investments is my understanding of the situation. Young players who are semi-proven and show the potential but are not necessarily the finished article. It's a risky strategy at the beginning because the players may not flourish or fit together and this is expensive to correct. Enter man management and time here. If it does work though you have a consistent spine of your team for 8 - 10 seasons.
ReplyDeleteThe football we have been playing has, until recently, I think been fantastic, a real step up from seasons since we came 2nd. We dominated the Arsenal game and made them look average yet walked away with nothing. Absolutely, we have not been clinical, the chances have been coming, but we don't get points for hitting the woodwork, we'd be champions now if we did.
When Liverpool nearly won the league that team was settled and each player was established. Torres on top song, Xabi, Mascha, Arbeloa almost a season of Stevie G was getting on a for a world beating line up.
The Hicks and Gillette debacle killed that for us as the squad was decimated first in moral then in transfers as the sought to pay off the mortgage they took out to buy our club. I don't blame Rafa for the 2009/2010 season, but I do think he was trying to make a point with the way the team performed.
I really can't see a change of manager helping the current situation, it would be knee jerk at this point. Dalglish and Clark are a solid combination building a young team. Alex Ferguson was given 6 years to build the Utd squad that dominated after 6 years of inconsistency and winning 1 FA cup for a large amount of investment they went on to win 9 /10 of the next leagues. Replacing Dalglish and Clark at this point would just create further instability and yet another culture change that the club can't afford!
To be honest Shelvey and Henderson are good youbng players at 20 and 21. Spearing on the other hand should not be anywhere nera the Liverpool team. Poor player just because he hails from these parts does not wash with me. 23 and a championship player at best! Also when a man constantly points on a football pitch he is hiding!
ReplyDeleteSurprised that a fellow profesional would say these things though.
walk kenny
ReplyDeleteRohan who?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you think Spearing is EPL quality is hilarious!! That hobbit is championship quality at best... and he is absolutely correct when he says that Spearing and Downsyndrome are absolute garbage... Shelvey has not been given enough time to show what he is.. but so far he is average at best... ..
ReplyDeleteShelvey world class baldy bum spearing dog shiz and henderson makes rodwell look roy keane admit kenny cant spend well is living in eighties bad manager bad team up the toffees
ReplyDeleteSimple facts are that the yankee money has been utterly squandered. The money paid for Carroll & Henderson (potential ??!?) was an utter joke and even before they appeared for the club it was laughable. If that level of finance was given to a prem club other than city you'd expect a go at the title in return. Garbage doesn't even come close.
ReplyDeleteIm a liverpool fan, dont get me wrong, just stating the truth here, REALITY! Our players that others would love to have - 1. Suarez, 2. Reina, 3.Gerrard, 4.Johnson, 5.......nobody, maybe on a free transfer or on loan. That what you call a Liverpool team? Sad but true....even my blues friend are very happy that Rafa didn't get the nod to manage them.
ReplyDeletejones would end up be coates, and oxlade would be sterling, dump in the reserves. results never lie ! its a catastrophe now and needs urgent attention and decision making. WHY are LFC soooooo softyyyyy.
ReplyDeleteHow can Rohan judge others when he is not a world class player himself???? Shame on him to comment his soccer mate. Amyway who is Rohan???????????? Nobody outside of England knows him..........
ReplyDeleteIt does LFC no favours to blindly defend the team because they play for the club you support. I too support this club, it's as clear as gin that these three are hopeless. What is unfair is to single them out, there are several others just as bad.
ReplyDeleteThe sentimentality around the club is a weight of burden. It starts with the manager. The rot at LFC began under his first tenure, remember David Speedie? Sadly I do. KD had inherited a well oiled machine, it was when he had to buy players that things began to slide. Great player dreadful manager.
Minus the pace??? It's a fast game! Minus any talent, me thinks.
ReplyDeleteIf the legend himself cant get the team going, who else can? You think Mourinho can walk in to the team and prevail? Sack the players. Dont sack the King.
ReplyDeletewe just need a 25 plus 6 yard player to get us the goals
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree with him on that. Spearing, shelvey and henderson are not the only garbage in the team.
ReplyDeleteThe whole squad except suarez, bellamy, skrtel and agger is garbage.
shelvey should not be on that list. he showed glimpes of potential.he forgot to mention adam and carrol. as for henderson , my God he doesnt even have potential. people defend him by saying he is being played out of position. fact is he played on right midfield couple of times for sunderland. and what was the purpose of buying english? so they would settle in immediately as they were already used to the demands of epl. after how many games now and we are still talking about the team gelling. papiss cisse joined newcastle in jan for 9 m. the guy couldnt even utter one word in english. he now has nine goals in nine games. did he need to time to settle? face it KK bought crap , no matter how much time you give them. " YOU CANT GET LEMON JUICE FROM AN ORANGE "thats a fact. not all is gloom and doom.sterling ,suso ,morgan ,coady should be getting playing time from now on. but it wont happen as kenny wants to justify his signings down our throats. i advocate change of manager. with him around we wont attract top names as we dont have cl.may be frank rijkaard or even rafa would be welcome at this stage
ReplyDeleteI think you'll find that KK and co didn't actually buy Shelvey, that was Rafa or Spearing, he is a product of the academy.
ReplyDeletePersonally I don't think he's far off the mark but it was unprofessional and unnecessary to voice it on Twitter!
ReplyDeleteYeah and who bought the players? If we sack the players that will only make way for more average signings by Dalglish and Comolli. Delusion Grandeur.
ReplyDeletecouldn't agree more, they are more of relagation battlers then table toppers at best.
ReplyDeletekenny made these players worse. we are doomed for a long time.
ReplyDeletegone 5 steps back . raffa sos
You should have been a fan longer - you would have seen Salif Diao, Djimi Traore, Eric Meijer, Boudewijn Zenden, Philipp Degen, Mark Gonzalez and Fernando Morientes.
ReplyDeleteDowning kicks Zenden's ass anyday.
In 2 seasons, Papiss Cisse will be playing for manure. It's always like this.
ReplyDelete