9 Sept 2012

'I feel sorry for him!' - Savage defends 'promising' £20m LFC flop

With Lucas, Sahin, Allen, Gerrard and Shelvey ahead of him in the midfield pecking order, Jordan Henderson is in danger of becoming Liverpool's forgotten man this season. He seems destined for extended bench duty over the next nine months, but in all fairness, Henderson had plenty of opportunities to shine under Kenny Dalglish, and he rarely made an impact on the field. Despite this, former Leicester and Blackburn midfielder Robbie Savage has a lot of sympathy for the youngster.

In his column for The Mirror this week, Savage - who recently admitted that Steven Gerrard is the best player he's ever faced - said:

"I feel sorry for Henderson because he has had to live up to such a sky-high fee at a massive club with massive expectations. When a young player like Henderson is saddled with a £20m fee, Liverpool fans are going to think they are buying something extra-special. He is a promising midfielder and worth a few bob of anyone's money"

I've been one of Henderson's biggest critics, and whilst I concede that the price tag is not his fault, I still can't see what he brings to the Liverpool team.

Henderson just doesn't have the self-belief or a strong enough mentality to be a success at the highest level, two vital attributes that Joe Allen - arguably Hendo's replacement - has in abundance. The Welsh maestro explained the importance of confidence in an interview with The Guardian yesterday. He observed:

"You have to have massive belief; it has to borderline arrogance at times. I think you can see the difference of a top player playing with belief or without it. That's something you have to cope with in football and something we strive to achieve"

Allen's confidence on the field shines through in every match, which is why he is now an automatic starter for Liverpool, and Henderson is not.

Jaimie Kanwar


59 comments:

  1. Amen to Allen.....now the rest of the LFC team for the next EPL game against Sunderland away, needs to share that same `arrogant`type of belief that WILL WIN games.....come on ye reds!!!!!

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  2. I can't understand constant criticism of Jordan - it reminds me of the treatment Lucas used to receive in the first couple of years . When you look under a microscop at something all the time - the image becomes blured and every single mistake is taking out of proportion . His work rate ,forward passing at speed and an eye for a goal is very good . His price tag ,often refered to as a £20 mil is incorrect - it was 16 mil with all the adds on . He is very young ,committed and already scored few and created few ,unlike so called seasoned professional ,sertain mr Downing, who can't score ,dribble or defend ,simply because he is not brave and committed enough. Give the boy time and even now I would prefer him in his current form to Stevie G ,who right now is wasting a place on the field with his bad discipline and constant desire to be sensational . Be fare and patient - he will come right ,given opportunities and playing time ,no doubt! YNWA

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  3. Arrogance is what every good Liverpool team had, absolutely nothing wrong with that!!!!

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  4. I suspect that you took the same position with Lucas in his early days

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  5. Allen is an automatic starter because the (current) Manager splashed out big money on him. Same as Henderson was an automatic starter because Kenny splashed out big money on him.

    No other reason.

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  6. Absolutely correct - Lucas did get the same if not worse treatment and saying that he (Henderson) had plenty of opportunities under Dalglish is utter rubbish - he has been bought as a box to box sentral midfielder ,yet when he did play last season ,it was largely as a winger ,yet he still created more chances then Downing and his work rate is phenomenal and he never gives up on the ball with majority of his passes forward and very consistent crosses that always in the danger area - that is what he brings to the team . Allen might be more confident player ,but imagine if he had misplaced fes of his passes that would have let to a goal ,what kind of treatment would he get and in turn what it would do to his confidence ?

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  7. He was only $16m, glad that if his price already rise to $20m now just for one season, that proves JH is a good buy, no need to pity or feel sorry for him, then ;)

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  8. Rodgers want's his players with technical abilities. Hendo is lacking in that department. He is still young and could be a work in progress. Give him some time and he will come good or get frustrated on the bench and eventually move on.
    For now he just does not fit in with Rodgers plans.

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  9. If we're going to judge players purely on what they bring to the pitch, then Henderson is frankly right where he deserves to be - until he develops the confidence and courage to consistently impose himself on games, then he should be waiting in the wings watching players that are capable of doing so

    The only reason people are saying that Henderson should be starting games, or be ahead of Shelvey (and even Suso imo!) in the pecking order, is because of the hefty price tag that he arrived with. Ignore the price tag and he's just another promising young player, with a lot to prove (but in stark contrast to the likes of Sterling or Pacheco, he actually has senior players performing to an acceptable level in his preferred position)

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  10. But compare both their performances and see how far apart they are!

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  11. Other than he has the only player close to world class in the last few games?

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  12. I bet henderson can atleast keep the ball better than stevieG

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  13. I admit I like Allen, and think he's a brilliant little player and a great addition to the side.
    The point I'm trying to make is that any manager who buys a player will surely show faith in that player regardless of what the crowd thinks. Because he has to justify the outlay.

    Likewise, new managers almost always try and offload nearly every signing made by the previous regime, in an attempt to show that they are going to do it their own way.

    The only players who have had any longevity in the team are, funnily enough, those signed by Rafa....

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  14. henderson has many good attributes. He keeps hold of the ball well, gets about the pitch making himself open to passes. What he lacks is a bit of swagger and invention, but I think that will improve. Not ready for regular starting role, but a useful squad player. he will improve

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  15. As do I. Just like he will be on Brendan's back in about 3 weeks time when we have still not registered a win. Just like he was on Kenny's back last year. Forgetting that he was fully behind him during the January to May period the previous season when he first took over and turned things around. Irony.

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  16. A MF is there to pass and play the ball. You get nowhere by keeping the ball.

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  17. Well said & very true. There is a big difference in the two players as there is between the two managers.

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  18. No. I've never been on the 'Lucas is crap' bandwagon.





    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: 'I feel sorry for him!' - Savage defends 'promising' £20m LFC flop | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  19. Henderson had so many games (at home) yet not once did he have what could be described as a good game! some of his home games he was really awful running around like 'a headless chicken'. Sorry but for me Henderson isn't premiership quality and never will be.

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  20. "Forgetting that he was fully behind him during the January to May period the previous season when he first took over and turned things around. Irony"
    You are talking absolute rubbish. I took a break from the site from Jan-aug 2011, and didn't write a single word, so your contention that I wrote loads of positive stuff about KD then turned on him is a deliberate lie.
    Also, I have *never* turned on any LFC manager in their first year in charge, and the site's history proves that.
    Ifvyou deliberately misrepresent my views again (i.e. lie to try and put a negative spin on things) you will be permanently banned.



    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: 'I feel sorry for him!' - Savage defends 'promising' £20m LFC flop | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  21. it's not his fault we stupidly over paid for him. i don't think he is a particularly good player, yet, I don't think he is as bad as portrayed. i would also say, as much as we are inept in the transfer market such as buying big selling small, thankfully we didn't get to part exchange henderson for dempsey. that would have been a ridiculous deal, not only for the amount of money we would have lost on him (again, chucking money away), but he is more valuable than dempsey in regards of age as opposed to ability. you can't blame him for not wanting to move to the 'grasses', sorry, i mean fulham, but we also know that playing football isn't what drives him on, big wage packets are. we don't want or need players like that, so brendan, lets try and SELL for some proper cash, even though yet again we will take a loss.

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  22. You forget to mention that KD played him out of position for most of last season why , I wonder ?

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  23. A view from the paddock11:49 am, September 09, 2012

    Dalglish forced Henderson to play wide right most of last season. That clearly affected how he settled in. When he did get a chance in centre mid he looked good. Some centre mid can't adapt to wide posistion. How would Savage have don on the wing?

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  24. I wouldn't sell him. He is fit, ready to learn, respects the club and time is on his side. If Lucas can why can't he improve?

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  25. henderson is a good player...SUSO is better!!!!

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  26. Henderson would fit in this system better than gerrard. He never play central for kenny but wen he did he either scored or assisted....

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  27. I still feel Henderson has something to offer. I kind of felt he was misplaced as a winger and did have alot to offer playing in the centre of midfield.

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  28. We have to buy some extra talent like Nuri Sahin we have to work so hard.

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  29. to true what your saying jk. henderson is not filling his potential, a good sub to have till he proves otherwise

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  30. Henderson can't really become a forgotten man because nobody ever really remembered him. Who is he, anyway?

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  31. He probably does have something to Offer. Washing the kits perhaps?

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  32. More valuable than Dempsey? More valuable than a man who can score twenty goals a season? Hopeless Hendo won't score 20 in his entire career. For God's sake mate - wake up!

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  33. No, he's Sunday League quality. No offence to Sunday league players but that just about describes Hendo. Several times last year I got half an hour into a game before I realised he was actually 'playing'. That is true, not a figure of speech or an exaggeration. He's a total and complete nonentity.

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  34. The difference being that Stevie G was a magnificent player for many years who carried LFC on his back and Hendo is totally bloody useless. Quite an important difference when you think about it. Try thinking about it.

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  35. Oh for God's sake stop bigging Lucas up. He's another LFC nonentity - one of dozens over the last few years. He can't score, can't make goals, can't do anything except prove that not all players from Brazil are good. Why do you think nobody ever tries to buy him? It's because nobody is interested.

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  36. hahaha yeah real funny man

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  37. Put him in the Ressies, and you will see he is above that level, but some people here are calling for some of them Ressies to be given a chance. 4me right now he is not good enough, but I agree he has time and potential on his side, rather keep him than let him go for scraps.

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  38. Jordan Henderson arrived at anfield out from nowhere.. no one expected him.. and just because the king himself picked him doesn't mean he must have something special.. All of u who worship the king so much must not following whatever decision he makes.. u should be objective.. what i mean is that i believe most people are praising JH bcuz of KD picked him, that u believe so much in him.. so far he has done nothing impressive other than his determination that everyone has.. even Spearing did a lot better job in replacing Lucas..
    Talking about future.. replacing Gerrard with Henderson is as good as replacing Torres with Ngog.... which is no good at all..
    Wake up people!

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  39. this is the formation i want to see in at least one match

    reina

    kelly skirtel coates enrique


    agger

    gerrard /allen shelvey


    Glen Johnson sterling

    suarez

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  40. this is the formation i want to see in at least one match

    ..............................reina................................

    kelly...............skrtle.............coates........enrique


    ..............................agger...............................


    .............gerrard/allen.................shelvey...........


    glen Johnson........................................sterling


    ...............................suarez.............................

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  41. obviously a S*N reader. look at what i said AGAIN and you will see i said he was more valuable "in regards of age as opposed to ability"......it's not difficult 'mate'.

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  42. sunday league quality!?!?!? oh dear, so he hasn't added much to our team, however, he has been scouted over many years and other club scouts have deemed him good enough to make the professional level required, and, keep this one quiet, he has even been selected to play international level!!!! yes, i know, ingurlun aren't brilliant, i have been told they, at present, are third in the world rankings! imagine that? a sunday league quality player selected for the national team!!! incredible! leave the world of football, scouting, choosing players who obviously have a greater talent at the great game than you or i, to people who know what they are doing....and you carry on doing what you are capable doing, if, indeed, you have any capabillity in anything at all.

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  43. no he arrived from sunderland, where he was a first team regular, so he had some experience of premier league life. no he hasn't done much, but tell me, which authority said that he was going to replace gerrard?

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  44. I keep saying it so I'll say it again. Jordan Henderson is Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap - he has lept into the body of footballer and gone 'Oh Boy' - looked around and realised he's playing football in front of 45,000 people at Anfield and quite frankly by his own admission - doesn't have a scooby do what he's doing there!

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  45. I have said this time and time again, and will say again: ANYBODY that says Lucas is crap only proves one thing. They know nothing about modern football. Martin Badger, you know nothing about football, please stick to PS2.

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  46. well said, he should stick to judging pies rather than footballers.

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  47. Well, if you've said it time and again it must be true. Like Blair saying time and again there were arms in Iraq. Look, I live in Barcelona and see REAL players - Iniesta, Xavi etc. Perhaps if you knew about the existence of players outside Anfield you might change your blinkered view. Lucas' best career move was to get injured and escape the criticism. Come to think of it, it was his only career move.

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  48. Pies? What the hell are you talking about? I have greatly enjoyed watching Stevenson, Milne, Cormack, Case, McDermott, Kennedy, Souness, Barnes,Whelan etc etc in midfield for LFC. Do you think I'm going to get excited about a bloody nomark like Leiva? Learn something about the history of the club you are trying to support before bandying words withg people who know what they're talking about.

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  49. If you think England are the third best team in the world you should try looking at their results in important tournaments. Better than Spain? Better than Germany? Better than Italy? Better than...well, you get the picture, don't you?The last time they did anything on the world stage was 1966 with the help of a goal that never crossed the line. So it looks like those 'experts' you admire so much - the ones who are scouting top class talent - aren't doing such a great job after all. If Henderson can play for England it shows just what a 'distinction ' it is. By the way, it is England ( spelling isn't your strong point, clearly ) and days of the week in English are written with capital letters. So is the personal pronoun 'I'. Let me know if I can put you right about anything else.

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  50. i do know what i'm talking about with regards to the history of the club. maybe i am not as old as you,(blame the parents for that one), but i have watched lfc home and away solidly for over 40 years. you seem to gloss over what is factually written in these posts. if you bothered to digest each sentence, your inane, pathetic retorts, may actually garner the start of a debate/argument. so you don't rate leiva or henderson? actually nor do i, but if you were capable of taking in and analysing simple english ordered sentences, you may see that many people posting on here, don't either...."wake up 'mate'"

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  51. yet again badger makes an ar*se of himself! ok, lets make it even more basic for simple martin...ready? i'll begin.. i did not state that i personally thought that 'ingurlun' were the third best, that was a factual statement based on fifa rankings....have you got that or is it still too hard? as for 'ingurlun' it is a little play on phonetics.....i don't expect you to know what that means.....if you listen to how the fans chant 'england', 'ingurlun' is how is comes out....got it yet? no? as your replies prove, you don't get very much at all.

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  52. iniesta and xavi, etc, don't play for REAL......what's the betting you don't get that one either!?

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  53. I know he's from Sundie.. but there were not even at least 2 days rumor of KD eyeing him back then(prove me wrong), suddenly he appeared at melwood with nonsense price.. just after he arrived then people started to scout him on youtube..

    LFC midfield is all about Gerrard-Alonso, any player sign for Liverpool as a midfielder are expected to be at their level(one day). Henderson is not even going at Didi Hamman level. Even at his prime(which was at Sunderland) during KD reign, I didn't think he's good enough for LFC...
    and look at KD's signings now... only Suarez worth mentioning(which he already is a world class at Ajax)

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  54. I do get it and it's quite amusing. Nice pun. I like puns. But I think you know what I mean - English real v Spanish one. Still, full marks for humour there. I wish other LFC supporters had some - they've become such a sad bunch. It never used to be that way. I'm afraid years of poor results have made them very bitter.

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  55. i love suarez, but world class he certainly is not. that label is thrown around far too readily. gerrard is the only player we have that could be icluded in that bracket. remember, it is easier to notch 25 goals in 'eridivisie' (spelt something like that), rathe thn the 'premiership'.

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  56. we are very fortunate to have witnessed numerous glory days and nights and as i point out to other rival fans who mock us for re-living our history...it's nice to have one. if i never see another cup lifted, at least i can say i have celebrated in many parts of the world at some points in my life. the club, david moores in particular is to blame for much of today's problems, when we were at our pomp, they were no forward thinking enough. they thought we were untouchable and no other club could over take us, so they ambled along and when the likes of utd got their marketing and branding machine going, he and the rest of the board hadn't got a scooby doo how to react. modern fans are demanding and yes, bitter when things don't immediately happen for them, but they are not as lucky as u,or i, they ony have sporadic success to say they have witnessed over the last 20 years. i have only rated a hand full of players over the last 20 years, good enough to wear the shirt, many more should not have been let anywhere near it. does that make me bitter? maybe, but like you i will always compare the true greats from yesteryear to today's crop. i know which way i would jump when comparing. then again, i'm lucky to be able to do that, today's younger guys and gals, i fear, will never have such a fabulous opton!?

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  57. spelling mistakes accepted!

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  58. I have to say I agree with virtually all of that. Sami was great but there have been so many disappointing ( tragic ? ) signings.

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