17 Mar 2015 11:41:15
Just out of interest what is everyones thoughts on Jordan Henderson? He seems to be coming of age over the last eighteen months or so and is turning into a very good homegrown player.
Did Fergie possibly make a blooper by pulling the plug on him? Good all round midfielder for me.
17 Mar 2015 11:58:39
I'm not sure you can say Fergie made a blooper to be honest, the way he played in his first 2 years at Anfield he would have been booed off the pitch by the United fans and would be nowhere near the player he is now. Liverpool have handled him pretty well in my opinion, given him the opportunities when he wasn't playing well, but over the last few years their expectations haven't perhaps been the same as ours, meaning poor players were given more of a chance than they would have been at a team chasing the title. (I am aware this wasn't the case last season but that was an anomaly compared to the previous 20 years, and Henderson seemed to come of age halfway through last season).
I think he is proving to be a very good player, especially on current form. He seems to have really taken to the captaincy and the job of replacing Gerrard, which in a way is pretty impossible and is a bit like Carrick trying to replace Keane, they are totally different players and he probably will never have the influence Gerrard had on games, but he can be a very important player for them going forward.
17 Mar 2015 12:09:09
He was over priced at the time, and had a couple of very poor years in the beginning at Liverpool. Had he come to us he would have been pushed to the side long before he had a chance to come good. Interesting to see that he isn't quite so keen to sign a new contract with Liverpool, could he have one eye on the exit door?
But this season he has really stepped up and has had a stormer in the last 6 months. Shades of Robson about him, although not on that level yet. All action box to box full of running and a willing tackler as well as an eye for goal. As likely to make the last ditch tackle to stop a sure goal as he is at scoring that winner himself.
17 Mar 2015 12:43:01
I think I would say me and Shappy agree on this one, pretty much the same post worded differently!
17 Mar 2015 12:55:40
I have to say, I used to think he was Edgar Allan Poe, but to be fair to the lad, he seems to have worked his arse off and it has come good for him. Can't knock him for that.
17 Mar 2015 13:05:22
Hendersons an excellent midfielder. He's added more goals to his game which he needed to do.
Eye on exit door? No just watching sterlings situation and thinking why not get a bumper increase too.
Players now need to play top drawer consistently and for more than one or two seasons before demanding big wages
17 Mar 2015 13:11:00
I disagree, he was a very promising player at Sunderland and twice took Arsenal and Chelsea midfield to pieces while he was still at Sunderland.
I think him and Coutinho are very influential for Liverpool. United had interest in him and should have bought him. But instead we went for Anderson!!
17 Mar 2015 13:15:20
I see Henderson and I think what might have been for Cleverley. Such a shame he got that injury.
Players like Henderson are not given enough games at Utd, he would never have reached this point had he signed for us, he would be rotting at QPR or back at Sunderland by now.
17 Mar 2015 14:42:54
As Fergie kept telling us, there is no value in the market.Which doesn't really explain why a very promising, talented, versatile English midfielder went to our fiercest rivals for less than £20 million.
Last season he was excellent in a team that nearly won the league and he is having another very good season this year.
Still, it's not as if we were crying out for that type of player at the time.
17 Mar 2015 15:03:27
that was the season you signed Jones @NoMidfield.
being a Liverpool fan myself, I didn't rate him at all when he first came (I even thought Shelvey had more potential). I think the problem was that he was played as a winger by KD (the kid isn't a winger). And I was slightly disappointed when the swap deal for him and Dempsey didn't happen (in hindsight, I'm glad that didn't happen).
anyway, I love him now, I think he's amazing
17 Mar 2015 15:16:52
TBL,
Easy to say that now, but I guarantee you would have been kicking off and moaning if we had paid what Liverpool paid for the Jordan Henderson that played for them between 2011 - 2013. At that point Wilshere and Cleverley were much better prospects than Henderson and we had one of them. Obviously that has turned around and Henderson has become a top player (although needs to prove it for longer than 18 months for me).
17 Mar 2015 16:38:20
I was being a bit flippant to be honest GDS, born of frustration.You're right, I would have moaned massively if he'd been at United playing how he did in his first couple of seasons, but I was moaning anyway because our midfield was crying out for new blood and he did look a good prospect at Sunderland.
He's done really well as he has applied himself, grafted, and took all the criticism on the chin.Unlike some of our midfield "talent" that was underwhelming us week after week.
And I've never rated Cleverly.
18 Mar 2015 11:22:52
Clev, welbeck, anderson, nani, jones, smalling, raf even gibson and i could go on where all given a chance at united, so i think henderson would of been given a chance to prove himself.