Jordan Henderson appreciation thread

[stringvest]

Certainly not in the first half, which I just finished watching.

 

I don't know, I'm obviously swimming against the tide here, but I think we massively overrate him as a footballer in his own right. He is vital for our team because of his work rate compensating for the deficiencies of others, but although he is capable of creative play and assists, they are rare, and the less said about his shooting, the better. He's a solid footballer who needs a creative team around him to work off his endeavour (which is fine, every team needs players for the engine room), but people on here act as if he is a new found footballing God or something. I would have him in the side because he is (sadly?) our best midfielder, of course, but.....eh.

 

no, I think that's a fairly objective view Billy.  He had a poor game tonight, which is allowed, but it is off the back of a poor display against Villa.  We have a lot of players out of form at once - I think the manager is largely culpable for playing them out of position in the case of Henderson, and not dropping them when they're stinking the place out, as with Coutinho.  It's the latter that I'm most disappointed in, as I foolishly believed that the manager would select his team according to form, and would put players in their most effective positions.   

[Adebisi]

Can anyone make out what he's saying to Giggs in that GIF? 

[Dr Nowt]

"Your sister-in-law must really love fucking monkeys if she's fucking both of you hairy handed boss-eyed retards".

 

That might not be perfect but it's pretty much the gist of it.

[Iceman]

"Every time I used to get a new Panini sticker book I always used to collect your sticker first, ever since I read that you also have hair growing from the head of your penis like I do."

[Total Longo]

"it was just banter"

[Paco]

needs to start scoring goals. we all know about his boundless energy etc but if he wants to be great midfielder he has to score at least 10 goals a season

[Russ Atmosphere]

We could say this about most of our strikers, and attacking midfielders of course.

[billypilgrimnz]

needs to start scoring goals. we all know about his boundless energy etc but if he wants to be great midfielder he has to score at least 10 goals a season

I don't think that's ever going to happen.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I can't see him adding any more goals to his game until the rest of the midfield can cope without him in the centre of the pitch covering their arses.

[Rapey Hugh]

I can't see him adding any more goals to his game until the rest of the midfield can cope without him in the centre of the pitch covering their arses.

This

[stringvest]

I can't see him adding any more goals to his game until the rest of the midfield can cope without him in the centre of the pitch covering their arses.

 

If you think that is what he is doing, then he's not doing a very good job of it.  The fact is, he's not playing as well as he did last year.  Allen being back in the team will make him look better. 

[VladimirIlyich]

If you think that is what he is doing, then he's not doing a very good job of it. The fact is, he's not playing as well as he did last year. Allen being back in the team will make him look better.

You disagree with this Stringy?

I think Henderson is a vital cog in our wheel and when he has a poor game its very noticeable.

In away he is like some of our better players over the years,he does the simple things well and does them consistently. His attitude is also absolutely spot on which will help him improve even more. He is still relatively young so Im sure there is more to come.

[stringvest]

You disagree with this Stringy?

I think Henderson is a vital cog in our wheel and when he has a poor game its very noticeable.

In away he is like some of our better players over the years,he does the simple things well and does them consistently. His attitude is also absolutely spot on which will help him improve even more. He is still relatively young so Im sure there is more to come.

 

I don't disagree with any of that Vlad 

[DanDanShaw]

I know it's twitter before somebody shoots me down but did anybody see the Henderson heat map with/without Allen in the side?  It's quite frightening.  There's no way he'll be able to score more goals/get more assists without Allen in the side.

 

When we beat Tottenham last season Gerrard didn't play, Lucas went back to his best position and Allen/Henderson both played.  Henderson bagged a great goal and got two assists.  Allen and Hendo are more important than people think.

[Gnasher]

I thought he played very well yesterday, i think Gerrard pushing up a bit further forward instead of chatting to our goalie helped him and the team, also Lallana hustling their back four meant he could stay on the front foot and take control in the middle of the park instead of running around in our own half putting out fires

[Babb'sBurstNad]

If you think that is what he is doing, then he's not doing a very good job of it.  The fact is, he's not playing as well as he did last year.  Allen being back in the team will make him look better. 

 

He's having to do it, and I disagree, I think he's doing about as well as anyone could reasonably expect him to given the malfunctioning nature of the rest of the midfield. Barring Lallana for one half, he's had no one else in the midfield who can both run and tackle. He's surrounded by plodders who'll watch people run past them, and sees forward players in front who rarely press.

 

His game should be bursting forward, but he's got one eye on covering Gerrard and fullbacks who've yet to understand when to attack and when to hold back. None of our number 10s - Sterling included - can hold onto the ball to stop games being end-to-end affairs so he's effectively back to covering arses and being highlighted as not contributing much.

 

I agree on Allen though, it'll add one more player with a decent work rate.

[stringvest]

In your haste to defend Henderson, you're doing Sterling a disservice here.  He can hold on to the ball; in fact, he's really good at it for one so young.  Lallana's really good at it as well.  I don't think Henderson is playing as well as he was last season, and I don't think it's because he's covering for the rest of the midfield as well as anyone could be reasonably expected to either.  His general play just isn't as good.  He's a bit out of form, but he will recover. 

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I don't think it's a disservice to Sterling to say that, for instance, against Ludogrets he might have considered heading less directly for goal and into traffic. He's young, and he'll learn that kind of thing.

 

But there's always space behind our number 10s that simply can't be run into by players like Henderson because, should they lose possession, there'd be a gaping hole behind them where the rest of our midfield should be. I just feel that to criticise Henderson because of a lack of goals at this point is meanignless without taking into context the rest of the midfield.

 

Henderson isn't playing as well as he did last season, no one in the team bar Sterling is. Both are being asked to do too much.

[DanDanShaw]

I think Sterling is slowly believing his own hype, which is good - because he's a very good footballer and the confident helps him.  But sometimes his decision making can be pretty poor, as he has the mind frame that he can beat anybody - sometimes resulting in him losing the ball.

 

I wouldn't try and train that out of him though, it's what will separate him from everybody else - plus he'll get that trained out of him about 10 weeks of that a year under Roy for Ingurland/

[Paco]

doesnt get in the right positions to score goals

[SlugTrail]

Its this new role he is playing, he is only there to provide Gerrard with cover, he needs to become box to box again playing in front of Gerrard, as when he is playing further forward he is a better out ball from the back and he can press higher up the pitch. 

[moof]

He's lucky that we're so shit in general. It's taking the spotlight off him. He's been terrible all season

[Iceman]

Waste of a thoroughly good player. Making him do the leg work for a 34 year old who is 5 yards off the pace, and we wonder why he's fallen off? 

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

Midfield is a mess now unfortunately. Doesn't seem Rodgers knows how he wants to set it up at all. Every single 50/50 or loose ball seem to be go to the opposition, which is a sign that the formation and balance is totally wrong. Henderson is one element in this, and may well be off form which is typical after a championship summer, but the main problem is the tactics and the blend of players not Hendersons individual performances.

[stringvest]

I tell you what - Gerrard is minding Henderson at the moment.  Henderson is playing too deep, but it's because Rodgers is trying to fit square pegs in round holes in AM and attack.  

 

Its this new role he is playing, he is only there to provide Gerrard with cover, he needs to become box to box again playing in front of Gerrard, as when he is playing further forward he is a better out ball from the back and he can press higher up the pitch. 

 

This is bollocks, btw.  He's not covering Gerrard - Gerrard is making him look very ordinary without playing very well himself.  I've explained in the para above why Henderson is playing where he is.