NOBODY likes to admit they’re wrong do they? So hard nosed and infallible are people’s opinions on football – and I am of course generalising here – that perhaps many are afraid such an admission will destroy their reputation and credibility as a voice, particularly in a social-media driven society, writes DAVID DOWNIE. But despite this there are still times that you just have to hold your hands up no matter how reluctant or stubborn your opinion may be and plainly say you were wrong.
I was wrong. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
How can a player who seemingly appeared to be afraid of his own shadow not three years ago, become so valorous and develop a leadership and self responsibility that makes him an integral part of a football club?
I speak, of course, of Jordan Henderson.
In mid-June 2011, I was sent to Melwood to interview young Jordan on his completion of joining Liverpool. “A fish out of water,” I recall one journalist saying in the press room as he posed for photographs. His boyish looks and diminutive appearance didn’t help his cause with the ink still drying on a big contract coupled with a £16million price tag. His words that followed did little to inspire either.
Clearly the occasion and realisation of signing for a club like Liverpool was still something he was trying to grasp and his answers to the typical questions suggested as much. A colleague asked him about his thoughts on Steven Gerrard, with another suggesting he could potentially be taking over his mantle. A ridiculous question at the time and perhaps even now it would be an insult to suggest anyone could even come close to Gerrard’s stature. But perhaps a barometer of Henderson’s progression since that was put to him, is that such a statement wouldn’t be quite so ludicrous today.
My initial impression of Henderson on the pitch made me wonder why anyone would pay such a hefty fee for player who appeared to lack any genuine quality and self confidence. Whenever asked about him I was never shy in questioning the madness in him getting in the team and suggested Liverpool cut their losses as soon as they could.
Don’t get me wrong, there was never anything vindictive in what I was saying. I’m sure many will agree for a long time it seemed as if Henderson would be another of far too many Liverpool signings who would eventually be swept under the carpet. To their credit, others kept the faith and I remember a new cliche almost developing from the believers suggesting he would follow a path similar to that of Lucas and his rise to prominence.
Couldn’t have any of that, me. Jordan Henderson was consigned to the bin and there he’d stay until Sunderland tried to get a loan back or a newly promoted club pitched £5m to take him off Liverpool’s hands, which they’d happily take. That was that.
How wrong could I be?
I’m not sure who, why, or when it happened, but the penny finally dropped for Jordan Henderson and how Liverpool have reaped the benefit of their persistence with him.
One interview with Rodgers that will always resonate with me was when he discussed his approach to recruitment. It was all about profile and character. For Rodgers this took priority over certain other obvious attributes in a player.
This concerns very few clubs but I think he’s absolutely right. He spoke of the “weight of the jersey” being a burden for certain players and if they were not of the right profile or character, they couldn’t handle it. I believe this is only relevant to a select few clubs – the clubs a player goes to where the tradition, history and expectation alone is as daunting and overwhelming as anything that might occur on the football pitch.
I don’t believe Rodgers would have ever attempted to sign Jordan Henderson, but it’s a testament to them both that he’s now very much a Brendan Rodgers player. The “weight of the jersey” is as big of a hurdle as any in the game and even more of a challenge for young players. In Henderson’s case, anything he’d known before signing for Liverpool was impossible to draw upon when he arrived.
There is literally no comparison he could’ve made between the two state of affairs, and that’s where I have great sympathy with kids moving to big clubs – it’s nothing they’ve ever experienced. It separates the men from the boys.These lads must realise quickly that getting to a club like Liverpool is the beginning of journey, not the destination.
However, I think Henderson didn’t necessarily fall into that lack of understanding. You could see he was desperate to continue his journey and he knew full well he hadn’t made it just because he’d signed for Liverpool. I believe that’s the reason for the player we see today. He has a resilience and desire to succeed that wasn’t always obvious but is a trait that has matured over the last 18 months.
Henderson is a wonderful example of what Brendan Rodgers has done to Liverpool. He’s flourished and benefited from finding his own identity. His manager has accepted he must follow his own path to fulfil his ambition and that a player’s progression is tailored on an individual basis – you can’t blanket cover a player’s development, there’s no set structure.
The once timid, reluctant teenager has evolved into a fantastic midfield player.His energy on the pitch was never in question, but now it’s focused and targets all the right places. That diminutive and slight frame is now a broad shouldered, powerful engine that motors him about the pitch like few others. Jordan Henderson is now a brilliant footballer.
Against West Brom he also showed the next attribute he’s developing – goal scoring. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be a 10-15 goal a season player, however this is purely dependant on how he is utilised. Players like him can become a victim of their own success; they do a great job tailored towards the team needs but sacrifice what would benefit them individually.
Henderson can finish, there’s no doubting that. We saw against West Brom that he can find goalscoring positions and there’s no reason why he can’t be used in a role where he can get on the scoresheet more regularly.
The Wearsider is now one of the first names on Liverpool’s team sheet and with his continued improvement he will be for many years to come. His importance should be considered and valued more than others because of how difficult his journey has been in getting there. With his confidence now high you can see how he’s an authoritative figure within the dressing room.
Indeed, against West Brom he was barking at his captain to keep the ball in the corner with time running out and he’s as vocal as anyone else in a red shirt. Consider all this when it would’ve been so simple for him to take the easy option and move away to a club where he could operate in a comfort zone that didn’t require any of the attributes he’s proven at Liverpool.
Not that I think he’s the finished article either – I get the impression that he is still discovering himself – which is a scary thought considering how good he already is.
Jordan Henderson, I was wrong.
Pics: David Rawcliffe/Propaganda-Photo
We certainly missed him for the Chelsea and Palace games at the end of last season.
Nice to see someone like yourself complimenting a Liverpool player and rightly so.
I’ve no desire to say I was right along. I’m also happy to admit my mistakes and I’ve had a fair few when it comes to judging players but I’ve been a fan of his from day 1 (along with the majority of the TAW contributors).
About 2 years ago, Neil from TAW used a phrase that I still use every time I talk about Henderson and used this morning at the kids football when one of the mums, who’d been to the game yesterday, mentioned how well he’d done and how she didn’t used to rate him. The recycler. Even when he was being ridiculed by a large section of Liverpool fans at lot of us could see there was huge talent there beneath the nervous posture.
This guy is a model Liverpool player and although I’m 42 and shouldn’t necessarily have favourite Liverpool players – he’s mine. I love the man. I mentioned on Neil’s match report yesterday that my mates call him ‘my secret love child’. This morning I’ve been looking for a suitable poster of him for my bedroom wall.
I don’t find it funny hearing stories from mates about how on a Thursday night Andy Carroll was in their local chippie after a nights drinking buying chips and 2 pies. Jordan Henderson doesn’t even drink. Certainly doesn’t smoke. The man’s a model professional and an example to all young footballers about how having the right attitude can make you succeed. If Stevie G stuck two fingers up to us all last week then I like to think Jordan stuck two fingers up to my mates in the main stand yesterday. After his goal he ran right over to where they were sitting and I hope it was to say ‘fuck you’ as they still don’t fully get what he does (a bit harsh but I haven’t heard them praise him in the terms he deserves).
Just a couple of points. I see it as Rodgers worst moment as Liverpool manager when he was prepared to let Henderson go as a makeweight for Dempsey. We’d all been saying how Henderson is probably the only player in the squad who was totally suited for Rodgers style. How did he miss it? Ok, he managed to reverse the situation and turn it around with some positive spin about how great it was Jordan showed the desire to fight for his place but it was still unacceptable and unfathomable. I’m not trying be that Twitter twat you mention. I’ll leave that to Kopology but after the City game last season on the ‘We Go Again’ podcast my reply on the comments section was not one of joy, only of disappointment over the Henderson red. I thought then it could cost us the league and I stand by it now. Without that slightly mis-timed tackle we’d have won the league. That’s how important he is to us.
Anyway, good article mate. I fully expect the TAW writers to write a similar one about Hibbert’s resurgence for a Toffee site.
“… after the City game last season on the ‘We Go Again’ podcast my reply on the comments section was not one of joy, only of disappointment over the Henderson red. I thought then it could cost us the league and I stand by it now. Without that slightly mis-timed tackle we’d have won the league. That’s how important he is to us.”
Point of fact, BR himself went on record saying he knew we’d lost the League when Hendo got sent off. I remember how I felt when he got the red; I went from ecstatic to deflated in a matter of seconds. I felt like someone threw water in my face. I didn’t know that we wouldn’t win the League right then and there, but I also didn’t know how we would win our remaining fixtures.
i don’t need to eat humble pie as I always saw him succeeding at Liverpool from day one. And let’s all remember this when we take pot shots at other young players – they need our support not vilification. Not many will have the determination that Henderson has not to buckle under the weight of unfair criticism.
Remember this when writing Lazar Markovic off.
Henderson’s a fabulous player. He’s wasted baby-sitting the skipper and was right to shout at him yesterday. Experienced players should set an example to the youngsters in how to kill a game of in the dying moments. Same goes for Lucas and his ‘shot’. We really need to be utilising his energy and improved finishing (if pre-season is anything to go by) further up the pitch. He can’t ‘break the lines’ when he’s stationed next to the skipper.
Agree so much with your first points it makes me wanna shake hands with the whole of Finland.
Don’t worry mate, I live in Finland, I’m from Bootle!
Oh cool! You may know the song I quoted then. Birkenhead band not Bootle but close.
Probably not the place to ask but what the hell’s it like living in Finland? I lived with two Finnish lads in Paris, Finnish Chris and Finnish Rob. They were odd to put it mildly.
Chris and Rob don’t sound very Finnish!
It’s very nice. A bit quiet, but very, very civilised compared to England right now. Clean, very little outright poverty, virtually no homelessness outside the major cities, very little crime no theft (you can leave your bike anywhere), and affordable. People are nice, don’t do too much small talk, but I like that. I live in a small town near the Russian border but the pub shows all the Liverpool games and there’s a Sami Hyppia shirt hanging from the ceiling. You’re always near nature (5 minutes) and the nature is beautiful. But the biggest difference is this: people do what they say they’ll do and things work properly: bullshit and the rip off culture haven’t made it here yet.
The language is difficult but everyone speaks English.
Couldn’t reply to your post.
Sounds excellent Paul. Kind of how I’d expect it. Nice one.
I’ve got a theory about the sun and Europeans. I think the further North you are the more level headed you are (a bit too much sometimes). As you move into the middle bracket which I’d say we were the top end of then you have both the North and South traits in equal measure. One minute up, one minute down. In the south, the likes of Spain, Italy and Greece they’re just fuckin nuts. Too much sun.
I’ve written off many, many Liverpool players over the years.
The fact I’ve only ever been wrong about two – Sterling and Lucas – says a lot more about the filth we’ve bought over the years than my own amazing ability to spot a talent who’d make it with us.
I always believed in Hendo. And I thought it was obvious that all he needed was confidence. It was easier to spot his turnaround than that of Lucas’ for example. If he continues to develop the way he has we’ll have another superb captain to be proud of. I fully expect him to grow further and his performances to jump another 20% when Gerrard retires.
Thanks fuck Rodgers didn’t get his way and off loaded him to Fulham for £7m.
Proud to say I didn’t doubt him for a minute, even in his first season when looked to be lacking in self confidence, I’d seen enough of him early on to know that once he settled, he’d be quality.
I agree. When we signed him I thought he was an ordinary player, energetic but of extremely limited ability, lacking imagination and flair.
I also said to some mates that by now (2014-15) we’d be saying “hat ever happened to that young lad, Raheem something or other?”
I stand by my initial assessment if Brendan Rodgers, though…Take his mirror away.
I can’t wait for people to come around to Joe Allen. People still somehow think all he does is make safe square passes. Just nonsense.
Same for Sakho, while we’re at it. I can only imagine what Ferguson thinks of his running…
The anfield crowd get some stick on these sites. To be fair LFC fans have had to watch some real shite play for us over the years. That’s not to say LFC fans demand every new signing to be an instant hit, I think they just want to see effort. Show 100% effort and they get behind players.
It’s that simple: effort. Those tickets are expensive. They have a right to criticise a lack of effort. NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COLOUR OF SOMEONE’S SKIN OR THE AGE OF THE FANS, TAW!!!!!
The guy behind me on the Kop on Saturday criticised Sterling every time he went near the ball. ‘Fuck off you, you’re shit’. ‘Fuck off you little midget’. Him and his mate talk constantly about how shit he is. It’s completely unacceptable and pathetic.
So, my question to you is ‘does Sterling give 100%’. Only a complete knob would say he doesn’t.
So, although slightly off topic regarding your point – It’s not quite true to say 100% effort earns respect.
The reality is, some Liverpool fans are bitter, horrible bastards. There’s a fair few of them on the Kop. Always aged 45 plus (in my experience) always Scousers rather than from outside Liverpool and always look like they’ve had hard lives judging by the bitterness etched all over their faces.
Then there’s the new breed of supporter from the social media world who don’t go to matches. Don’t really understand football but have been given a voice. So, I completely agree with you (for once) that it’s not down to the colour of skin or age. It’s just unfortunate that there’s a group of fans who can never be pleased. Moaning bastards basically. If you can’t be happy with Sterling then there’s no hope for ya.
Never doubted his ability, had two friends who are sunderland fans and they were gutted he was leaving.. they both said it would be like us losing stevie G. and we all know how gutted we were when it looked like he was signing for chelsea.
great piece Dave.. small complaint.. ‘one of the first names on the teamsheet?’ HE IS THE FIRST NAME!!
Looks like we might have all got it wrong with Coutinho, as well. He’s been pretty ordinary for a long time. When players show both good form and bad, over an extended period, it’s easy to assume that the bad form represents the blip.
It is also easier to assume the worst, when it involves a player from a rival team (Ozil, Wilshere, Mata, etc.). Actually, there aren’t many players that don’t look pretty mediocre for a significant period in their careers.
Good article. I said it before, I’ll say it again: we worry so much about Daniel, Mario, and Raheem… but they’re not the issue. As Hendo and Coutinho go, so will this club.
Daniel will be back, and he’ll be fine. He showed us what he can do even with an abbreviated season last year. Raheem just needs to stay healthy, touch wood, and he’ll do his part if he mails in even just 80-85% of his effort. Mario’s shots will start going in… it’s a minor travesty of luck that he doesn’t have at least three goals already.
Phil was so much of our creative force, but Lallana coming in has made him replaceable. We have no one to replace Hendo. Joe Allen gets a lot of criticism – most of it unfair – but he can’t physically boss around opposing players like Hendo can.
Isn’t that we bought can for, to cover Henderson? Granted he can’t run as hard as hendo but few can.