Jordan Henderson

[Gingawaria]

Finally starting to show what he's capable of.

Hoping he continues to prove the doubters wrong because we could have some player on our hands here!

[Alex]

That goal meant a lot to him. He was getting the fans whipped up, it was nice to see. He even had a few chants of 'Jordan' directed at him.

[Alex]

That goal meant a lot to him. He was getting the fans whipped up, it was nice to see. He even had a few chants of 'Jordan' directed at him.

[Rich]

only caught the highlights on motd but i have to say he did look like he wants to get stuck in. really pleased to see the change in his effort and mentality, long may it continue.

cant believe it, really, but any benefit to the team is welcome.

I don't think Henderson's effort has ever been in question.

[danperkins]

Still long way to go but he seems to be gaining confidence with each and every game.

At this moment he earned his spot to start.

Much better option than Allen

[baitman]

I don't think Henderson's effort has ever been in question.

ok, lets say that there is now some product from chasing those shadows.
im just glad we can count him as one of the eleven, rather than having only ten men on the pitch [obviously not counting downing].

[Shaggy]

Mr Zonal Marking on Henderson...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/802?cc=5739

Henderson, like Walcott, could have benefited from slower path

Posted by Michael Cox

Wednesday night could have been Jordan Henderson's breakthrough game. The midfielder pressed, harried and battled Arsenal high up the pitch, drove Liverpool forward with his hard running, and scored Liverpool's second with a goal that owed more to persistence than imagination. Henderson's performance summed up what Brendan Rodgers wants from him in this system, and he was unfortunate not to be awarded man of the match after Arsenal's comeback in the 2-2 draw.

In the end, Henderson's thunder was stolen by Theo Walcott -- but Henderson might see Walcott as something of a kindred spirit. Walcott has become a consistent attacker (only Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez and Juan Mata can match his combined 18 goals and assists so far this season) the problem was his prolonged, frustrating period of development into an established first-teamer.

But Walcott is still only 23, which is staggering considering he signed for 9 million pounds more than seven years ago, and travelled to Germany with England's World Cup squad in 2006. But that was the problem -- Walcott received an international call-up very early and moved clubs for a large sum too soon. It fuels expectations of an immediate impact, when consistency is still years away.

When asked about Henderson after the game, Rodgers made a similar point. "Players used to come to Liverpool and go into the reserves for two years," he said. "These kids are having to go straight into the first team."

Henderson wasn't ready to make a significant impact in his debut season at Liverpool, but he wasn't quite a flop. His signing was an example of long-term thinking, something which has been all too rare at Liverpool in recent years, particularly in terms of recruitment. Andy Carroll was a panic buy; Stewart Downing was signed to provide the panic buy with crosses.

Henderson, on the other hand, was a long-term replacement for Steven Gerrard. "It's a really positive signing -- let's hope he is the next Steven Gerrard," said Liverpool's captain himself, which seemed slightly pompous, although he was realistic about his own shelf life. "That's what good football clubs do -- they replace their best players. Liverpool needs a new Steven Gerrard and it will need a new Jamie Carragher."

But rather than learning from Gerrard on the training ground and acting as a useful backup on matchdays, Henderson was thrown into Liverpool's first XI immediately. He started 31 of Liverpool's 38 Premier League games last season -- aside from a fine performance and a debut goal early on against Bolton, Henderson was underwhelming. It didn't help, either, that Kenny Dalglish used him in multiple positions within various formations, or that Liverpool frequently used five new signings simultaneously.

Henderson needed space to develop in a less pressurised situation; Liverpool, for all their recent struggles, remain a big club with a devoted following and great expectations, but Henderson cost 16 million pounds because of his promise rather than his current ability. Sunderland fans viewed him as a fine prospect but a midfielder who frequently drifted in and out of games -- entirely natural at his age. While others saw highlights of Sunderland games, saw a couple of cracking Henderson set-piece deliveries and declared him a dead-ball specialist, Stadium of Light season-ticket holders considered that area of his game particularly frustrating.

Henderson's England call-up at 20, following one proper Premier League season, was similarly unwise. Starting alongside Gerrard in a friendly against France in 2010, England were embarrassed and Henderson was given the run-around by Samir Nasri. English football remains hooked upon the 'golden' generation in midfield, with Gerrard and Frank Lampard still a major part of the squad, but there's also considerable public opinion, and an undercurrent of agreement from both Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson, that new blood is needed. Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverley are other fine prospects, held back by an injury-hit 2011-12 season, but impressive in recent months.

But here is the problem for players such as Henderson, and Walcott before him: English clubs aren't very clever at developing players in their situation. Their first-team chances come quickly, and they're expected to adapt immediately.

Other countries do it differently. Spain's top clubs have established reserve teams that compete within the main footballing pyramid -- Real Madrid and Barcelona's B teams both compete in the second tier. Barcelona have played this system superbly: Sergio Busquets and Pedro Rodriguez made their first-team debuts at 20 and 21 -- relatively late, compared with Walcott (16) and Henderson (17) -- but had developed in quieter, calmer surroundings and weren't forced to 'grow up' in the first team. When they got there, they were immediately ready for league success, Champions League success and World Cup success.

Germany have a more co-operative, intelligent loan system. Look at the example of Toni Kroos, who might have been a valuable backup for Bayern Munich a couple of seasons ago but was instead loaned out to Leverkusen (a title challenger, no less) to develop for 18 months. He returned and was immediately a key first-team player, a similar experience to Philipp Lahm, who was loaned out to Stuttgart. Young English players only seem to join bottom-half clubs on loan.

Italy, meanwhile, has the complex but useful world of co-ownership, where big clubs can attempt to buy a 'stake' in a player without necessarily forcing him away from his current club.

In the Spanish model, Henderson would be in Liverpool's B team. In Germany's, he might be in the second year of a loan spell, ready to return to Anfield next season. With an Italian setting, he'd probably still be at Sunderland, developing his game steadily with a potential move to Merseyside on the cards in the summer. In England, he's shoved into the limelight and over-promoted to the full national side -- it's sink or swim, with no armbands available and no lifeguard in sight.

Henderson's display against Arsenal was excellent, and his recent form has been encouraging, but he's probably still 18 months from being a consistent, reliable first-teamer for Liverpool. After all, Walcott's equivalent of this 'nearly-breakthrough' game was against Liverpool back in 2008, when he teed up Emmanuel Adebayor for a tap-in after a brilliant mazy dribble, before Arsenal conceded a penalty almost immediately to render his contribution irrelevant. It took him another couple of seasons to live up to his full promise. Henderson might be the same.

[Needles]

Daily Mail Article...

JORDAN HENDERSON EXCLUSIVE: When Liverpool said I could leave, it hurt. But I knew I could turn things around
By IAN LADYMAN


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz2Jgziqj4a
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

The Liverpool dressing room at Oldham's Boundary Park last Sunday cannot have been a pretty place. Cramped, chaotic, the air heavy with the embarrassment of defeat.
What followed - for Liverpool's players at least - was perhaps even more painful. A public dressing down from Brendan Rodgers, a manager clearly losing patience with a team that he believes is not mentally strong enough to cope with football under the microscope.
Some believe Rodgers went too far, that a Liverpool manager should keep criticism in-house, that he has undermined his players.
Video: Scroll down for Henderson interview

Highs and lows: Jordan Henderson has had a roller-coaster ride at Liverpool
This week, Jordan Henderson - who has known criticism well during his 18 months at Anfield - offered a pretty frank response.
'The manager didn't go too far, not at all,' said Liverpool's young midfielder. 'He was dead right. Everyone at this club was shocked and pretty disgusted at how we performed. No disrespect to Oldham but we have to be going there and winning comfortably.
'What he did was good man management and it has given us all the kick up the backside we needed. It has made sure that the focus is on what we need to do. He was right to say what he said and that goes for the whole team and not just certain individuals.'
Henderson's last comment is a reference to the fact that Rodgers made a point of excluding him from criticism in the wake of Liverpool's 3-2 FA Cup defeat to the League One club.
The 22-year-old started the game, though, and is as painfully aware as anybody that Liverpool only really started to play once captain Steven Gerrard arrived with the score at 3-1.


Fighting talk: Henderson says criticism helped him
Rodgers suggested this week that his team are still not ready to cope without Gerrard - a startling admission.
'Stevie and Jamie Carragher are the people to learn from,' said Henderson. 'For the younger lads it's great to have them about. However, the important thing is we learn from our mistakes and don't just rely on them. At the moment we really need Stevie, of course. But we have to stand on our own two feet as well as the club moves forward.'
We meet on Thursday morning, the day after Liverpool's 2-2 Barclays Premier League draw at Arsenal. In an improved Liverpool display, Henderson scored.
A reserved individual, he does not use Twitter or, he claims, read the sports pages of the newspapers. He is still aware of the criticism, though. He knows his debut season under Kenny Dalglish - when he was largely played out of position on the right - was not particularly well received and that it took until November 25 last year for his current manager to hand him a start in a Premier League game.
Having been offered the chance to move to Fulham in August, he has had quite a journey back for a young player who has now established himself as a regular starter and a scorer of important goals.
'I wasn't playing regularly back in August so they gave me the option to go,' he recalled. 'It wasn't a nice thing to hear. But I just had to take it on the chin. So I said no. I didn't want to go anywhere. I came to Liverpool wanting to stay here for the rest of my career. I certainly didn't want to leave after a year.
'OK, it might not have gone to plan at the start, but I knew it could turn around and I could get it right. Here you have people like Stevie and Luis Suarez and Pepe Reina and Carra, who have been the best players for many years.
Video: Sportsmail meets Henderson

Play Video

'You have to go in and straight away try to match their ability. You need to learn to perform like they perform and that is a hard thing to do immediately. It's a step up and a challenge and for a good while I couldn't really do it.
'But this season the gaffer told me what he wanted from me, what I needed to improve, and I took it on board. He said I had to be better tactically, for example. He's been brilliant, to be fair, the advice he's given me.'
Taller than you may imagine - he is just over 6ft - Henderson is phlegmatic and seemingly untroubled by his up-and-down time at Anfield. Maybe his background explains it, for he was almost released from his first club Sunderland after suffering from a shin and knee condition called Osgood Schlatter disease at the age of 16.
The son of a police officer and a fitness instructor, Henderson had an early love for racket sports. He is handy at badminton and table tennis.
'We haven't got a table here but we need to get one,' he smiled. '(Daniel) Sturridge fancies himself and he's decent but I could take him.'
He remains close to his parents and his friends at home in the North East. His accent remains strong but so does his resolve.
Reminded that the famous footballing philosopher Joey Barton - he of one England cap - questioned his international credentials on Twitter during Euro 2012 last summer, he didn't flinch.
'It's something Joey likes to do,' he said. 'He doesn't like to play by the rules does he? That's his opinion. It doesn't bother me. I don't know him and I won't let that affect me.
'I haven't really been tempted by Twitter so I don't see half the stuff other people say. Maybe one of my friends might say, "Have you heard what they're saying about you?"
'But it's probably affected my mam and dad more than me, to be honest. Like all parents, I doubt they've enjoyed seeing their son criticised. At times things might be harsh but it makes you a better person. It makes you tougher, mentally stronger, and I don't think it will have done me any harm going through it.
'I think I might have needed it, to be honest. I just feel if I keep working hard, and pushing on, I might not get as much criticism in the future.'

[Chazza]

Love it.

Hendo you massive wimp

[Liverpel]

And another one.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/01/liverpool-jordan-henderson-interview

In the difficult times, when the sureness of touch was not there and the shoulders sagged a little under the weight of expectation, it was not always clear whether Jordan Henderson would get to this position. Even now, as he sits in a room at Liverpool's training ground and reflects on his first season and a half at Anfield, he is acutely aware there is still some way to go before he wins over everyone and English football starts to be, well, a little bit nicer about him, maybe a touch more understanding, less impatient.

Early on he explains he tends not to read the sports pages or tune into the radio or television shows where they can be so unsparing with their criticism. "I'm not on Twitter either, so I don't really see as much of it as other people do." But it isn't possible to block it all out. "Maybe one of my friends might say: 'Have you heard what they're saying?' It's probably affected my mum and dad more than me, to be honest. Like anyone's parents, I doubt they've enjoyed seeing their son criticised."

This is his first major interview and, perhaps understandably, it takes a little while for him to relax, unfold his arms and start to open up. When he does, it quickly becomes apparent Steven Gerrard's midfield partner, just like the Liverpool captain, is not short of competitive courage. There is a bristling form of self-belief that has helped put his career on an upward trajectory again and convinced Brendan Rodgers, after his initial reservations, that he was right to persevere with him.

Even after the FA Cup defeat against Oldham Athletic – when Henderson says the team were "disgusted" with how they had played – Liverpool's manager made a point of excluding him from the criticisms he directed towards the other players. Rodgers was planning to sell Henderson last August but, six months on, the midfielder has won him over. "I believe he will be a great signing for Liverpool," Rodgers saidon Friday. "It just takes time."

But first, the difficult times. Henderson was still two weeks from turning 21 when he signed from Sunderland in June 2011. Manchester City had looked closely at him. Sir Alex Ferguson had identified him as one to watch. Liverpool, however, were willing to pay £16m, with add-ons possibly taking his fee to £20m.

A new club, a new city, new team-mates; perhaps nobody should really be surprised that the settling-in period had its rough edges. Henderson, however, refuses to make excuses. Was he homesick? "No," he says matter-of-factly. "It was just different. When I was at Sunderland I didn't think I was the star or anything but here you have people like Stevie and [Luis] Suárez and Pepe Reina and Carra [Jamie Carragher], who have been the best players for many years. And straight away, you have to try to match their ability. It was a step up, a challenge. I felt I was playing well at times, just not on a consistent basis which is what you have to do at Liverpool.

"That's what I needed to get my head around the most: that I had to do it all the time, not just occasionally. When you come to a club like Liverpool you need to perform straight away and consistently. Looking back, I don't think I did that. There were games when I thought I'd played well. It just wasn't every single week and that isn't enough for a club like Liverpool. I needed to learn that."

The scrutiny was even more intense because Liverpool had also spent £20m on Stewart Downing and £35m on Andy Carroll. Rodgers made the point after Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Arsenal this week that players used to sign at Anfield then spend two years in the reserves. Henderson played 31 out of Liverpool's 38 league games last season. By his own admission, he was underwhelming.

When he was called up to Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012, effectively as first-choice deputy for Gerrard and Scott Parker, Joey Barton spent a good part of the tournament sending out malicious tweets about the policeman's son from Sunderland. "It's something Joey likes to do," Henderson responds. "He doesn't like to play by the rules, does he?" But he is smiling, as well he might given Barton's history of criticising the long list of midfielders between himself and the England team. "I don't know him and I wouldn't ever let that affect me. Joey likes to express his feelings and that's clearly how he felt at the time. That's his opinion. It doesn't bother me at all."

What affected him far more came in August when it transpired that Liverpool were offering him as part-exchange in their attempt to sign Clint Dempsey from Fulham. "It wasn't a nice thing to hear. I didn't want to go anywhere. I wasn't playing regularly and they gave me the option if I wanted to go. I told them: 'No, I don't want to, I want to keep fighting for my place.' I came to Liverpool wanting to stay here for the rest of my career. I certainly didn't want to leave after a year."

This is one of the moments when his strength of personality is obvious. A lot of players would have considered that the beginning of the end. Henderson regarded it more as a challenge, one that he was determined to meet head-on. "OK, it might not have gone to plan at the start, but I knew I could turn around and get it right. I knew I just had to take it on the chin. Even though I wasn't in the team, I felt that if I kept going, kept working hard, kept fighting, I would get my chance again, and that I would take it."

It has been a gradual process. Henderson had to wait until the 0-0 draw at Swansea City on 25 November before starting his first league game this season. The arrival of Philippe Coutinho from Internazionale threatens his position again but Rodgers has included him on a regular basis since Christmas and Henderson has flourished. Against Arsenal on Wednesday he was unfortunate not to be named man of the match.

"The manager's been brilliant with me, to be fair. He's told me the things I need to work on and how I can get better. He's looked back on previous games and talked to me about the things I can improve tactically, how I can be more disciplined, the positions I take up. I feel as if I've done that now. I'm still working on it but I feel I'm doing better now."

He talks about the help he has had from "great people like Carra and Stevie". It is clear there have been difficult moments – "I would be more down than anyone if I hadn't played particularly well" – but if you ask him to pick the most stressful time in his football life it actually has nothing to do with his current club.

Henderson had grown up in a sporting environment. His father, Peter, played football for Durham police and his mother, Liz, was a fitness instructor. The young Henderson did not just excel at football but also at badminton and table tennis. At 16, however, he suffered a medical condition that left him wondering whether he would make it as a footballer. "It was Osgood-Schlatters. It wasn't good. It's a growing pains thing and I had to have a lot of treatment on it. I just shot up immediately and didn't have any kind of physique to deal with it physically.

"I was tall, all arms and legs, and a bit gangly. I'd been at Sunderland since I was seven but I was getting bad knees and stuff and I think they were unsure of what to do, whether to keep me or let me go. That was a really nervous time for me. Towards the end of that season I started to pick up a bit and started to fill out. They decided to stick with me, thankfully. But it did hold me back for a good while."

Six years on, he is now part of a Liverpool side that are 24 points off the top of the league and still coming to terms with the 3-2 defeat at Oldham last weekend – a result that left Rodgers, usually a fierce protector of his own, being heavily critical of his players.

"Everyone knows that he was right," Henderson says. "He didn't go too far. Everyone at this club and inside this dressing room were shocked and pretty disgusted at how we performed. No disrespect to Oldham, but we have to be going there and winning quite comfortably. What he did was good man-management in my view and it has given us all the kick up the backside we perhaps needed."

Overall, though, he is convinced Liverpool are closer to the top teams than the points gap suggests. "I don't think we are too far away. There have been a lot of good performances – Norwich, Sunderland, QPR, Man United in the second half. When we go into the big games, whether it's Arsenal, Man United, whoever, we feel we can beat anyone."

As for himself, Henderson talks about it being a "great experience so far". Football, he agrees, can be too impatient sometimes. "But I don't think what's happened will have done me any harm. I think I might have needed it, to be honest. You will get criticism throughout your career. All the best players have had it at some stage and they haven't let it ruin their careers. I won't either."

[MrMichael]

He will be dropped for Allen again knowing our manager...

I know I'm coming to this a few days late, but anyway...

With all due respect Nick, will you change the record please? Considering Rodgers has dropped Allen in favour of Henderson from the first choice XI over the last month or so it make utterly no sense whatsoever to maintain that Allen is an undropable favourite of the manager and/or to post snide comments like the one above. Indeed that Rodgers has brought Henderson back into the side ahead of his own £15m purchase shows he doesn't play favourites and is picking on form/merit, totally the opposite of how you portray him.

Not to mention that your one man anti-Allen campaign is pretty excessive in general. What did he do, run over your cat or something?

No problem with anyone pointing out issues with the team/manager but it does tend to help if they are at least remotely based in reality & fact.

[Marina]

I love Jordan Henderson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alex]

There were points when I didn't think he would make it. I've always hoped he could. But now I am convinced he will. He seems level headed and able to take things in his stride.

Love how he stepped over Joey Barton too. That clown seems totally irrelevant to him.

[Vermilion]

The lad has a great attitude, nothing BBB about him and just gets on with his football life.

Nice that he seems to be coming good.

[Tee]

No doubt he is going through his best spell in our colours but long term I still cannot see him being the solution in that critical position.