Jordan Henderson (Liverpool -> Al-Ettifaq (5 months) -> Ajax)

Was reading in the paper today that one of the stipulations for away match lodgings is that Lallana and Hendo need rooms adjacent. Guess it's handy if they need to share any nivea sh*t. Maybe play FIFA16.

No sign of Hendo being put on the market at the moment, and the Spuds rumors seem to have died down. Looking at the signings coming in, the only reason I see him not still being first XI, at least initially, are his ongoing injury worries.

I've generally defended Jordan, and on his day he is a really good player. Would I have hoped we'd sign a midfielder good enough to walk in ahead of him? - absolutely. But at the moment, I'm not seeing that.  Maybe over time one of the new guys might stump up, but remains to be seen.

Will he still be captain next season? Don't see any of the new guys coming in taking it off him. Milner looks less likely to get a game. Skrtel's gone. Lovren or Matip?  At the moment reckon chance of him staying captain is probably better than 50/50 (in his favour).

I agree. Hendo struggled last season but he didn't play continually due to injury problems. If he sorts that he will start the games in the mid IMO. Of course, if Wijnaldum or Grujić could prove they are better on the pitch, fair enough.

Also, I believe that Hendo will be better player for us when Klopp precisely defines his role in the team. The same goes for other players. I'm pretty sure all of them will do better tactically as a group after full preparation in the preseason. Interaction and reading the game could be very important aspect for us, and we will see how will Hendo adapt. I hope he'll do well.

I've been saying he is bang average for years.

Loads have - so will be interesting to see whether, after a full window with loads of transfer activity, Klopp still starts him.

I agree with you that he doesn't quite measure up to many of the great midfielders we've had over years, but once the window shuts the only comparison that'll matter is vs. the other midfield options.

Last year could argue that Klopp was starting him cause he didn't have that many options. Playing the cards he had etc.  But won't be able to say the same next season if he is starting again.

Great hair.
Nice lad.
Model professional.
Plays through the pain, ignore that he plays sh*t through the pain, the fact he's playing through the pain should always be commended.
Never stops running.
Tries hard.

And there lies the conundrum with Jordan. These are all great things about his personality (and hair), but they tell us very little about his ability to pick a pass, dictate the tempo of a match, finish, etc.

People seem to be blinded by how limited he is because he was given the armband though.

Well that's not the case at all. In fact people have been saying the complete opposite, that he seems to have gone downhill since taking the armband.

I personally rate jordan, don't think he's given enough credit about his ball carrying abilities, remember when he played on the wing for 1/3 of a season a few years back and did brilliantly.

Think he has a lot of skills only a handful of CM's give you. Yes we'd all love him to keep a game ticking over like a busquetes, ping a pass like pirlo or put in massive tackles like a ferocious gerrard but that isn't his game.

When he's fit and has a run of games he'll be back to his best, my only issue with him is that he needs to add a few goals to his game and we'll appreciate him a lot more

Well that's not the case at all. In fact people have been saying the complete opposite, that he seems to have gone downhill since taking the armband.

Wasn't talking about just this forum.

Wasn't talking about just this forum.

Neither was I.

I'm only asking if people believe he will be a first teamer next season. Based on last seasons form I can see Can being a main stay along with someone else that Klopp brings in

Can you please describe Jordans many qualities, I'm genuinely curious to know.

I've been saying he is bang average for years. People seem to be blinded by how limited he is because he was given the armband though.

He isn't fit to lace the boots of the midfielders who have previously played for this club. I used to think that was harsh comparing Jordan to them but I don't any more. It's the standard those players have set and it's the standard this club demands and unfortunately Jordan falls way short.

We will soon see whether Jürgen can get more out of him. If he can't, then Jordan won't be here for the 17-18 season.

Well that's not the case at all.
In fact people have been saying the complete opposite, that he seems to have gone downhill since taking the armband.

All this .

Weak link in the team.

I think that Henderson is an average CM but a good AM, when played there he was good because he has pace, can score and can assist. Unofrtunately he is not better than any f the AMs we have. At CM, the issue is that he does not have the charater to lead. Can is a better leader than him: some say he leads by example. Yes he shows commitment, but his talent and character does not inspire the team. He is a valuable player to the squad but in a team like this, the can easily spot the weak spot.

Sturridge- Firmino- Coutinho - Mane - Can - Hendo- Moreno- Clyne - Sakho/Matip- Lovren - Karius

Moreno too is an issue though.

Hendo is just not good enough, I hope I'm wring though.

I think that Henderson is an average CM but a good AM, when played there he was good because he has pace, can score and can assist. Unofrtunately he is not better than any f the AMs we have. At CM, the issue is that he does not have the charater to lead. Can is a better leader than him: some say he leads by example. Yes he shows commitment, but his talent and character does not inspire the team. He is a valuable player to the squad but in a team like this, the can easily spot the weak spot.

Sturridge- Firmino- Coutinho - Mane - Can - Hendo- Moreno- Clyne - Sakho/Matip- Lovren - Karius

Moreno too is an issue though.

Hendo is just not good enough, I hope I'm wring though.

I'm mixed on Hendo but I do believe he has it in him to be a good player. He'll be under a lot of pressure this season though and that's a weird thing to be saying about a captain who should be hitting his prime very soon.

I do think he had 2 decent to good seasons before he got the foot injury though. In 2013/14 he was important to how we set up with the pressing style and the energy in the midfield and I think we missed that a bit against Chelsea and Palace. In 2014/15 he produced more on the pitch than most of the top CM's in the league, I can remember because loads of people had him in their fantasy teams at the time .

The negs with him though is when he presses he can sometimes look like a headless chicken as he just continues running and chasing the ball all over the place. He also needs to improve his finishing, that's one big weakness in his game. He can score a few decent goals but he should have gotten more goals by now for the chances he's had. I also don't see much of a leader in him. He basically just shouts at the ref and stares out the opposition for 90 minutes. Obviously we don't get to see what happens off the field though, he could play a big part off it.

Let's just see what happens in the coming months.

I personally rate jordan, don't think he's given enough credit about his ball carrying abilities, remember when he played on the wing for 1/3 of a season a few years back and did brilliantly.

Think he has a lot of skills only a handful of CM's give you. Yes we'd all love him to keep a game ticking over like a busquetes, ping a pass like pirlo or put in massive tackles like a ferocious gerrard but that isn't his game.

When he's fit and has a run of games he'll be back to his best, my only issue with him is that he needs to add a few goals to his game and we'll appreciate him a lot more

Hang on so are you saying that as a midfielder he can't dictate a game, he can't pass and he can't tackle, what the bloody hell are these qualities he possesses then?? It sure as hell isn't finishing either. In my mind, and I genuinely am trying to be objective here, his only quality is his stamina levels so perhaps he should quit football and become a long distance runner or something :-)

Hang on so are you saying that as a midfielder he can't dictate a game, he can't pass and he can't tackle, what the bloody hell are these qualities he possesses then?? It sure as hell isn't finishing either. In my mind, and I genuinely am trying to be objective here, his only quality is his stamina levels so perhaps he should quit football and become a long distance runner or something :-)

He's right though, isn't he? Not even mentioning Busquets, Gerrard or Alonso, but he's not the sort of player that can keep the play ticking like Lucas/Allen, tackle as good as Can, deliver those long passes like Shelvey, or  technically as gifted as our very own, Wijnaldum.

I'm actually a fan of Hendo because I believe he would contribute just as much as anyone in our midfield in the right setup. He can harry and run all day, that's what Hendo is best at, supporting role, a box-box water carrier. It'd be interesting to see him, Can/Lucas and Wijnaldum in a midfield 3, he would definitely be my first choice if we go down that route.

He's right though, isn't he? Not even mentioning Busquets, Gerrard or Alonso, but he's not the sort of player that can keep the play ticking like Lucas/Allen, tackle as good as Can, deliver those long passes like Shelvey, or  technically as gifted as our very own, Wijnaldum.

I'm actually a fan of Hendo because I believe he would contribute just as much as anyone in our midfield in the right setup. He can harry and run all day, that's what Hendo is best at, supporting role, a box-box water carrier. It'd be interesting to see him, Can/Lucas and Wijnaldum in a midfield 3, he would definitely be my first choice if we go down that route.

See the potential in Hendo in a midfield 3 as well as that middle man. And like you say, I wouldn't mind seeing Can/Lucas, Hendo, Wijnaldum in a midfield supporting Mane, Couts, and Firmino/Studge. Really think we'd see a lot of success in that setup and I think Hendo would end up surprising a few there as well - especially combining his and Wijnaldum's work ethics.

The raw talent, work ethic, and passion is all certainly there. But I also agree with the majority here that to this point, he hasn't shown anywhere near what we'd need from a CM to make the top 4 and he's shown almost no signs of being able to dictate the tempo of the game, let alone do that in our favor every time. If he can learn that skill and continue to improve on his all around game and be a bit more constructive, then I can see him being a big asset for us this season and beyond. If he doesn't do that this year, he's 26 years old, and I think would make an excellent CM at a side with mid/lower table aspirations next season.

I think Henderson is the sort of players Klopp will improve out of all recognition. He has the energy and strength to be a dominant CM.

I think Henderson is the sort of players Klopp will improve out of all recognition. He has the energy and strength to be a dominant CM.

He may have the energy and strength, but sadly he doesn't have the talent.

I just don't get the Henderson hate.

Especially when it coincides with a period of massively overrating Allen.

I just don't get the Henderson hate.

That's because you don't need to feel wanted by fitting in with the crowd KS67. 

Especially when it coincides with a period of massively overrating Allen.

To be fair that is a lot more palatable than watching Reds 'fans' mocking and ridiculing our captain. 

That's because you don't need to feel wanted by fitting in with the crowd KS67. 
To be fair that is a lot more palatable than watching Reds 'fans' mocking and ridiculing our captain. 

Don't get me wrong, Henderson is far from perfect.

But he was used brilliantly in 13/14 by Rodgers. He was one of our best players in the absolute disaster that is 14/15, admittedly he didn't make as much of a jump in development as I wanted but he was a decent performer in a season of abject sh*t.

Last season he was clearly not a the physical level to do the things he either wanted or needed to do in a lot of games.

Henderson needs to score more goals, absolutely. He still needs to develop and I want to see him breaking forward off the ball and getting back to shifting the ball a bit quicker into the feet of forwards (13/14 style) but these aren't things beyond him.

We aren't talking about a player with obvious technical limitations (e.g. Stewart) or a player who lacks physical ability to match his football brain (e.g. Lucas). This is a player who has the physicality, technique and attitude to be a good player for us under Klopp and kick on to a higher level.

I genuinely don't understand the negativity towards Henderson. I really hope he has a good year and can maintain his physical level and use his engine and brain to give us a good midfield presence alongside Can and Grujic.

That's because you don't need to feel wanted by fitting in with the crowd KS67. 
To be fair that is a lot more palatable than watching Reds 'fans' mocking and ridiculing our captain. 

Indeed and also when its quite clear injury has had a huge impact on his form over the last year or so.

I think Henderson is the sort of players Klopp will improve out of all recognition. He has the energy and strength to be a dominant CM.

He has energy , yes , but strength? Not on your Nelly. Also , Dominance is certaintly not a word i would put anywhere near Henderson ( unless he's into whips and leather ) He is nice but dim , chaff that needs binning. The first to disappear when a game starts goin against us . A body that turns into jelly when a goalscoring chance falls to him because he has a weak mentality.
A total shithouse of a footballer who is hopefully on borrowed time . If i've left anything out i apologize , i'm a bit pushed for time.

He has energy , yes , but strength? Not on your Nelly. Also , Dominance is certaintly not a word i would put anywhere near Henderson ( unless he's into whips and leather ) He is nice but dim , chaff that needs binning. The first to disappear when a game starts goin against us . A body that turns into jelly when a goalscoring chance falls to him because he has a weak mentality.
A total shithouse of a footballer who is hopefully on borrowed time . If i've left anything out i apologize , i'm a bit pushed for time.

This.

Here's a scenario... Liverpool 1-0 down, 89th minute, chance falls perfectly in the box for a simple strike to make it even.

Do you want Henderson on the end of this?

100% no.

I doubt anyone would argue with this. Says it all about our 'captain'

This.

Here's a scenario... Liverpool 1-0 down, 89th minute, chance falls perfectly in the box for a simple strike to make it even.

Do you want Henderson on the end of this?

100% no.

I doubt anyone would argue with this. Says it all about our 'captain'

So Henderson is no cop because you wouldn't back him as a guaranteed scorer of a chance?

I wouldn't have back Didi Hamann or Javier Mascherano to score, or even Emre Can.

What kind of test of quality and 'captaincy' is this?

Sometimes I genuinely despair at the utter sh*te spoken by some of our fans.

This.

Here's a scenario... Liverpool 1-0 down, 89th minute, chance falls perfectly in the box for a simple strike to make it even.

Do you want Henderson on the end of this?

100% no.

I doubt anyone would argue with this. Says it all about our 'captain'

That means absolutely F**k all though. Just because somebody is captain doesn't mean they have to be the one person you rely on to score a goal late on.