Forest Gump || Jordan Henderson

Henderson is pure class, im not even nor a Liverpool fan and I can just tell that Henderson is pure class. Not only that but hes got heart. He was stupdendous for you guys today

I hope so.

I'm a pretty spoilt guy when it comes to players in his position.If he can manage to play CM I have faith in him.....he's got the quality to be an amazing CM....but I really don't want him as a 10/AM/Winger of any sort.

Why didn't Adam play him in when he was making that run?

Why didn't Kuyt leave the penalty follow-up to him when the bounce was so awkward for him?

Why didn't Kelly finish the chance he created? (well, that one I can understand)


Ugh.

Well, I actually have never been convinced about Hendo's ability and am starting to think he's not good enough for us and, what's more sad, we wasted a lot of money on him. Some £20m, for Pete's sake!

He just never seems to be where the action is and I can't really think which of his qualities would be very good, at the level required in our team. Of course time's on his side, but at 21 most excellent players show their talent already and I'm just not seeing it in Henderson.

I've seen more promise from Henderson than Adam or Downing, honestly. He's gone hiding at times but he's also shown real bits of quality and his stamina is a plus as well. I think he's best suited to a more central attacking role though and is being wasted at wide right midfield.

13m... with 3m+ add ons later on.

He's meh on the right, but absolute boss as a CM.

ynwa wrote:13m... with 3m+ add ons later on.

He's meh on the right, but absolute boss as a CM.

Maybe he is, but we've been playing him on the right. Let's see him at CM.

Where did he play yesterday? I wasn't able to see the match.

Henderson played CM alongside Shelvey with Stevie playing off Suarez in the first half. He switched with Kuyt to RM in the second half [Stevie that is, not Henderson].

They all did very well. Dominated the midfield without a defensive midfielder, looked discipline and played some great stuff. I don't understand the Henderson hate. I really don't.

He even saved us at the very end when Villa had a 4v2 counter going on. Though, it was a poor ball... he still did well to kill the pressure.

What's Henderson's forte? I can't think of one. Most good players are very good at something. Hendo can't take on defenders one-on-one, he's not exactly creative, doesn't score goals, isn't known to have a great shot in him, isn't that decisive at his actions... Yet he is not being played as a CDM, either (a role which, I think, should be tried with him).

Henderson doesn't make mistakes, but neither I see him contributing to our attacking play as well as a Liverpool CM / RM should. That's not good enough for me.

What Hendo was good at for us was picking the ball up just behind the defence, usually from a Cattermole interseptiion or tackle. Then Hendo would move out wide and leg it down the wind putting a cross into the box for Gyan or Bent to get on the end of. This is what he was exceptional it and why he created so many goal scoring opportunities.

Part of the the thing that made it work well was his partnership with Elmo, they had good link up play being able to overlap and cover each others positions.

Give him space on the wing and room to run he can take on most players.

He cant do this in the centre of the park, there isnt enough space. He is too restricted and looses the ball too much, Then he cant tackle to win it back.

The other thing he did was run and run after opposition players on the ball, forcing mistakes. Hes like a jack russel biting chasing and biting some ones ankles. This took him out of position though so its only something he can do if your squad are set up for it.

Hes not a CDM, but then again hes not a out and out winger either. To see the best out of him he needs a free roaming role. Unfortunately I cant see him getting this with you.

For the position you seem to want him to play you would of been better spending the £20 mill on Jack Colback.

When he first signed for you I thought Suarez would thrive off the crosses he can put into the box for him, but everytime I have watched you play he gets taken out of the game by the ball going down the middle, or earlier int he season Enrique putting balls across the top for Carrol to head down.

It takes Hendo out of the game and pointless him being there.

Check out the goal Gyan scores in this with the assist from Henderson. That basically sums up what he was good at

NiallQuinnsdiscoPants wrote:What Hendo was good at for us was picking the ball up just behind the defence, usually from a Cattermole interseptiion or tackle. Then Hendo would move out wide and leg it down the wind putting a cross into the box for Gyan or Bent to get on the end of. This is what he was exceptional it and why he created so many goal scoring opportunities.

Part of the the thing that made it work well was his partnership with Elmo, they had good link up play being able to overlap and cover each others positions.

Give him space on the wing and room to run he can take on most players.

He cant do this in the centre of the park, there isnt enough space. He is too restricted and looses the ball too much, Then he cant tackle to win it back.

The other thing he did was run and run after opposition players on the ball, forcing mistakes. Hes like a jack russel biting chasing and biting some ones ankles. This took him out of position though so its only something he can do if your squad are set up for it.

Hes not a CDM, but then again hes not a out and out winger either. To see the best out of him he needs a free roaming role. Unfortunately I cant see him getting this with you.

For the position you seem to want him to play you would of been better spending the £20 mill on Jack Colback.

When he first signed for you I thought Suarez would thrive off the crosses he can put into the box for him, but everytime I have watched you play he gets taken out of the game by the ball going down the middle, or earlier int he season Enrique putting balls across the top for Carrol to head down.

It takes Hendo out of the game and pointless him being there.

NiallQuinnsdiscoPants wrote:What Hendo was good at for us was picking the ball up just behind the defence, usually from a Cattermole interseptiion or tackle. Then Hendo would move out wide and leg it down the wind putting a cross into the box for Gyan or Bent to get on the end of. This is what he was exceptional it and why he created so many goal scoring opportunities.

Part of the the thing that made it work well was his partnership with Elmo, they had good link up play being able to overlap and cover each others positions.

Give him space on the wing and room to run he can take on most players.

He cant do this in the centre of the park, there isnt enough space. He is too restricted and looses the ball too much, Then he cant tackle to win it back.

The other thing he did was run and run after opposition players on the ball, forcing mistakes. Hes like a jack russel biting chasing and biting some ones ankles. This took him out of position though so its only something he can do if your squad are set up for it.

Hes not a CDM, but then again hes not a out and out winger either. To see the best out of him he needs a free roaming role. Unfortunately I cant see him getting this with you.

For the position you seem to want him to play you would of been better spending the £20 mill on Jack Colback.

When he first signed for you I thought Suarez would thrive off the crosses he can put into the box for him, but everytime I have watched you play he gets taken out of the game by the ball going down the middle, or earlier int he season Enrique putting balls across the top for Carrol to head down.

It takes Hendo out of the game and pointless him being there.

Kenny's system is vastly different to what was at Sunderland as Hendo has been largely ineffective in his right sided role as he tends to disappear there along with having the wide role severely limit his abilities.

At the central role, he shows more composure, confidence and guile than what he does in the right side of the midfield. Whether its his occasional box runs or incisive passing and positioning, there is no doubt the central role is tenfold better than once again his original role. Which is why we have such faith in his ability.

Which is why I and the Liverpool fans lament this position that Kenny puts him in, and yearn for a shift into the CM role while Gerrard goes advanced. Henderson at CM has shown to be very similar to Frank Lampard while at right, you can hardly tell he is in the game.

It might have worked better in Sunderland, but its just not cutting it within Dalglishes system which is vastly different in style to what Henderson was placed in his home club.

At the central role, he shows more composure, confidence and guile than what he does in the right side of the midfield. Whether its his occasional box runs or incisive passing and positioning, there is no doubt the central role is tenfold better than once again his original role. Which is why we have such faith in his ability.

Shelvey >>> Henderson in central role.

Ok so I've heard different stuff from different people.

Definitively where do you see him CM or CAM?

For me it's the former.

CM with a good DM playing behind him.

Just imagine the amount of space and freedom Gerrard, Hendo and Adam will get once Lucas is back.

He reminds me of Lucas' first couple of seasons with us. There's definitely potential, but he needs to be played in the right position with the right players around him to thrive.

His biggest attribute in my opinion is his vision. He has shown it this season with some of the through balls and passes he has made. He is far from a complete central midfielder though. I believe he would do well with Lucas beside him.

He can put in a half decent performance on the wing, but in my opinion, we need more movement off the ball for it to work. More often than not he is left alone and has to beat opposing players which is not one of his strengths.

Having the defensive cover that Lucas provides, I think the time he would get to distribute and dictate play would be great. He is also a hard worker and seems like one of the few with a never give-up attitude. He never stops running.

He doesn't have a great shot in him unfortunately. But with better movement around him in a central role, I think he would do ok.

In comparison to Shelvey, I don't think Hendo is as much of a risk taker. I think shelvey is the kind of player that would do well in a CAM role where creativity and quick thinking are needed. Jordan would do better at controlling the pace and the game play. So far though, he has had to fill in some tough defensive duties which he isn't great at.

He is one player I would definitely keep from the summer signings we made. He has a very good foundation to build upon in my opinion. While he may not seem as naturally talented as others, I think we can mold him into a great player.

Le Samourai wrote:Ok so I've heard different stuff from different people.

Definitively where do you see him CM or CAM?

For me it's the former.

CM with Jonjo being the CAM.
Lucas being the DM.

Is it only my view or do you guys agree with this?

Shelvey > Hendo.......currently and potential wise. Shelvey dictates play so much better than Henderson, for such a young player he always imposes himself in the game, can't say the same about Jordan.

[quote="Messiah "Aggerswagger""]Is it only my view or do you guys agree with this?

Shelvey > Hendo.......currently and potential wise. Shelvey dictates play so much better than Henderson, for such a young player he always imposes himself in the game, can't say the same about Jordan. [/quote]

Don't necessary agree wholeheartedly with that.

I do feel currently Shelvey may be better dictating the player etc, though Henderson has played majority of his career as a RM. He has looked very good in the centre though.

Potentially, I honestly don't know. The thing with Shelvey is, he's cocky and he knows he has potential and wants to get better... he trusts himself 100% and always wants to go forward which is a very good mentality, it reminds me a lot of Gerrard but Henderson is a different player. Whilst he always wants to do better, he doesn't know how good he can be if he plays to his full potential. He always does the tidy thing, side passing etc and very hardly takes a risk. He just keeps the ball in our possession which is a very important factor to every game. That's sort of why I agree with pool by saying he reminds him, and well myself of Leiva towards the start of his career here.

I do feel they can play together in the future. They compliment well. That was their first game together against Villa, and absolutely dominated them for majority of the game. Though, gifting them possession to their goal, and keeping the ball in against Newcaslte for them to nearly score can show that Shelvey is suspect in defensive duties. Why I believe he should play in the 'hole' or further up the pitch.

Jonjo still needs some refinement in his game. Every time I have watched him play there have been a few moments of absolute carelessness. With that said, I think he has more natural talent in comparison to Jordan and more potential as such. He needs to play though. Sticking him on the bench or not giving him time to play will ultimately be his downfall.

As you guys have said, he knows he is good, so if he doesn't feature much, I expect him to move away.

Hendo and Jonjo, while both midfielders, don't play the same position. Therefore, I don't see them as completely interchangeable. We've seen Jonjo excel in a more advanced role while at Blackpool. Conversely, Hendo's composure and comfort on the ball have made many of us of the opinion that he's the better CM. I see it this way.
Hendo = Wilshere / Jonjo = Gerrard

In my opinion, Hendo's future is as a b2b midfielder, where Jonjo's is as a more attacking midfielder. To be honest, they could both be the future of a midfield three built on the foundation of Lucas as DM. However, both Hendo and Shelvey need to mature and raise their game. Neither have quite been at the level we demand of a Liverpool midfielder. I would honestly Like to see Hendo, Shelvey Spearing today against Blackburn to see how they can work (besides, it gives Gerrard a rest ahead of the weekend's FA Cup clash).

Messiah "Aggerswagger" wrote:Is it only my view or do you guys agree with this?

Shelvey > Hendo.......currently and potential wise. Shelvey dictates play so much better than Henderson, for such a young player he always imposes himself in the game, can't say the same about Jordan.

I definitely agree, very good use of words on this one. Pretty much exactly how I feel.


Henderson needs to find some Balls to his game, whether it's defensive or attacking wise. He's like me playing basketball when I was 16: not really inferior to the other players skill-wise, but lacking courage to do those decisive moves & plays that score you points and win games.

Art Morte wrote:

At the central role, he shows more composure, confidence and guile than what he does in the right side of the midfield. Whether its his occasional box runs or incisive passing and positioning, there is no doubt the central role is tenfold better than once again his original role. Which is why we have such faith in his ability.

Shelvey >>> Henderson in central role.

How do you compare them both are different types of players? Jonjo's role is as CAM while Hendo's is CM. I hope your not confusing Henderson with his performances at the RM position as in CM he has been considerably impressive. If anything, Hendo has shown a far better understanding of the game and considerably higher football IQ considering Jonjo, although more skilled makes quite few head scratching decisions.

What I do like is Jonjos confidence over Hendo's somewhat subdued play but then again we can only judge Hendo since he has been wide as central it's clear he is more confident.


Conclusively I will refer to above as it's comparing apples and oranges.

So most feel Hendo is a CM? We I generally concur.Now I don't think Jonjo is a CAM though, more of a hybrid.

......................Lucas...................
...........Hendo............Jonjo..........

I think this should be given serious consideration for the rest of the season.

I like Hendo, I have no trouble putting my faith in him as a long term central midfielder, but I can't bring myself to say the same of him as a CAM, I just don't trust him to be the focal point of attack and thus aggressively pursued by defenses.

Lucas it out for the season. 0.o

Anyway. Henderson has a good work rate, and was disciplined enough to play RB. Did well tonight.