My comment wasn't singling him out for criticism, it was more of a comment about young footballers in general and the ridiculous greed that comes with the territory. Sickening really.
Hmm, Sterling stalling on signing now Henderson happy to wait untill summer (18 months left). Are they waiting for that fabled Champions League place? "At the end of the season we'll see where were at" Henderson comment.
Basically these lads "think" they are it I've news for both.... Henderson will never ever get a bigger club and honestly I'd only give him 4 years from today as by then he will be burned out and no good Sterling is one trick as well both need a land
That's a positive though, all I'm taking from that is - lets get the football out of the way and then we'll look at it.
You're looking at the individual talent too much, in a good team both players fit and up their game. There's many a footballer out there who'll look so much better if you stick them into a Barca or RM. That doesn't mean they are not good players it just means that they thrive of good movement and intelligent tactics, both players are essential to us going forward and I have no doubts (at this point) that they will sign new contracts.
Henderson's work ethic is an essential part of our team too. No one will ever convince me we wouldn't have won the league last season had he not picked up the red card against Man City.
Whether we like it or not, he is the star of the team. We should blame management for putting us in that position by p*ssing up the Suarez money on Soton lads. Sterling is top scorer (or 2nd at least), think he has most assists, created most chances, most dribbles, played most minutes. He is a very good player and has potential to become world class - credit to the academy for his development (our youth are far more tactically disciplined and hard working now). He's quick, can pick a pass, great movement, hard working, strong and versatile. The end product is inconsistent but he's only 20 - that will come with time. Need to keep him - the boy is a legend in the making.
Sure I read somewhere that his agent is in the process of leaving the firm he works for to set up his own firm, and the argument us at their end, ad to who should receive the commission. The piece said, once they've decided on that, the contract should just be a formality?!
Look at how useful Milner has been for City over the last few years. Henderson could get to another big club. But he wont start so many games or have as much responsibility.
Agreed - for a top club, he would be a valuable squad player. Nothing more. Gez is right that the needs his engine but that;s an indictment on the team rather than bigging up the player. When fans talk about a players work rate as his number 1 attribute, that's when you know you're dealing with a limited player. Henderson is one of those players who is suited to a team of superstars who do the moments of quaality in a game. He is not someone who can change a game, dictate tempo or ultimately grab the game by the scruff of the neck. This isn't me slating Hendo - I think he's a good player who can improve (he really needs to improve!). But if we want to get to the next level, then he will be a squad player. If we buy a quality DM, then I can the DM alongside Can and that would form a quality partnership.
Henderson just needs to be more consistent when it comes to game changing moments. He has the ability, he can pick a pass, he can hit the target, he just needs to start doing 1 of them every other game or so. His pass for Sturridge today was brilliant, lobbing the player perfectly and laying it on a plate for Sturridge. His short and long passing are very good. He needs to work on his first touch, especially making it so it opens up the pitch for him. A lot of the time he'll control the ball the way it's come from rather than taking it on the turn like Coutinho and the other top quality playmakers do. He can strike a ball as well and should be getting 5-10 goals a season. He hits a decent ball from distance but needs to start doing what Lampard has been doing so well in terms of arriving late in the box and scoring those goals. He's still only 24 so plenty of time to add to his game. Last year he was integral and although no player is undroppable, at the moment he brings something to the team that none of our other CM's do.
Work rate is important but players who can run around for 90 mins are a dime a dozen. I simply value real talent over hard work.
Henderson is going to be our future captain and wouldn't get that opportunity at this stage with a bigger club, he will commit long term.
I don't value one over the other but I don't like seeing us sign players that lack either one of them. Players need to work hard AND have quality. I rated Berbatov in terms of quality, clearly more skilful than most players. However, I'd have hated him at Liverpool because he was so lazy.
But ultimately, players like Berbatov are the ones who win games and medals. And I agree with you - I like players who have both attributes.
That's often why you need a mixture as not all players are top quality on the ball Snd work 100% for the team. We we were spoiled with Suarez as he is one of few who fall into both. Messi and Ronaldo don't really press and do defensive work but you allow them to get away with it because they are WC and make a difference and that's why you play others who can do that job for them as well
