i'll be a henderson apologist just as there was once a calvary to come to lucas' defence.
i'll never fault kenny for buying him as i believe the lad brings fantastic qualities to the club. one of his most admirable qualities is his willingness to play a ball early. he does it perhaps 3-5 times a game; he spots a run/space and attempts a volleyed pass or what not. quite often, it hasn't come off, but that's the sort of quality that can't be taught. with time, he will hopefully become a more refined passer.
however, i'll never understand kenny's treatment of him:
-wide right game after game.
-sacrificed to make room for charlie adam? for as much as people hate adam for squandering possession too easily, henderson would remedy that. now, perhaps you think henderson would represent a swing too far to the opposite side of the pendulum, but as an apologist, i'm going to say that you often see him play conservatively because he is being played wide right. watch him with the u21s. he's by no means a gerrard-like character when he's with england, but you can see him taking a more assertive role when he's played in the middle. and if you pair him up with spearing who typically does a great job of covering his midfield partner(s), liverpool will prosper all the more.
of the fair few criticisms of him, i would submit that shooting is one. unfortunately, i can't foresee him ever becoming a frank lampardesque goalscorer, but i don't think that's what he should be asked to do in any case. i certainly understand the criticism there though.
i desperately hope he is played alongside lucas in our midfield next season. between him, skrtel, agger and lucas, we would boast a much more grounded, patient and intelligent foundation. frankly, in the way that a lot of people think michael carrick is shit, i see henderson being perceived in a similar way. their respective games are quite diverse, mind you.