Jake Daniels, the UK's only openly gay active male professional footballer, speaks about his mental health, Jordan Henderson and the 18 months since coming out.
He didn’t throw away his legacy, no matter what he was the Captain to finally win the prem in over 30 years plus the captain when we won basically everything else during a amazing revival of the team. No one looks down on Stevie for playing in the US or Drogba for playing in China
As Liverpool fan… We absolutely did, it came probably a year sooner than we anticipated, as we wouldn’t have expected to let Henderson, Milner and Fabinho go all in one summer but the midfield was looking tired and the wages were high, a revamp was needed, and getting rid of him helped that. If you want to be successful you can’t be too sentimental and our ownership knows this.
He could have always renegotiated his contract to a lower one and then he’d become an absolute legend, while being repaied over the years as a club embassador that does nothing
There were definitely alternatives, he chose to make a bank which wouldn’t be a problem if he didn’t use some social issues for PR earlier
Klopp would have been happy for him to stay, fans too - if he accepted the much reduced role. Last season made it clear he was done as a first team player for us.
Henderson isn’t going to be a first teamer for England either. Dressing room leader and utility player in midfield, who knows his system very well, and he trusts to be of value in his final tournament.
I’m a Liverpool fan and Hendo will forever be a legend regardless of him going to Saudi, He has done more for his community than any of us will ever do regardless of him playing in Saudi, Many of us have family and friends working and living in the middle east and I doubt they get tarred and feathered like they are trying to do to Hendo. YNWA
eh, just like messi or ronaldo, they still have the spirit to play football but their body can no longer keep up with the big league, region like saudi league and the mls is a good compromisation to keep playing especially when you get good money along with it.
Why would it tarnish his Legacy as a Footballer. Players play in all sorts of leagues and places. Going to play for a Saudi club doesn’t mean he wants all the Homosexuals banned or shunned. I mean do People check where did the Gas they fill in their Vehicles come from and boycott a petrol pump because the product came from a Saudi Oil field ? Playing in the EPL doesn’t mean that the Players love Monarchy or support UK’ govt policies… Are all Newcastle players homophobic and/or support the Saudi bombings of Yemen?
Obviously I can’t speak for all Liverpool fans but I know after his move to Saudi lots don’t see him as a club legend regardless of what he won with us.
I think Gerrard tarnished his legacy with fans by going out there as well.
Football has never had as much fanatical support by people who have access to info at their fingertips in an era where everything is so well documented. Time will tell how this generation of players will be remembered, but players from 10-15 years ago are remembered as snakes and these sentiments get passed along on places like reddit where people of many ages talk shit about footy.
Will be interesting to see how someone who should be a club legend will be remembered in 20 years.
Dude I doubt people will be talking about this in 2 years let alone 15.
So many players are selling out for oil money, including Messi and Ronaldo that it’s not going to care about specific individuals. That’s sportswashing for ya
The comparison doesn’t hold. I’ve already explained why. “Worse” doesn’t come into it. It’s not relevant to why the comparison is awful.
“Person says A is a terrible thing and then does A.”
“Person says nothing public about B and then does B.”
I shouldn’t have to break it down that basic for you but apparently, you don’t get it unless I do.
“Are Liverpool fans not singing about Steven Gerrard any more?” was the qoute. The inference being that gerrard did bad things and is still a hero so why isn’t Henderson? For the reason I just explained.
But Henderson hasn’t done ‘A’. He’s just sold out to people who do ‘A’.
Whereas Gerrard has done ‘B’. Which is bad regardless of whether or not he’s publicly denounced it previously. Because organised crime and physically attacking people is bad by default.
That’s the comparison. Gerrard’s reputation is intact because barely anyone gives a shit about the moral dimension of his character. By this same measure, Henderson’s will be fine also.
Your logic is astoundingly moronic. It’s like saying Adam Johnson never spoke out against pumping kids so doesn’t belong in the same conversation as Henderson.
But Henderson hasn’t done ‘A’. He’s just sold out to people who do ‘A’.
Thats a semantic argument that I don’t think too many people will swallow. You might want to google what tacit agreement means. “I’m not a bigot! I simply espoused equality and then…went to work for bigots. I also spout their PR and say what they tell me to say…but its totally different!”
If you buy that, I might interest you in some magic beans.
Your logic is astoundingly moronic.
My logic is astoundingly logical. You, however, have skipped too many stops on the logic train.
I believe Steven Gerrard has now indeed “fucked off to Saudi Arabia for money” so I guess his only merit is that he didn’t support LGBTQ causes? That makes him better than Henderson?
If you’re promoting LGBTQ and calling yourself a supporter, then the first opportunity you get are happy to fuck off to a country where you can be killed for being gay then you very clearly do not care at all about the cause you claim to champion. That’s the issue people have with him, he never gave a shit at all but decided to use the gay community for some good PR and then was happy to throw them away as soon as someone offered him more money.
Do you see your logic? Henderson is a worse person than Gerrard even though they are doing the same thing because Henderson spoke up for gay people in this country and Gerrard didn’t.
People assume Henderson did that stuff in the UK for PR reasons and actually doesn’t care. Someone who doesn’t care but pretends to for personal gain is worse than someone who doesn’t care for a lot of people.
I personally think Henderson is a worse person for that. Gerrard hasn’t been for or against a sensitive subject like that so if he goes to SA for lots of money, fine, I still think less of him. In my opinion, Henderson is held to higher standard because of his public support for LGBTIQA+.
I’m simplifying but it’s like seeing the average joe driving a Hummer and then Thunberg driving a Hummer. Obviously we’d think much less of Thunberg.
Most people in real life don’t give a shit that he spoke up about gay rights than went off to Saudi Arabia. He’s still going to be considered a legend by most Liverpool fans, regardless of whatever Reddit thinks.
They wanted him gone. He himself said he didn’t feel wanted in Liverpool, you guys underestimate how that influences your decisions, I will agree to cut my salary in half and move to a place where I feel valued as opposed to remaining in a place that doesn’t want me … now imagine both feeling valued and getting paid five times more money … it’s an easy decision.
Henderson could have stayed at Liverpool, less game time but become a mentor, done more charity work etc and cement himself as a Liverpool legend.
Instead he threw it all away to play in front of 800 people, lose all good will, and I guess make bank. Hope that’s worth your legacy being tarnished.
Every ideology has its price
The 800 was kind of an outlier…
That said, his clubs average home attendance is 7900, in a stadium that holds 35,000
But 9 of the 18 teams are averaging below 5k
And Hendo’s side are now 7th in the league and got knocked out of the cup.
He made his bed…
He didn’t throw away his legacy, no matter what he was the Captain to finally win the prem in over 30 years plus the captain when we won basically everything else during a amazing revival of the team. No one looks down on Stevie for playing in the US or Drogba for playing in China
And all those money doesn’t even made a different
Like so his grand grand grand children get an extra yacht or two now?
I actually think Liverpool wanted him gone and encouraged it. FFP means that £12m is pure profit and it got his large wages off the books.
As Liverpool fan… We absolutely did, it came probably a year sooner than we anticipated, as we wouldn’t have expected to let Henderson, Milner and Fabinho go all in one summer but the midfield was looking tired and the wages were high, a revamp was needed, and getting rid of him helped that. If you want to be successful you can’t be too sentimental and our ownership knows this.
He could have always renegotiated his contract to a lower one and then he’d become an absolute legend, while being repaied over the years as a club embassador that does nothing
There were definitely alternatives, he chose to make a bank which wouldn’t be a problem if he didn’t use some social issues for PR earlier
The club wanted him gone three years ago, Klopp stepped in a demanded an extension for him.
Club upper management, almost certainly
Klopp would have been happy for him to stay, fans too - if he accepted the much reduced role. Last season made it clear he was done as a first team player for us.
Honestly 12m for an aging Henderson is a decent fee. Liverpool made the right call taking the money on offer.
At the end of the day, Henderson decided to go when he had every chance to turn them down
Unfortunately Southgate didn’t get the memo.
Henderson isn’t going to be a first teamer for England either. Dressing room leader and utility player in midfield, who knows his system very well, and he trusts to be of value in his final tournament.
The only legacy he will now leave is one of hypocrisy.
Is it hypocrisy if he invests all the Saudi money into LGBT? He obviously won’t, but let’s say he did.
On reddit his legacy is tarnished. In the city and in real life he is still a legend who lead us to the title.
How is this downvoted haha
This fucking website man
Give it 5 years mate and he’s a Liverpool legend still and everyone has forgotten this,
I mean if you spoke to about 90% of Liverpool fans IRL I don’t think they give a shit either
I imagine that’s because those 90% of fans never gave a shit about lgbt people anyways
but people on the internet told me what to think.
Reddit isn’t reflective of real life
I mean neither are the few people you’ll talk to irl, your experience will likely be different to mine.
I have a fairly significant amount of “real” friends who share the opinion on Henderson that is seen on Reddit.
Your real life isn’t everyone’s real life.
And how about the England fans at Wembley booing Henderson, they not real?
You might not care, but many won’t forget what he did.
What about the fans at Wembley booing Henderson?
He captained Liverpool to the first title in 30 yrs and played for more than 10 yrs. In terms of playing career he is a legend
And that is the worst part.
I’m a Liverpool fan and Hendo will forever be a legend regardless of him going to Saudi, He has done more for his community than any of us will ever do regardless of him playing in Saudi, Many of us have family and friends working and living in the middle east and I doubt they get tarred and feathered like they are trying to do to Hendo. YNWA
I hope it’s not worth it and he regrets it for the rest of his life. What a shame.
Or he could have gone to another premier league team, like the older Milner did. West Ham would have been perfect.
eh, just like messi or ronaldo, they still have the spirit to play football but their body can no longer keep up with the big league, region like saudi league and the mls is a good compromisation to keep playing especially when you get good money along with it.
Why would it tarnish his Legacy as a Footballer. Players play in all sorts of leagues and places. Going to play for a Saudi club doesn’t mean he wants all the Homosexuals banned or shunned. I mean do People check where did the Gas they fill in their Vehicles come from and boycott a petrol pump because the product came from a Saudi Oil field ? Playing in the EPL doesn’t mean that the Players love Monarchy or support UK’ govt policies… Are all Newcastle players homophobic and/or support the Saudi bombings of Yemen?
Dude could have gone anywhere else and it would have been better.
He didn’t throw it all away.
He’s already a Liverpool legend regardless. He captained the team to the first league title in 30 years and a CL title as well.
He’s getting playing time and the bag in Saudi Arabia. Can’t blame him.
Are Liverpool fans not singing about Steven Gerrard any more?
Can blame him.
Obviously I can’t speak for all Liverpool fans but I know after his move to Saudi lots don’t see him as a club legend regardless of what he won with us.
I think Gerrard tarnished his legacy with fans by going out there as well.
Football has never had as much fanatical support by people who have access to info at their fingertips in an era where everything is so well documented. Time will tell how this generation of players will be remembered, but players from 10-15 years ago are remembered as snakes and these sentiments get passed along on places like reddit where people of many ages talk shit about footy. Will be interesting to see how someone who should be a club legend will be remembered in 20 years.
Dude I doubt people will be talking about this in 2 years let alone 15.
So many players are selling out for oil money, including Messi and Ronaldo that it’s not going to care about specific individuals. That’s sportswashing for ya
Did Steven Gerrard make a big show of supporting LGBT and then fuck off to Saudia Arabia for money?
No?
Okay, then your comparison is pointless.
Gerrard only physically assaulted someone and sucks up to organised crime.
But did he come out against violence and organised crime BEFORE he did those things?
I never claimed he wasn’t a dick. I claimed comparisons to Henderson were erroneous.
The comparison holds, Gerrard’s reputation is fine despite his ties to organised crime and his own historic offence(s).
Henderson’s hypocrisy vis-a-vis Saudi Arabia does not outweigh that in most people’s estimation.
And if you think insincerely milking a bit of positive PR is worse than assaulting someone, then you need to get out more.
The comparison doesn’t hold. I’ve already explained why. “Worse” doesn’t come into it. It’s not relevant to why the comparison is awful.
“Person says A is a terrible thing and then does A.”
“Person says nothing public about B and then does B.”
I shouldn’t have to break it down that basic for you but apparently, you don’t get it unless I do.
“Are Liverpool fans not singing about Steven Gerrard any more?” was the qoute. The inference being that gerrard did bad things and is still a hero so why isn’t Henderson? For the reason I just explained.
It’s a terrible, terrible comparison.
But Henderson hasn’t done ‘A’. He’s just sold out to people who do ‘A’.
Whereas Gerrard has done ‘B’. Which is bad regardless of whether or not he’s publicly denounced it previously. Because organised crime and physically attacking people is bad by default.
That’s the comparison. Gerrard’s reputation is intact because barely anyone gives a shit about the moral dimension of his character. By this same measure, Henderson’s will be fine also.
Your logic is astoundingly moronic. It’s like saying Adam Johnson never spoke out against pumping kids so doesn’t belong in the same conversation as Henderson.
Thats a semantic argument that I don’t think too many people will swallow. You might want to google what tacit agreement means. “I’m not a bigot! I simply espoused equality and then…went to work for bigots. I also spout their PR and say what they tell me to say…but its totally different!”
If you buy that, I might interest you in some magic beans.
My logic is astoundingly logical. You, however, have skipped too many stops on the logic train.
I believe Steven Gerrard has now indeed “fucked off to Saudi Arabia for money” so I guess his only merit is that he didn’t support LGBTQ causes? That makes him better than Henderson?
If you’re promoting LGBTQ and calling yourself a supporter, then the first opportunity you get are happy to fuck off to a country where you can be killed for being gay then you very clearly do not care at all about the cause you claim to champion. That’s the issue people have with him, he never gave a shit at all but decided to use the gay community for some good PR and then was happy to throw them away as soon as someone offered him more money.
Do you see your logic? Henderson is a worse person than Gerrard even though they are doing the same thing because Henderson spoke up for gay people in this country and Gerrard didn’t.
So Tottenham fans should like Sol Campbell more than other Arsenal players because he played for Tottenham first. That’s also a great logic
People assume Henderson did that stuff in the UK for PR reasons and actually doesn’t care. Someone who doesn’t care but pretends to for personal gain is worse than someone who doesn’t care for a lot of people.
I personally think Henderson is a worse person for that. Gerrard hasn’t been for or against a sensitive subject like that so if he goes to SA for lots of money, fine, I still think less of him. In my opinion, Henderson is held to higher standard because of his public support for LGBTIQA+.
I’m simplifying but it’s like seeing the average joe driving a Hummer and then Thunberg driving a Hummer. Obviously we’d think much less of Thunberg.
Thats…not my logic.
Most people in real life don’t give a shit that he spoke up about gay rights than went off to Saudi Arabia. He’s still going to be considered a legend by most Liverpool fans, regardless of whatever Reddit thinks.
And he didn’t just “leave”. He basically ran out the door. It was all over so fast.
They wanted him gone. He himself said he didn’t feel wanted in Liverpool, you guys underestimate how that influences your decisions, I will agree to cut my salary in half and move to a place where I feel valued as opposed to remaining in a place that doesn’t want me … now imagine both feeling valued and getting paid five times more money … it’s an easy decision.