Kennedy: Henderson left SAFC for silverware

Jun 12 2011 by Mark Douglas, Sunday Sun

JUST call it the Anfield Tap.

Jordan Henderson’s £19million switch from Sunderland to Liverpool on Wednesday continued a long – and depressing – trend of North East talent washing up on the banks of the River Mersey.

Or Anfield, to be precise – with Henderson becoming the FIFTH homegrown England international to swap North East colours for the blood red of Liverpool.

It is a barely credible one-way flow of talent that also includes great Scot Graeme Souness (nicked from Middlesbrough back in 1974) and a pair of fine German talents sourced away in their prime (Newcastle’s Dietmar Hamann and Boro schemer Christian Ziege).

So what is it about the North East that makes it such fertile breeding ground for future Merseyside legends?

And why is ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish – who almost single-handedly ripped up the Entertainers blueprint during a depressing year in these parts – continuing the tradition of buying up our crown jewels when he showed little interest in investing in the region when he was here?

Anfield great Alan Kennedy is better placed than most to explain the intricacies of this unique, one-way relationship.

The Wearside-reared Newcastle fan played more than 100 games for his boyhood idols at the start of his burgeoning career.

And after winning every trophy under the sun during a glittering spell on Merseyside, he also pulled on the red-and-white of Sunderland in the mid-eighties.

But there is no doubt where his heart lies today. He calls Liverpool ‘we’ and talks excitedly of the prospect of Henderson lighting up Liverpool’s midfield – even if the Wearside twang in his accent betrays his roots.

“As a lad I was a big Newcastle fan,” Kennedy tells the Sunday Sun.

“My family was split between the two clubs – my mother’s side were from Hetton-le-Hole way but my dad’s were from Newcastle. And we lived in Penshaw, which is between the two.

“But when my brother joined Newcastle that sorted it out.

“I supported them from then on and eventually went on to play for them, which I loved doing.

“It was always a bit of a dream so when I pulled on the black-and-white shirt, it was just a fantastic feeling.”

So, impeccable North East credentials. But back when the Merseyside talent grab was a relatively new phenomenon, he was lured to Anfield pretty easily.

He explains that ambition and silverware made it a straightforward decision.

And in a worrying warning for North East supporters, he insists little has changed in the last three decades – regardless of Liverpool letting their crown slip.

“It’s absolutely no disrespect to the teams in the North East, but I think the decision for Andy and Jordan was probably as easy as it was for me at the time,” he said.

“I played in the Cup Final against Liverpool and it was just a fantastic experience. I remember thinking ‘Wow, it’s a special club’.

“I think for Newcastle, we were just happy to be there – for Liverpool, they were expected to be there. And expected to win it as well.

“I wanted to be part of that, so it wasn’t a difficult decision for me.