Roker Roundup: Jordan Henderson discusses standing up to Roy Keane when at Sunderland

Henderson discusses standing up to Keane

Academy product Jordan Henderson appeared on Jamie Carragher’s ‘The Greatest Game’ podcast recently and discussed making his breakthrough at Sunderland.

Sunderland had just lost 2-0 in a reserve game at Gateshead, a result that left Roy Keane fuming.

The manager took the team to task for their performance, including criticising the then newly signed David Meyler but when he got to Henderson, the current Liverpool captain answered Keane honestly despite being terrified:

It was a reserve game, I can remember we played Gateshead away which was like a pre-season friendly.

We were shocking, I think we got beat 2-0. Roy wasn’t at the game but his coaching staff were there and he’d heard what had happened.

They got us back straight from the game to the academy and we were all in this lounge area and we were dotted about.

He walks in and I was a young lad so I’m sweating and he starts going ‘This is your f***ing problem, get together.’

So we get in a huddle sort of thing and he obviously has words to say and is not happy.

He has a go at some senior players, I remember Meyler who he’d just signed, one of my good mates but he basically had a pop at him and a few others.

He then pointed at me and said ‘Do you think you’re good enough to play in the first team?’

After being on this rant, I was sweating buckets, there were all sorts coming off me, I’m a young lad and I looked up to Roy a lot as a player and he was my manager now.

To be fair I went ‘yeah I do’ and I think he was a bit like ‘oh right okay’ and he went ‘hmmm’ and was maybe having that because he heard in the game I’d still worked hard and wanted it and had the right attitude towards the game.

He said ‘Good answer’ and sort of moved on but I can remember walking out and everyone was sweating.

It was a short time after that game I got a phone call to say you’re in the first team squad for a pre-season game at the Stadium of Light.

That’s where it all started and I was delighted. He obviously liked me from that answer and it went from there.

You can listen to the entire podcast in full HERE.

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Whitehead joins Shrewsbury

Former Sunderland captain Dean Whitehead will be find himself up against Sunderland later this season, after he joined Shrewsbury Town as first team coach.

Whitehead had been on the coaching staff of Huddersfield Town but has left the club he retired from playing with in 2018 to join Sam Ricketts’ coaching staff at Shrewsbury.

Taking to social media to talk about the move, the 37-year-old thanked Huddersfield and said he was really looking forward to his new challenge at the New Meadow:

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Matteo recovering after surgery

Finally, we would like to send our best wishes to Dominic Matteo who is currently recovering in hospital after being taken ill last week.

The former Sunderland loanee had to undergo surgery on a brain tumour and is now being treated after being removed from intensive care.

The 45-year-old had a short but extremely eventful spell at Sunderland during the 1994-95 season.

He joined on-loan from Liverpool in March and made his debut in an away game at Barnsley but, in typical Sunderland fashion, the club had not properly registered the player and were lucky to get away with a £2,500 fine.

We lost that game 1-0 and that spelled the end of Matteo’s short but eventful Sunderland career.

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