Henderson and Gerrard's latest Saudi humiliation leaves pundit gobsmacked

25 October 2023 , 14:21

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Henderson and Gerrard's latest Saudi humiliation leaves pundit gobsmacked

It seems like talkSPORT pundit Ally McCoist was the last to find about Jordan Henderson's humiliating weekend in Saudi Arabia.

In Al-Ettifaq's latest Saudi Pro League showing, Steven Gerrard's side were beaten 1-0 by Al-Riyadh, confining them to successive league defeats. Khalid Al-Shuwayyi's 16th minute winner leaves Gerrard's men in seventh and nine points off leaders Al-Hilal, with a title tilt already looking unlikely.

But it wasn't just the result that hit the headlines afterwards. The influx of European stars in the summer was predicted to ramp up interest in the game in the Middle East, and yet just 696 fans watched Henderson and co go down to defeat.

The game was discussed by the duo of Alan Brazil and McCoist on The Sports Breakfast show on Wednesday, with the Rangers legend asked by his fellow Scot how many people he thought were in attendance.

McCoist duly guessed 12,000, only to be stunned when Brazil revealed the actual figure. The former striker responded: "You're winding me up? I know I'm going to ask a silly question here, but was that a home game then?"

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Brazil then wrongly implied that Al-Ettifaq were in their own stadium. The clash actually took place at Riyadh's home ground which holds up to 15,000 spectators.

Ally McCoist was taken aback when told about Jordan Henderson's recent humiliation (@talkSPORT / Twitter)

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But regardless McCoist, who also works as a commentator for Sky Sports and Amazon Prime, was less than impressed, adding: "That's unbelievable. 700 supporters?! You wouldn't even know there's anybody in the stadium. That's incredible. It's poor."

It's been a harrowing time for Henderson since his decision to relinquish the Liverpool captaincy and head to the Middle East, reportedly on £700,000-a-week wages. Having previously offered public support for LGTBQ+ groups, his switch prompted criticism and accusations of hypocrisy.

Indeed, he was booed by England fans while captaining the Three Lions against Australia this month. It prompted national boss Gareth Southgate to mount a passionate defence of the midfielder, arguing no England players should be jeered by their own fans.

Fraser Watson