Rodgers hits back at Shearer

It would be fair to say that Brendan Rodgers has always been quite proud of his purchase of Joe Allen and has constantly told the media his delight in bringing the Welsh midfielder to Anfield in the summer. Bearing this in mind, the former Swansea boss has reacted furiously to Alan Shearer who recently questioned just what Allen’s role in the Reds team was.

Shearer commented on a recent Match of the Day program that he felt that Allen did not make enough penetrating passes for the Reds, and seemed to question his overall contribution to the team. Such words have been met by a mixed reaction by supporters, with some believing that the former Newcastle striker has a point and that Allen should use the ball better, while others are quite happy with the performances of the 22-year-old and have classed him as one of the few impressive players this term.

As you may expect, Rodgers is firmly against any criticism of his big money buy. Speaking to the media, he claimed that “so-called” pundits would be eating their words in the future when Allen is worth a lot more than the £15m that was paid for him.

He said, “I saw something the other day criticising Joe Allen for not playing risk passes. Unbelievable – so-called pundits who don’t know the dynamics of a team and how it functions. Joe’s role is to keep the ball. And that, in Britain, is a special talent. It is why Paul Scholes is still playing to his age. It is such a rare talent for a midfielder to rarely give the ball away. People have talked about him and his fee, but in time he will be an absolute bargain.”

Allen’s reputation has been enhanced even more over recent weeks, after he was named as Wales’ Player of the Season following a fantastic twelve months in English football.