Jay Spearing says having his name chanted by the Kop encourages him to give even more to the Liverpool cause.
Midfielder out to repay fans with better performances
Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing says having his name chanted by the Kop encourages him to give even more to the team.
The 23-year-old has made 10 Premier League starts this season and believes he has finally proved his worth to the squad, three years on from his first-team debut.
Spearing could hear the Liverpool faithful singing his praises during their 2-1 FA Cup defeat of Stoke last weekend, and admits it handed him an overwhelming sense of worth.
"It was a breakthrough for me," he told the
Daily Star. "I have been fighting for a couple of years to try and be a regular and show the manager and the fans what I am capable of.
"To hear the Kop sing my name gives me a lot of confidence and my family as well. It is something that I have dreamed of and hopefully it will get sung again.
"As the game goes on, you sort of hear it and that gives you a boost to try and do something else to make them sing it even louder."
Debut
Spearing made his Anfield debut against European heavyweights Real Madrid in March 2009 as a substitute for Steven Gerrard, with the Reds romping to a 4-0 victory on the night.
It was one of many memorable nights in Anfield's history, but Spearing admits he takes greater satisfaction from establishing himself as a first team regular.
He said: "Against Real Madrid, it was because a young lad had come on. I smashed Rafael van der Vaart and it was like, 'Yes, come on'. It was more of a 'Well done'.
"But, touch wood, last Sunday was more a case of seeing me as a big part of the team."
Despite standing just 5ft 6inches, the combative midfielder insists his height has never been a concern to him, such has been his confidence in his ability.
"I have always believed if I'm good enough, I will play and I have never been the tallest," he said.
"It's something I've never worried about. I knew I could read the game and play. I thought if I was good enough, they wouldn't get near enough to cause me problems.
"[Andres] Iniesta, Xavi and Paul Scholes have shown size does not matter if you can play the game."
