Heskey

[Knox_Harrington]

Pretty much agree with this.

 

On Second Thoughts: Emile Heskey

 

When it comes to judging English footballers, it's always sensible to err on the side of caution. After all, Premier League hype, and vast sacks of dough, have turned athletic but essentially ordinary footballers like Kieron Dyer into superstars. The problem with this is you get occasional Steve McManaman moments - like during Macca's star turn for the Real Madrid side of 1999-2000 - when you guiltily realise that, actually, Big Time Charlie X more than deserves every single plaudit.

 

This unexpectedly happened to me last season, when I watched a masterclass in pace, power, movement and intelligence. The giver of said class? Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey.

 

On the face of it, Heskey's career to date hasn't fulfilled its early promise. He threatened at Leicester but never scored more than 10 goals a season. He made an instant impact at Liverpool, hauling 22 goals in his first full season at Anfield, but over the next three years the belief and form of the club's then record signing ebbed away. Birmingham smashed their club record to sign him in 2004, and Heskey repaid their faith by not scoring the goals that could have kept them up. He's fallen out of the England side, and at Wigan Athletic risks dropping out of the Premier League.

 

Yet that record of decline doesn't tell you the half of it. At Leicester, Martin O'Neill claimed that Heskey, and his partnership with Tony Cottee, was the only thing keeping the Foxes in the top flight. Events proved him right. At Liverpool, Heskey linked up with Michael Owen to similar, prolific effect, bagging a remarkable cup treble in the process. And in his first season at Birmingham, Heskey was top scorer, Players' Player of the Season and Fans' Player of the Season.

 

Bluntly put, Emile Heskey is the Devon Malcolm of football, an unpredictable beast of a man sporadically able to tear up any opposition. Throughout his career, Heskey has put in some awesome performances. Leading Leicester to the first League Cup win. Demolishing then title challengers Leeds 4-0 at Elland Road in 2002. Earning a standing ovation for dragging England to barely deserved victory in Slovakia the same year. Provider and scorer in that Munich match, he justly captained England against Serbia and Montenegro in Leicester. When it really mattered for Wigan at Bramall Lane last season, it was Heskey's superhuman effort that bought the Latics back from the Championship brink.

 

But if Heskey is Devon Malcolm, none of his managers have been able to consistently bowl him the Fanie de Villiers bouncer. No matter how many times O'Neill, Houllier, Eriksson or Bruce told the world that he was brilliant, Emile never seemed to believe them. Frustrated old school master that he was, Houllier ended up playing Heskey on the left wing like he was on football detention. Presumably, Ged thought that Heskey was some kind of English lion whose tail needed to be periodically trod on. Instead, he totally undermined the big man's confidence. Birmingham and Bruce, a boss whose track record for demotivating perfectly good strikers is only rivalled by Neil Warnock's, was exactly the wrong place to run, too.

 

If your own manager doesn't believe in you, no one will, and Heskey's reticence also led to him becoming the favourite scapegoat of fans. Disgracefully, there was even a point where pundits started calling him the poor man's Michael Ricketts. That's Michael Ricketts of Oldham Athletic. This reached a nadir after Heskey's honest but hapless attempts to defend helped England to slump to defeat against France in their Euro 2004 opener.

 

Heskey took all the abuse on the chin. Fundamental niceness could be his problem. Physically, he resembles Didier Drogba; but whereas Drogba is brilliant, ruthless and cynical, Heskey often looks apologetic, bewildered and rather nonplussed.

 

For all that, I believe Heskey is badly missed by England. Without question Owen and Rooney are the only genuine world-class forwards England have, but even if they could stay fit, they're limitingly small. Moreover, with Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard or Aaron Lennon down the flanks, England tend to become narrow. There's a real need for a hard-working foil to run down the channels and create openings for poachers like Owen, Defoe, Bent, and Lita. Peter Crouch isn't mobile enough to do this, Dean Ashton's name has been suspiciously mentioned more since he got injured than when he actually played. In contrast, Heskey has proven ability here. Just as Lineker needed Beardsley, Raúl needed Morientes and, er, Steve Bull needed Andy Mutch, Heskey's pace and strength can't justly be discarded.

 

During its existence, the Premier League has thrown up a plethora of pretenders and one-season wonders. In contrast, Heskey has been erratically awesome for over ten years. He might not know where, when or why he's going to do something brilliant but he does at least have that ability. Heskey's a rarity, and it's about time he got some respect.

[Cobs]

Did Kev write that?

[SkippyjonJones]

nah - no mention of drinking.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

SIGN HESKEY

 

Seriously though, for once a decent article on him. Look at other players with similar career-scoring records:

 

Joof - 44 in 260 games 1 in 6

Anelka - 135 in 400 1 in 3

Smith - 68 in 324 1 in 4.75

 

Heskey - 131 in 546 1 in 4.16

 

All of the above are 'rated' by the press, yet only Anelka (whose scoring record isn't all that) averages better

[R A Softlad]

Well in Emile lad. Edited August 30, 2007 by R A Softlad

[John am Rhein]

bring him home Rafa!

[Earl Hafler]

It sums up the option of playing Smith or Heskey. Smith will never put in a performance Heskey is capable of.

 

Without Crouch or Rooney, Heskey is the man to play alongside Owen.

 

Alan Hansen would love it.

[Siang]

sign him again!!! sign him again!!! sign him again!!!

 

seriously, i watched the 00-01 season again, the big man was annihilating all central defenders then!!!

[Guest Snorky]

Good article, and extremely honest. But then again I've known what's been wrote for years.

[Stevie H]

when they were at leicester steve claridge said that they only player he could liken heskey to was george weah. could've been a contender, emile.

[deacon]

I am sure that I read on this site a while ago that when Rafa first arrived he watched loads of Liverpool matches from the previous seasons and was surprised that Heskey was sold as he could have been useful for the team.

[Cobs]

I am sure that I read on this site a while ago that when Rafa first arrived he watched loads of Liverpool matches from the previous seasons and was surprised that Heskey was sold as he could have been useful for the team.

Kev again.......

[Guest Snorky]

Kev again.......

 

Yep, I was told that Rafa was disappointed he was sold after watching videos of the previous season. A few months later he bumped into Balague at Gatwick Airport (I think) and he told him the same.

[Knox_Harrington]

I think Heskey had to go. Him and the support were finished after that miss against United. Harsh but there was no coming back from that. Still think he's (potentially) a cracking player and the sort, if we needed to come back, I'd happily see back.

[Stevie H]

needed anger management therapy. or possibly a hypnotist. either way, someone who could give him even 50% of drogba's attitude. far too nice a sort to ever really be a top player emile.

[deacon]

I'm not sure how well Heskey would have played under Rafa though. It would seem that big Emile played his best stuff when he had a manager that could put an arm round his shoulder to coax the best out of him. There was an article about Martin O'Neill recently and Tony Cottee said that O'Neill could be vicious to the players at times, and the only player to escape this was Heskey as it would have a negative effect.

 

Heskey's confidence would have wilted with Rafa barking instructions at him on the sidelines all match I reckon.

[Benitez]

well, most good managers are very vocal on the touchline, so if he can't cope with that then he really is screwed.

 

I think Rafa knows what sort of support a player wants, Momo for instance, is someone who apparently he does the 'arm around the shoulder' routine with.

 

But I really can't see Heskey as ever being a Rafa sort of player. I just think he's found his niche with mid table teams sadly for him.

[Cobs]

Yep, I was told that Rafa was disappointed he was sold after watching videos of the previous season. A few months later he bumped into Balague at Gatwick Airport (I think) and he told him the same.

and yet he's never gone to buy him back....

[McBain]

Some fabulous editing must have been done on those video clips

[Guest Snorky]

and yet he's never gone to buy him back....

 

Rafa went after strikers who he felt would offer more to the team obviously.

[Cobs]

Rafa went after strikers who he felt would offer more to the team obviously.

of which there are plenty possibilities

 

 

Heskey has scored at about a rate of 1 in 4 wherever he's been - that's not good enough to be at a top flight club

 

 

as has been said 1,000+ times before on here, he has the physical ability but not the mental ability to do it consistently enough.

 

I'm sure Rafa is acutely aware of this.

[Stevie H]

of which there are plenty possibilities

Heskey has scored at about a rate of 1 in 4 wherever he's been - that's not good enough to be at a top flight club

as has been said 1,000+ times before on here, he has the physical ability but not the mental ability to do it consistently enough.

 

I'm sure Rafa is acutely aware of this.

i think emile is too. and has been for several years.

[Gomez]

Yep, I was told that Rafa was disappointed he was sold after watching videos of the previous season. A few months later he bumped into Balague at Gatwick Airport (I think) and he told him the same.

 

and yet he's never gone to buy him back....

 

No doubt Heskey would have been useful in Rafa's first year, specially with Owen's late decision to leave us in the lurch.

 

No doubt he'd have been well gone by now though.

[Maldini]

The GH playing him on the left wing angle is overplayed too, he probably only played there 20 (at most 30) times in his career with us

[Earl Hafler]

" only ".