Written by John Monday, 07 September 2009 10:59
Much criticism has been levelled at Emile Heskey since his January move from Wigan Athletic and I find it hard to understand why, considering that Aston Villa paid a smaller transfer fee for him than they did for Marlon Harewood.
It seems odd that a player who cost more, played less and has scored less goals for the club leaves under the proclamations such as ‘always gives his all’ and ‘never given a chance’, while Heskey is vilified for his limited contribution since his transfer. So, why is Heskey a flop yet Harewood - who I watched at Colchester pre-season and was absolutely awful against league one opposition – suddenly a favourite?
Heskey as we know, started his career at Leicester under a certain Martin O’Neil and began scoring goals during the 95/96 season, his first came against Norwich. In his first full season under O’Neill, Heskey managed a haul of ten goals at the age of nineteen and a further ten the following season resulting in him being the subject of transfer speculation for a number of Premier League clubs, including Leeds and Spurs.
He stayed at Leicester and was openly criticised after only scoring six goals in the 98-99 season despite O’Neill’s efforts to point out that it was Hesky’s unselfish style of play that had helped form a productive partnership with veteran striker Tony Cottee, allowing the player to resurrect his top flight English career with a flurry of goals.
Ironically it was this season that earned Heskey a club record £11m move to title hopefuls Liverpool in March of 2000.
Only scoring three times in his first twelve appearances for Liverpool led to more criticism for Heskey and the media once again had their knives out for him despite rallying calls from those in the game such as Ian Rush, Michael Owen and Gerard Houllier.
This criticism was well and truly silenced as he scored 23 goals in all competitions during 2000/2001 winning the UEFA cup in the process.
Heskey boasts eight career titles including four league cups, an FA cup, UEFA cup, UEFA super cup and a charity shield. He has also appeared at several major championships with England.
After leaving Liverpool, Heskey managed to become Birmingham city’s player of the season in 2004/2005 scoring eleven goals and picking up the clubs highest number of man of the match awards. It was a performance he struggled to replicate as the club went down the following season and Heskey moved on to Wigan were his career was once again resurrected by Steve Bruce.
Every manager Emile Heskey has played under mentions that it is not his goals that make him valuable, but the space he creates for other players.
Capello has often mentioned that it is easier for Gerard and Rooney to play their way into a game when he is on the field. At the beginning of a tight game it can be considered valuable to have a solid influence up field to gain control of the ball in dangerous areas and create space for other players in between and behind the central defenders.
Once tiredness kicks in and more space is available it can be beneficial to introduce a smaller, quicker alternative in his place.
Personally I have a lot of respect for a player who has won trophies, international caps and gained praise from some of the most respected names in the game, yet had nothing but criticism and hatred form large sections of the media and ‘fans’ alike.
His story truly is one of triumph over adversity and he deserves more respect from people than he is given. It is a little known fact that his wife Chantelle was held at knife point last year while their house was burgled. He is a human being first and footballer second.
The part of Heskey’s game that comes in for most criticism is his goal scoring so I have worked out some averages.
At Leicester he scored a goal every 3.85 games, at Liverpool it was the exact same, at Birmingham every 4.8 games and almost the same at Wigan while at Villa he has scored twice, so an average of a goal every eight games.
Looking at this, it is foolhardy to expect more than ten goals a season from Heskey, although he has it in him to score more. It is his style of play that wins respect from those in the game and the way he plays is so often described as ‘unselfish’.
I can see the benefits of playing Heskey as a lone striker ahead of three attacking forward players in a midfield five and this is almost certainly why Martin O’Neill has signed him. It is competition for places up front and another dimension to the attacking options for less than the cost of Marlon Harewood.
Creating space for players with pace coming in from wide positions that we now have a wealth of I can see Heskey as a plus and a viable substitute for Carew given the big Norwegians injury record.
To conclude, Heskey is a good player if not a prolific scorer, who, despite the unwavering criticism he has endured throughout his career has continued to score and makes goals at the highest level and has not once moaned or whinged about any of it. I say give him a chance and see what he can do.
If nothing else he will be a positive mood in the dressing room and it is unfortunate that his signing coincided with our poor run last season. I feel this was less down to him and more down to the exit from Europe, the mood in the camp, the loss of Laursen and the spectre of Barry’s departure hanging over the squad.
Heskey will not grumble when he doesn’t play and will give 100% when he does. I’m not saying I am his biggest fan, but I am a fan of O’Neill and I am a fan of Aston Villa Football Club so I see it as pointless berating him when we should be getting behind him as a player. I know this may put me in the firing line, but this is my opinion and I wanted to get it across.
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John Samuels
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... First? hahaha - only kidding guys. Damien, thanks for publishing my second post. I gelt it was quite topical and may get some discussion going on a slow news day. God international football really bores me...is that wrong? |
Damian
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... no but it always gets like this which is kind of nice as then i can leave the computer every now and then and just not worry about anything. it's like a mini holiday for me |
Mark
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... Heskey seems to have a similar image problem to that of Peter Crouch, a sort of marmite thing! Personally I don't mind Heskey, I think he works hard. As a striker though, you are measured more on goals scored, his ratio at Villa is not that great so far. I could put up with 1 goal every 4/5 for his style of play of bringing others into the game - figures of 1 in 8 are not doing to him favours. I remember reading in his younger days at Liverpool he is a confidence player, to get the best out of him he needs to feel good, I hope he is getting that at Villa? |
Mostyn. G
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... Very well written post Damian. The key point for me is that he is a Villa player and should be cheered every time he plays for us - He did not join a settleed team last season, and we are still working out our best formation. Heskey delivers more when his confidence is high, so even more reason to get behind him. If the best players in England love playing with him in the team, why is this not good enough for us? |
Mike Carter
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... It's an interesting article but it's flawed fatally by the fact that Harewood isn't really a fan favourite. |
NickC
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... A very good piece. Harewood has just not produced the goods for Villa. Even though the "never been given a chance" comment is easy to say, when he has been, as an impact player, he's never really made any impact except Liverpool. Anyhow, I'm not Emiles' biggest fan but can acknowledge that he does bring alot to the team. If it weren't for the fact that we do not possess 2 very strong midfielders that can cope with a 4-4-2 formation, he'd probably get a better run at it but sadly, we need 5 across the moddle to show the defensive strength that other teams possess playing 4-4-2. Gareth Barry is a huge miss for us however many people thought good riddance. I spoke to a long time Man City fan the other day and he reckoned that by far anf away that Man City's biggest most influential signing to the team will be Gareth Barry. |
John Samuels
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... I believe if the team is confident and playing well Heskey is a player who may feed off that. MoN has played Carew and Heskey together, personally when we play 4-4-2 i'd like to see him try Heskey and Agbonlahor. Carew tends to have an eye for goal, but Heskey is less selfish and think Gabby could get a hatful playing alongside him. If he plays on wed watch him off the ball, it's quite interesting and you get an idea of what he's all about. I'd also like to see him tried in a 4-5-1 although he'd do well to get picked instead of Gabby at the mo. At the end of the day it's a long old season and i'm sure we'll see him play at some point. I fancy him to get ten goals this season in that team if he can get 30 appearances in all competitions, he could be one for the Carling or FA cup team. There is so much creativity in the side when we go forward and if the defence can gel quickly we are going to be a dangerous team again this year. |
Mike Carter
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... And now that I've had time to think about it, I'm afraid I can't agree at all. Nobody will ever change my mind about Heskey. I'm willing to get behind anybody in a Villa shirt and if Heskey plays, sure, I hope he does well. But that doesn't change the fact I think he's wasting valuable space and all he does is lessen our chance of winning. Heskey is not a good player. I can't count the number of times I've watched a game and thought "wow, Heskey played well today" on one hand and have at least 3 fingers left over. |
villan450years
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... A lot of 'fans', will always hold it against Emile Heskey, that he has a Birmingham City connection. Forwards such as Heskey are 'old-fashioned' in that they are throwbacks to the way the game was played in the past. If he was starting out in today's game, I believe Emile Heskey would be pointed in the direction of being a central defender. He has all of the attributes needed to be successful in that role. |
Max
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... Good post John. Heskey is not the most talented player and certainly not an out and out goal scorer, which I am sure MoN knows and did not buy him for his goal to game ratio. I think an issue for Heskey is that he is a different 'target man' to Carew and I am yet to be convinced the team have adapted to using Heskey in a different manner. I think another issue for Heskey is that all this hard work for the team goes a bit unnoticed when viewed on TV or watching the highlights, and even to some extent when you are watching live. But the mere fact that Capello rates him enough to start for England speaks for itself, especially so when he is not a regular at Villa. Another key issue as to why Villa may not see the best use of Heskey is that we do not have any players who currently use the space which he provides in a useful way, Ashley is a bit inconsistent at the moment, Milner needs to be a bit more ruthless but is looking like this might be his season to really make a mark on the PL and with Gabby you are never quite sure, that goal last week was awesome, but his control leading up to it was awful. I hope he does well for Villa and goes out in Style, as he really cannot go on for much longer. |
Mostyn. G
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... One Skin Wes said: ... Just Shite Please elaborate Wes or your post doesn't really count for much, unless of course you're one of the fickle fans then I can just ignore you?  |
John Samuels
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... Vivavilla, Point taken, I used to be a critic of him too, but as my understanding of the game increased I really have started to appreciate him as an option. He was winning loads of parise at Wigan and only scored to goals and I bergin to see why. It's difficult to explain, but imagine playing against him as a centre half and having Wayne Rooney sneaking around the back of you all the time. As for Harewood I was just surprised by the general feeling on the blog last week when he could have been off being so positive in his favour and then seeing the whipping Heskey took on here over the weekend. I respect your opinion and maybe he's just not your sort of player. Personally I think there are worse ways we could have spent the money. We could always have signed Alves or Kallinic for over £10m Richo, Cheers mate, at the end of the day we have a team that is still developing and as we try new formations and player combinations we are going to improve. Given that we were criticised for being predictable last season I think the more options you have the better. Do you think Delfouneso could be the player to benefit? He looks a very intelligent player to me. |
John Samuels
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... NickC I agree, without Barry its tough to play 4-4-2 which is where we'd probably see the benefit of him. I don't think we'll be playing that way unitl either Downing is fit or Delph comes on enough. Delph is the long term replacement, you can see because MoN has only played him in that formation so far. Problem is you have to be sure of yourself in a midfield two as one mistake can cost you. He will get there, but needs to bulk up a little and get to grips with the league. I think he'll be better than Barry as he is quicker and looks like he wants to get forward more. |
Mostyn. G
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... Richo, Agreed. Heskey is waiting for the midfield to burst ahead of him with his flick on's. He holds the ball well but there is not enough dynamism coming particularly from central midfield. Sidwell and Delph should be doing this with Ash and Milner coming from the wings. Barry is an old fashioned player and gets plaudits for it. He reads the game well and can deliver a pass. He has no pace, average tackler and doesn't score many goals. Defenders hate playing against him, and attacking players love playing with him. I hope he has a chance of proving his worth this season. |
Mostyn. G
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... JPA, Well done mate! I think Fonzie will be a true Villa legend in time. The signs look good. |
JohnnyMcleod
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... At the end of the day Heskey is neither useful or entertaining whereas Marlon is useless but has some comedy value, both are headless chickens and exactly what you'd expect when you pay another premier league club 5 million or less for a player (add Sidwell, Knight, and Routledge to the list). Despite his history Heskey would have been accepted by the fans if he'd been any good, at the end of the day he's a centre forward who can't score, never gets in the box, falls over a lot, and runs with a limp. I couldn't give a shit how good MON and Crapello think he is, I've been priveliged to see some great cente forwards in my time (Hateley, Leonard, Gray, Rideout, Withe, and Atkinson) and I know that Emile the clown is not fit to lick their boots, he's a bloody nightmare who should be given away for nothing in January. |
John Samuels
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...I couldn't give a shit how good MON and Crapello think he is obviously. They blatently don't know s**t about football. I wonder if we could coax Withe out of retirement with a custard cream and a new pair of slippers. |
Max
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... I am not sure the Fons will get a chance this season, with going out of Europe and me being a pessimistic git regarding domestic cups, if Heskey, Gabby and Carew remain free from injury then when would MoN use him? I hope I am wrong and he gets a chance as he certainly has potential. That left footed shot against MSK Zilina was just pure awesome. Although I would never doubt the manager, as he clearly knows the players better than us seeing them in training etc... I am quite concerned about Gabby, his touch and dribbling just hasn't developed at all in the last season, maybe being a bit harsh given his age, but I have my doubts. |
John Samuels
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... Mostyn, I agree, playing with Gerard, Lampard, Rooney, Barry and any number of right sided players is obviously going to mean that Heskey isn't gonna be needed to score so many and you can play him purely to hole play and create space. I suppose you can afford a luxury like this with so much quality in the side. Villa have quality in midfield but we are yet to see the benfits of Heskey I feel. At the end of the day if someone said would you like Emile Heskey or Marlon Harewood on your bench and they're gonna cost you less than £4m I would be takingHeskey every time. I also don't understand why people are so bothered when he is obviously not our first choice. He is picked for games when he suits the opposition. |
Max
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... Mostyn. G, I also hope Delph develops this way and not forced to sit deep and act as a semi-defensive midfielder which I am convinced MoN is forcing Sidwell to be. |
Max
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... Actually thinking about it, I remember chuckling as Sidwell came into the box trying to head the ball against Fulham, so maybe is given some license to roam forward. |
John Samuels
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... Richo, We all know MoN if he plays well he'll get in. I love the fact that if you are playing better then you start. if you don't start all you know is you have to work harder. He'll get his chance in the cups I fancy. |
paul mclafferty
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... i think i am the same as many if not all villa fans when i say i would love heskey to be a success at villa, because it can only be good for the club. but like many villa fans i know it aint going to happen because whether or not he is rated by us he doesnt score enough goals for a team who relies on the strikers to score. |
John Samuels
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... Richo, In a midfield five Sidwell is obviously the one licensed to get forward, he missed several golden opportunities against Fulham which is why I fancy either Downing or Delph will play their way in ahead of him. He could have had a hat-trick in that game. |
John Samuels
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... holteendpaul, i see what you mean, although i think he is there precisely for that reason. If Heskey can do what he does best on a regular basis I can see a lot more goals coming from our midfield this season and us not having to rely on Carew and Gabby so much. Ashley scores quite a few and believe he could start pushing for 15/20 a season if he can find the space. Playing a more attacking CM and allowing Heskey to bully CB's could well mean it's harder for teams to double up on him this year. |
villaparkes
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... I think the fact that MON was after Downing in Jan as well as Heskey is a pointer to what he is at the Villa for. 4 2 3 1 with Heskey ( or Carew / Gabby ) up front with a 3 of Milner, Downing, Ash will be effective as Heskey's ability to hold play with such a mobile attacking 3 makes me quite excited. That 3 will also feature a lot for England in the near future. |
Mostyn. G
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... JPA, I think that's true of all our strikers. Personally I don't like Gabby playing up front on his own as we are not technically good enough at the moment to use his strengths. ie - the long ball played too frequently. At least if you have a target man they can sometimes create something from nothing - which is what Heskey's good at and doesn't always get the recognition. |
paul mclafferty
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... mostyn... i think our best football AND results have come when gabby has been the lone striker |
John Samuels
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... I simply believe he is a step up from Harewood just like Collins is a step up from Knight. The team is slowly improving all over the place and I also believe when Downing is fit we will be playing 4-2-3-1 just like Mostyn said. I've been harping on about thet formation for a while now. |
adam
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... I can see MON having the opposite effect on Emules international career than he has on the likes of Barry, Ash and milner. I cant see him playing much this season hence Capello not playing him. He just doesnt perform for us IMO. |
Faccundo
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... Heskey was bought in as a replacement for Carew when Lerner gave MON a 4m budget constraint in the last January window. The move failed abysmally, driving us from 3rd to 6th, as his lacksadaisical performaces left us goaless and bereft of options other than the punt up front and head on from the donkey. He lacks touch vision or pace and frequently falls back to midfield to try and gain possession, but cannot dribble, gets in everyone's way and causes turnovers. These problems were compounded by MON playing with the formation to try and accomodate Heskey. Nothing speaks more loudly than his strike ratio - or lack thereof. A horrible horrible player who may prove adequate at league 1 level for Norwich - hope I never have the misfortune of seeing him in a claret and blue shirt again. |
Faccundo
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... BTW Neill has gone to Athletico Madrid. We again missed out on a good player who is far better than Dunne Dunne has the premier league record for red cards and will cost us dearly this year. Dunne was bought on a budget as a replacement for Laursen - remind you of anyone?? Dunne - the new Heskey |
JohnnyMcleod
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... To JPA You've obviously been watching The Villa very closely over the last 9 months, your clever suggestion of playing Heskey and Gabby together has really paid dividens so far, or weren't you at Man City or Boro or the countless home games where they did impersonations of Laurel and Hardy. Witty comment about Peter Withe as well by the way ! To Mostyn G Yeah you're right about me and the England/Villa jobs, I got found out in my playing days, hit a forward pass 30 yards along the ground that went to one of ours, never picked me again, I believe Craig Gardner suffers with the same affliction !!! |
Rattus NorVillicus
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...JohnnyMcleod said: Well Written ! You leave nothing for me to add. |
Cian Donaghy
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... harewood is not up to it, so he doesnt play heskey is not up to it, but does play how, as a villa fan (and presumably have watched the odd game) don't you get that john? |
Dave J
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... Faccundo - despite this being a post about Heskey you also managed to get a dig in against RL and Dunne as well. So dull, so predictable. P.S Lucas Neil?! |
Mostyn. G
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... Johnny, Do you think we have players as good as you or Gerrard that can pick out a pass? At the moment we need to stick to our strengths, which is primarily the long ball. I'm hoping Delph will be our new playmaker which would make better use of a small striker. |
Keith
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... Faccundo You talk some crap some times, well most of the time actually. Show us proof Lerner gave MON a £4m budget constraint in the January transfer window, and then explain how MON was able to make a bid for Downing if that was the case. Also, your comment about Lucas Neill is even more stupid. We needed to sign CBs. Neill is not a better CB than Dunne. He isn't a CB. He is a full back. We already have 5 of those, excluding youth players such as Lichaj. How can you possibly say Neill would be a better signing than Dunne. Rocksteady & ak_27 please note my defence of that lump |
Steve Badger
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...Heskey was bought in as a replacement for Carew when Lerner gave MON a 4m budget constraint in the last January window. Where does this rubbish come from? MON is on record as saying he tried to get Downing in the January window. Hardly a sign of a manager under the sort of constraint you suggest. Please stop fabricating things purely because you don't like Lerner. As for Heskey, well I'm one of his biggest critics and yes I've been extremely harsh in some of the names I've called him. But when you're talking footy, you don't always go into deep analysis mode do you? Well I don't and shite is just a good way of summing him up in a word. Anyway, it's true, because he has been for the Villa. I've said that he doesn't suit our system or he's not being played correctly and it's been alluded to in this thread. For someone like Heskey (and yes he is good at getting that knock on) you need players around him. Seeing as we're a one trick pony, in that the long ball will go up, with Ash and Jimmy advancing up the wings, where's the attacking mid who's going to feed off him? There isn't one. He plays far too deep for me to be playing a target man and carries no scoring threat whatsoever. So then you have to see him as that attacking midfielder, but he lacks any creativity or technical skill so it's pointless there too. Put it this way. Who will score more goals this season, Heskey or Arshavin? I know where my money would go. 600 games, 138 goals, simple as that. As for the comment about previous strikers, spot on mate. As much as Emile is a nice bloke, as an out and out goalscorer, he isn't fit lick Andy Gray's boots. How many goals would he have scored with this sort of service? Harsh? Maybe, but true. Of course, I'll happily be proved wrong. |
paul mclafferty
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... neill would never have played for another premier team as he is a money grabbing git and would have been subjest to 50% tax on his salary as he has worked here for x amount of years, so chose to go and chase the money again, which he did when he snubbed liverpool for west ham. |
Car Frost
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... I think he is the scapegoat for us not finishing top 4 last year and whilst he contributed I think it's harsh to single him out. Not to say that he's not sh*te, maybe one of the most over rated Englishmen of my generation along with Ferdinand & Fat Frank ( on the big stage) He's gonna struggle to turn it around, time isn't on his side, there's more pace in the English game than ever before and foreign defenders just seem to get better in the air all the time, all bad news for our Emule. |
Faccundo
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... keefvilla Where did Neill play in World Cup 2006? Oh that's right CB. You don't half speak some crap Australia played Japan, Croatia, Brazil and Italy, conceding 6 goals and apart from the penalty Neil conceded (which was a dive from Fabio Grosso in R16) he did an outstanding job at CB and was one of their players of the tournament. But I guess man marking the likes of Robinho, Modric, Nakata and Toni is nothing compared to the Dunny Monster plying his trade against Zaki, Jones and Koumas - get a clue. Get a world vision of football - not some antiquated England centric one BTW with all due respect, he was signed by Athletico Madrid who regularly play Champions League so I hazard to say he would be better than Dunne and Collins |
John Samuels
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... Johnnymcleod of the clan mcleod, You've obviously been watching The Villa very closely over the last 9 months, your clever suggestion of playing Heskey and Gabby together has really paid dividens so far, or weren't you at Man City or Boro or the countless home games where they Wasn't so much of a dig at Withe as it was a dig at you. Accepting that Withe is a better player than Heskey would you not accept that we were a better team then and were able to bring on and attract better players? Heskey cost £3.5m which is nothing these days and is probably going to retire in less than three years. He is a stop gap bought as back up for Carew and has experience playing in a formation that O'Neill clearly has his eye on. As for last season I have already stated above that I believe our poor run of form was more about the team than it was about Heskey. Coming into that side just as our season fell apart was unfortunate. I do not believe you can blame everything that happened on one player. If anything Heskey's experience of winning the odd trophy may translate positively in the dressing room. I don't expect him to play much, I merely feel that a large portion of the criticism is something he has dealt with his whole career undeservedly. The same way Andy Cole was trashed for so long after his move to Man Utd. I believe he went on to lift the European cup. |
peter haworth
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... Good post.It is fact that England win more games and score more goals when Heskey plays.When he plays as a lone striker he pushes defenders back creating more space for attacking midfielders who can score ie. Rooney,Gerrard and Lampard.Unfortunately,Villa do not possess midfield players of that quality.If Rooney and Capello rate him so highly I think we as Villa fans should support him and hopefully over a long season he will prove a valuable asset.It must hurt players to read some of the comments posted and I imagine no good for their confidence.Lets get behind our players and not keeping slagging them off,constructive criticism OK. |
John Samuels
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... Frosty I agree, are we gonna get an international CF anywhere else for the same money? I don't think so. He needs to up his game to stay in the team which I think he'll struggle to do. I just don't like witch huntin g and wanted to shout the corner of a player I respect if nothing else. Matbe one day we'll be able to go and splash £23m on a player like Torres who'll actually want to play for us. Until then I think we'll have to settle for injury prone and ageing internationals, bargains and promising kids. |
paul mclafferty
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... does any of the older fans think if you combine john barhes with heskey then we could have a good all round player. as john barnes was fantastic at club level and then wnet on to get 79 caps on the back of scoring one goal against brazil, where on the other hand heskey does well for england but is shit for the villa.  |
Faccundo
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... all those who are saying 6th this year then kick on - where will w be when Barca, ManU, Chelsea or Real come in for Ashley Young at the end of this season? That's right back to square 1 AMBITION OR BUST - LERNER OUT |
David Ingram
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... Wigan fan here, Heskey will give 100% for the side all the time every game and you notice him in the big games, doesn't score many goals but his work rate bring others into play who do score. I personally would have Heskey back at Wigan in a flash, but yet some of my mates despised him, but i asked them who would you rather have Heskey or Mido. Count your lucky stars you didn't sign him from Boro. |
Keith
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... Faccundo Neill is not a better CB than we have. He plays RB more than any position and we have enough cover there. He is unwanted by every premier league club, even though he was available on a free, why is this? Lets see how many times he plays CB for Madrid. |
robb david
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... I cant understand why anyone would pick heskey infront of carew. I dont know why anyone would pick heskey. He couldnt hit a barn door from four feet, and his head must be shaped like a 50p the amount of times the ball just bounces off his head in a random direction. He is not a good ball player, and to add to his lack of technical ability when he plays for villa we always start playing route one lump it up to hesky football, where he proceeds to win every header, by putting the ball out for an opposition throw in. He may open up space for other players but villa dont have a good enough team where one players soul responsability io to open up space, we need people who can play the ball, pass and move, Heskey is not that player. For me Carew and gabby are way out infront. |
Faccundo
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... keefvilla He not unwanted by Premier League clubs - he was offered a contract extension by West Ham and was their club captain. Wrong again He's gone to play Champions League for more money than he could receive in England - much as our own former captain Gareth Barry went to another club for more money for his stated aim of having a greater chance of playing Champions League. At least Neill could actually log onto UEFA.com and see that los Colchoneros had qualified. Glad you've now belatedly conceded he played CB against superior opposition at World Cup 2006 to greater effect than any of our CBs. Myopia is a great disease ain't it - allowing you to ignore facts and all that... Better than Collins and Dunne, available on a free (not 6m + 56k/wk). Another mistake due to Lerner being tight. |
Keith
said:
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... Faccundo He was offered a 1 year deal at West Ham on less money. Who else in Premier League offered him a deal? Nobody. Why? Because he is not as good as you seem to think. Everton needed a CB this season, so did Man City. Why weren't they interested? BECAUSE HE IS NOT VERY GOOD AND HE IS MORE TROUBLE THAN HE IS WORTH. Nothing to do with Lerner being tight, everything to do with MON not wanting to sign him. Lets see how many games he gets at Madrid, and how many at CB. He has been bought as cover as Madrid have plenty of CBs at the club. |
Tim Hillman
said:
 |
... Heskey has played for 5 different England Managers. He has 55 England Caps and has always been applauded by the other players on an international level. How people think Heskey is a useless donkey when at least 10 managers have picked him and played him as one of their front line strikers baffles me. England Managers :- Glenn Hoddle, (was picked by Hoddle, in the squad but got injured) Kevin Keegan (9 caps) Howard WIlkinson (1 Cap) Peter Taylor (1 Cap) Sven (32 Caps) Steve Mclaren (2 Caps) Capello (10 Caps) Club Managers Marton O'neil Gerrard Houllier Steve Bruce I know most of us on here think we could do a better job than most managers, but come on 10 managers can't all be wrong. Next time you watch a match with Heskey playing, watch how much work he does and how good his hold up play is. I am not saying I think he should start for the Villa, as I think Carew is more of a goal threat, but I think Heskey is made a big scape goat for our dip in form last year where a lot of the time is was more dfensive frailties and formation that were our downfall. |
Car Frost
said:
|
... Juan Pablo .. speaking sense as always, I agree we need the best of the bargains and have got some right in the past, i guess it was just never meant to be for Heskey. Faccundo - speaking crap as always I see, you can't judge a defenders qualities by how many / few his team concede thats cray talk. Zat Night could move to Man U and keep 14 clean sheets this year, would you call him a world class defender then because his TEAM conceded so few? |
Faccundo
said:
|
... So you now concede he was offered a contract by West Ham (despite your earlier denials of any English offers) and has played CB (you denied he'd played here) at a World Cup no less against Brazil and Italy. Seems your argument has fallen apart hasn't it? Did Cuellar, Drunk Dunne, Davies or Clown Collins play at CB at the last World Cup? Let alone against Italy or Brazil? Sorry to burst your bubble but Athletico Madrid are far stronger than Everton or Man City. You suggesting them in the same breath as los Colchoneros shows just how lost you are. Aguero, European golden boot winner Forlan, Reyes, Jurado, Rodriguey, Assuncao. You further highlight your ignorance. Neither of the English clubs are playing Champions League. Athletico are. End of. You look the muppet now don't you? You've conceded your whole argument is without factual basis and base your simplistic knowledge of football without even seeing La Liga or the World Cup. Off you go now - only serious replies from knowledgable people thanks |
Faccundo
said:
|
... frosty so tell me, who was carrying Lucas Neill at CB for Australia at the last World Cup? |
John Samuels
said:
|
... Frosty, Cheers fella, Faccundo - speaking crap as always I see almost fell off my chair laughing. reminds of the whole david may thing. That guy has a serious medal collection and played how many games? |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... CSM, You make a good point and I would in no way disagree. It's just that I don't see that he adds anything to our team. Fwiw, I thought he was great at Leicester and thought he would be an excellent signing for Liverpool. Indeed for one season, he was. Whatever, I think it's somewhat academic, because he'll be seen as our third option hopefully and I agree with the above posters who have said that's not a bad position for the club. |
Tim Hodgetts
said:
 |
... I despair reading this site at times, I really do. Paul Rideout and Dalian Atkinson were great players??? I bet you weren't saying that at the time. What about David Geddes, Didier Six, Ian Ormondroyd - all greats as well? As I've said before if you want to play 4 5 1 you need a centre forward that can hold the ball up front and allow the midfielders to get past him and into attacking positions. This is what Heskey does well and it is why he keeps getting picked by Capello. Carew can do this too and I agree is more of a goal scorer but is more injury prone and less mobile. Surely you have noticed that when we play Gabby in a 4 5 1 we basically have to play on the break all the time. We find it difficult to retain possession because he has not yet developed the same ability to hold the ball up. It works well away from home with Gabby as the 1 up front but less well at home. To anyone with half a brain it should be obvious that Heskey gives the team other options and is well worth persevering with in the squad. |
John Samuels
said:
|
... CSM, Exactly my point, the guy obviously has some merits. I think if he plays this year it's going to be a mixed bag, it could be the making of some of our midfielders if we solidify at the back and Heskey can put a few decent performances in. Imo he's only got to win us tem points we might not have otherwise got and he's worth it. Only hope we have the midfield to afford to be able to play him. 4-5-1 with Gabby/Carew does look like the safest option at the mo. I hope he takes Gabby to one side during training and teaches him everything he knows. Imagine if Gabby learned to do what Heskay does but scores goals as well. That'd be a dangerous player. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...reminds of the whole david may thing. That guy has a serious medal collection and played how many games?  That's a great point. |
Tim Hillman
said:
|
... Badger - I agree he isn't our first pick up front but I still think he has something to offer, for him to come on for the last 15 minutes if we were 1-0 up looking to hold out for the win. |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Yeah would be a great point Badger you nufti is somebody could answer who was carrying Lucas Neill at CB for Australia at the last World Cup? |
Murray
said:
 |
... Faccundo - i doubt very much Chelsea will be coming in for Ashley young at the end of this season (due to their transfer ban) and fingers crossed, neither will Man U! |
Tim Hillman
said:
|
... Faccundo, You talk up Lucas Neil saying he played against Brazil and Italy for Australia in the Last wrold Cup. Correct me if I am wrong but didn't Australia lose both of those games. In fact if memory serves me correct didin't Neil give away a last minute penalty to allow Tottiu to score the Winner for Italy to knock Australia out. Bet the fans were thinking what a good CB he was then!!!! |
One Skin Wes
said:
 |
... Mostyn. G Emile Heskey is 'Just Shite' for the following reasons: 1) He is an ex blues player! Therefore.....SHITE! 2) His goal scoring to games ratio is shocking and always has been. 1 goal per 8 games for England, not sure on the Villa stats but im pretty sure they are worse. Thats not good for a centre forward! Therefore SHITE! 3) When he plays he promotes the long ball style of football, which is something none of us want to see at Villa Park. Therefore SHITE! |
Car Frost
said:
|
... Faccundo Craig Moore - without his penalty they wouldn't have got to the second round then where would you get your stats from? |
Murray
said:
|
... Going back to topic though, I really don't rate Heskey.. I believe a striker should be judged on the goals he scores and he just doesn't score enough. I don't care what he has done for other clubs or for England, its about what he has done for the Villa that matters and at this point its not exactly a lot. Saying that, if he scores this weekend against the scum then we'll all be calling him a hero! |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...Yeah would be a great point Badger you nufti Grow up. I was commenting on the David may thing, not your stupid little argument. I don't care a toss about Neil. Fwiw, I thought he was nothing special. Just a greedy t**t, imo. |
Faccundo
said:
|
... CSM Your memory fails you. Grosso dived, there was no contact and Italy won a fake penalty - standard for them. If that's the best counter you can come up with your favourite player must be Edourdo |
Faccundo
said:
|
... frosty Moore was serviceable at that World Cup - but had his own drinking problems which undermined his pace as shown by his being sidelined at Rangers and firing from Barrousia Muchenblagbach My stats are from my memory - I watch a lot of football |
John Samuels
said:
|
... CSM, I like your thinking, you could just chuck Heskey up on his own and pull Gabby into a wide position and hold out for the win. Too many times last season we through away leads cos we got penned in our own box or cought on the break because we gave the ball away further up the pitch. It's like having an extra CB on for set pieces aswell. Against Rapid I lost count of the time JC and Emo were lumping it out of the box from corners and freekicks. Faccundo, Lucas Neil is a t**t if thats the sort of money grabbing, second rate a***hole you want at our club then fine. I don't and I also don't really rate him now. He was good for a while but I think the cons outweigh the pro's. Good luck to him, but I can't see him doing much there apart from warming the bench or playing fullback. |
paul mclafferty
said:
|
... i do remember a game heskey played brilliantly at villa park for mon. it was for leicester city and he scored a hattrick against us, i hope to see him score another this season,this time wearing the claret and blue. |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Pablo Diablo Good point on Chelsea, but ManU's wingers in Nani and Valencia are not of Ashley Young's qualities. They may well put in for him Also there is a lot of speculation in recent editions of Deportes saying Barca will come in for him depending on his performance on the next World Cup Frankly I don't this Young will be as patient for Champions League football as some of the fans on this blog and the Barry situation will be replayed all over again As for where that leaves us as a club, that is my biggest fear |
Halfwit
said:
 |
... He is neither he is just down right rubbish John carew can do what he can do only carew can do it better and WILL get goals aswell heskey just jumps in the air headers the ball and hold it up amazing NOT Ii think even martin has noticed it now as he brought carew on in the last game instead of donkey heskey |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Fair enough JPA - but I think some fans delude themselves All footballers are money grubbing. In reality we support the colours How any thought Barry would do us over so badly before last summer's debacle after nigh on a decade? |
Halfwit
said:
|
... Anyway i was wondering if anyone new how Harry Forrester is getting on has anyone heard anything or seen him play recently Also do you think we may see him a couple of times this season ? He's got to be at least 17 now i would think which these days is not early to start playing in the first team |
Tim Hillman
said:
|
... Faccundo - My memory doesn't fail me then as it was penalty and Australia went out. I am sure if you check out the football archives the result will say 1-0 Itlay and that the penalty was given away from L. Neil. JPA I agree that Heskey does a lot defensive work on Corners and set peices. I like him as a player, he will never score enough goals for most fans but you know he will give 100% in the games he does play in. |
Faccundo
said:
|
... CSM - I'm not denying that a penalty was awarded, I am denying that the penalty was legitimate. The point that you've left unadressed, and that remains, is that as it was an error by the referee rather than the player the incident cannot be used to undermine Neill's ability as a centre-back It would be the same as saying Butcher was at fault for Maradonna's hand of god, rather than el deus using his hand... |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
|
... As I've said before it's pointless using The Mule like he is actually a footballer. He's not. The best we could hope for from the man is to use him in the oposition box as a kind of human wrecking ball, barging into people and generally falling about. Of course for that to work we need the others like Sidwell to be in there taking advantage of the chaos. Just having the Mule lumbering around in midfield doesn't achieve anything. |
Tim Hillman
said:
|
... Fuccundo Ok the penalty was a ref mistake! How about the 2 Brazil goals? Anyway the point remains if you asked all Aston Villa fans who would they rather have playing CB I would say over 75% would prefer Dunne to Neil. Speaking of REf errors, did anyone see the Masters Final last night? The ref used Video evidence to award a penalty, controversial!! |
Murray
said:
|
... Faccundo - My point about Man U not going in for him was meant to refer to the fact that they are now being investigated for poaching a player from Le Havre. Crewe have also reported another un-named Prem team too.. fingers crossed thats another top 4 club. |
greg1982
said:
 |
... It’s surprising that so many of the people on the site who have been critical of the general negativity, have, in turn, been negative themselves about Heskey. I on the other hand, who am pretty down about where we are at the moment, think yes that Heskey isn’t who we need but think also that he’s in a no win position. England can make use of him as they give more support and a better midfield who can play off him and with him. We are all width and no central midfield so he’s isolated. Those who think we have a decent midfield are too long starved of what is good and what is bad. And our wide players don’t come inside. Wigan bulldozed through our core. So it’s a shame for Heskey as we don’t make the best of him. We don’t want to make it three in the middle with two wide players it’s just that collectively the five are only as good as the tops team who play with a 4. No central Sid or Merse = no creativity. This game isn’t complicated. |
John Samuels
said:
|
... Pablo Diablo, I agree that we'll struggle to keep hold of Young if he continues to improve. He has stated that he'd be willing to see out his contract which is admirable, but that doesn't really count for much these days. Our only hope is to crack the top four in the next season or two. If we come close this year given MoN has another season after this of his '5 year plan' then he may be able to persuade Young to see out the last two years of his contract. I reckon MoN will be trying to get him tosign another one soon, just so we can get a bit for him if he does decide to leave. Unfortuantely it's just the way football is. I remember a time when we had no players being courted by the top four so at least we've come on in that respect. He's here till next xummer tho at least so lets hope we make the most of it. |
John Samuels
said:
|
...The best we could hope for from the man is to use him in the oposition box as a kind of human wrecking ball, barging into people and generally falling about. I like this. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... Nice to know the kids are doing well too; http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/New...65,00.html |
Keith
said:
|
... Faccundo I think you are right, a t**t like Neill would be an excellent addition to the club you obviously support, playing just behind Bowyer and Ferguson. I would also point out that Mellberg played most of his last season at Villa as a RB and played a lot of matches for Sweden there as well. Does that make him a better RB than CB? Paulo Ferreira has won most of his international caps with Portugal playing at LB, he is right footed and plays RB. Or does the fact he was LB in the world cup and european championships mean he is a fantastic LB? I think it means that Portugal are short of good LBs and he can do a decent job there. Australia are short of good CBs and Neill can go a decent job there. Not what Villa needed at all. |
Holte End Hero
said:
 |
... Definatatly a villian. We payed more money for Harewood than Heskey because Harewood is a better player than Heskey. The only reason Heskey has scored more is because he has been given more of a chance by starting games even though we have much better strikers in Gabby Agbonlahor, John Carew, Nathan Delfouneso and Marlon Harewood. Harewood scored some important goals for us when he came of the bench but has started only a few games. Heskey has started more games despite doing absolutly sod all apart from falling over. Harewood is happy to run his heart out for villa whereas Heskey plods around the pitch unintrested wondering how on earth he is still a proffesional footballer never mind an England internation ahead of Jermaine Defoe. Despite how crap Heskey is people always defend his appauling goal to game ratio, which is embarasing to look at, by saying he sets up goals. Now, i have been to every home game that Heskey has played in and watched every away game on tv or the internet and have yet to see an example of Heskey's fine art of setting up goals that he supposidly posseses. The fact that Fabio Cappello would pick Heskey instead of Defoe, Owen, Agbonlahor, or even Peter Crouch is shocking. Heskey is awful at best. John Carew scores more than Heskey, Sets up more goals than Heskey, Falls over less than Heskey, is stronger than Heskey and an all round better footballer than Heskey, but Heskey still starts more than Carew. Heskey has always been crap and always will be, it doesn't matter how many times you start him MoN he will never be any good. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... greg, It’s surprising that so many of the people on the site who have been critical of the general negativity, have, in turn, been negative themselves about Heskey I don't think those two viewpoints are necessarily out of step with each other. Personally, I think having a downer on one player doesn't make the overall situation look bad. I see an improving squad, improving facilities, good young kids etc and things are mostly good. And at least it proves that I'm not 100% in agreement with MON, or as some people would say, a sheep? I think it's perfectly valid to try and look at the positives and negatives, but some posters over the last few weeks have gone on about the bad things constantly, never looking at the good side. These sort of posters needed countering, imo. Now we seem to have mostly sensible people, you may well see more talk of doubts from me, I don't know. Losing to the scum would have me moaning for a day or two no doubt  |
Greg Davillain
said:
 |
...After leaving Liverpool, Heskey managed to become Birmingham city’s player of the season in 2004/2005 scoring eleven goals and picking up the clubs highest number of man of the match awards i wish we could send him back there |
Super Villain
said:
 |
... Lets get it right, you dont play for England 50 plus times if you're a bad player and Emile Heskey is not a bad player. I'm not saying he's brilliant but what he is is a man who gives his all in every game and adds so much to our squad. So far this season Gabby, Brad and NRC have come in for critisism on here and all have gone on to have good games and have won people over, now it's time for Emile to do the same (well I can hope ) |
FatKevs
said:
 |
... JPA could you be any further up your own backside. " I used to be a critic of him too, but as my understanding of the game increased I really have started to appreciate him as an option" Do you now think you are a manager, why did one of the top teams not snap him up How you can be swayed by a few kind words Look what happend to us when he was introduced |
james
said:
 |
... first of all john, you say that heskey has scored more goals than harewood for the villa, this isn't true. second of all, a striker is judged soley on his goal scoring ability. yes, he works hard and puts in 110% effort and doesn't whinge when he's not playing but the fact is i'd rather he'd be a lazy moaning b#rstard and scored 15-20 a season. and harewood, yes, he is awful but at least he had his moments. superb equaliser against liverpool and that absolutely beauty against reading. putting in lots of effort and being commited to the cause isn't a good enought excuse for a poor goal scoring record. i read an article in the paper today that said defoe has scored more goals for england in 15mths than heskey has in 10 years!!!! i rest my case.... |
Adam Williams
said:
 |
... Super Villain said: Lets get it right, you dont play for England 50 plus times if you're a bad player and Emile Heskey is not a bad player. Thats correct emile heskey is not a bad player....he is truely and awful player!!!! should never be in a villa shirt with these performances |
Keith
said:
|
... Heskey is neither a hero or a villain. He will never be regarded as a Hitchens, Gray or Withe but he will never be hated player such as Hodge, Curcic or McMahon. He just isn't better than the two other strikers we have. Having said that, he scores the winner on Sunday and he may well become a cult hero like Cahill. |
stu
said:
 |
... i can see why o'neil likes heskey but for me we shudda got a 20 a goal striker rather than a space maker |
paul mclafferty
said:
|
... as i see it we keep comparing heskey to harewood why? its because neither of them should be playing for villa and we all know that, for where we want to be i dont think heskey or harewood are the players we need, why cant we sell the pair of them and bring in one decent player to play the role mon is looking for or give young fonz a chance and stick with carew and gabby as first choice. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... Celtic, Why? I disagree mate. At least it caused a bit of debate on a very quiet newsday. Just shows how Marmite Heskey is though, doesn't it? |
Andy Scarborough
said:
 |
... This is NOT the worst article to date. Just look at the debate it has sparked, that's how Damian rates articles. For the record; I try hard not to slag off Villa players too much in public, it's bad for morale amongst the club and supporters. Heskey is at the club for s purpose, one which he fulfills quite adequately. He is not a flair player, he is not a prolific goal scorer and he doesn't have electric pace. The Hare also came here for a purpose, he's paid his way with what few chances he's had and taken. We will not lose much money on him, if any. I reckon we will finish 3rd or 4th in the Prem this year. |
Cian Donaghy
said:
|
... marmite? the only person i know who loves him is mon he serves a purpose, but he's not great. where's the debate? not many people have said anything different from each other i just feel its a tired and laboured point |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...i just feel its a tired and laboured point Perhaps you're right. The positive side is hopefully we won't be talking about it that much this season. And it's kept me busy for a while |
James Clift
said:
 |
... Good article John. My view on it is the majority look at Heskey as a bad player for one reason - Harewood was bought to be as he is now, a squad player. Heskey on the other hand was bought last January when we we're challenging for the C.L as the player to cement that top 4. It went badly wrong and a lot of people rightly or wrongly blame the Heskey signing. For that reason I don't think he will ever be held in high regard down the Villa regardless of what he does. |
bringbackcolinwithers
said:
 |
... Johny Mcleod firstly , the thread should have been closed after your first post , it's bang on , he's a waste of good air and is holding Fonz back.....he's been tainted by the scum and that's that !!! secondly , are you Johny "stump" Mcleod , one of the finest players to grace Villa Park and one of the first players i can remember seeing down the place ? |
Greg Davillain
said:
|
... Its good you guys can defend heskey. You can dress him up anyway you want but for a villa player he is terrible, if e is good with rooney and gerrard hes no good for us because we dont have those type of players. If hes a supporting player in a good squad good luck to him. For every1 who says he creates space for teammates and holds the ball up well and try's 100% in every game, i ask you to tell me when he has donr it for villa. Im my eyes and its only my opinion hes terrible in the air, every header he wins hardly ever finds a player... ever. He's slow and cumbersome, terrible on the ball, how many assists has he got us in 9 months at the club, this seasoned professional, this great link up man? How many times has he cleverly held up the ball and waited for support to lay of lovely balls?? I cant think of one. So if this is his excuse that he doesnt score goals, that he contributes more to the team by bringing other players into teh game its a poor enough excuse because he doesnt do it well enough, plus he doesnt work as hard as people are making out. When we signed heskey and i was the laughing stock of every other fan, that this was our player to push us on i defended Heskey on the same excuses all his supporters have used on here. 'He wasnt brought in for goals'... 'he'l develope gabbys game'...'he's a great target man' blah blah lbah bullshit.... He hasnt done any of it, and its not a coincidence when signed him and changed a winning formation we completely deterioated. Agreed there were other factors but he was one of them, since we reverted to the old system we have started to win again, enough said. I think gabbys a great player, the kid is a modern striker but he needs to up his goal ratio this year. The Fonz in time will be great aswell, carew is a proper target man. Heskey is a useless brute and we are better when he is not in the starting 11, he is 31 and a seasoned pro, so for those to say he needs more time... ha how much time has he got left? he ended up at blues and wigan for a reason.... he had found his level. Its time for england and villa to realise this. Who would we rather have defoe or heskey? maybe these football managers arnt all there cracked up to be eh capello? |
Nick Gray
said:
 |
... Faccundo and Lerner sitting in a tree K.i.s.s.i.n.g. That's some real man love going on there. |
Matthew Clark
said:
 |
... The reason people like Harewood is because he won that newcastle game for us almost single handedly. Heskey on the other hand has never had an impact on anything, ever. Using the monandcapellopickhimsohemustbegood excuse is bs. MON rates petrov (hes only had one good season, shut up) sidwell, downing, heskey, COLLINS. Capello is also about as retarded. |
Greg
said:
|
... burp sound bud, mathew clark, He stuck with petrov and it worked out, but as he was unproven in the league and was 27 he had a good excuse to stick with him, plus he was unbelievable it celtic and the likes of di canio, viduka, larrson, van hooidonk proved celtic players can make it in the prem, sidwell has just about shown enough that he should be given a chance in 4-5-1, downing i hope and think will be class for us and collins is untested so far, so to insinuated oneill is a retard is a bit harsh, he is a good manager, but like all managers he does leave me confused at times, and sticking with heskey in a 4-4-2 for so long tested my resolve to the extreme. But he's not retared and bar heskey the players you mentioned i think should contribute greatly this season |
paul mclafferty
said:
|
... defoe will take heskeys place on wednesday and thus will be the start to the end of heskeys england career. |
jeremiah says
said:
 |
... I actually like Heskey. He hasn't scored much for us, but there has to be a reason why coaches like Capello love him. He gives space to the other player, and by and large, when he's playing (Maybe last year excepted) they score more goals. He works hard, doesn't score much, but gives his all for the team, which is good enough for me. |
Mostyn. G
said:
|
... Badger, I love your passion, but you're wrong about Heskey. MON bought him as a main striker.You will get him, soon!! |
Mostyn. G
said:
|
... Heskey is quality, anybody that actually plays proper footy on this site will know why. No more said!¬! |
John Jordan
said:
 |
... Vivavillan. Tree fingers left over!!!..Haven't you heard of "Mental Arithmatic" ???...Perhaps a nightschool course in maths may be a more benificial option,instead of wasting your valuable time on here giving your personal oppinions on Heskey! |
colm tarpey
said:
 |
... I think people don't realise how exceptionally gifted you have to be to be a run of the mill top flight footballer.... |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
|
... How does Heskey "create space for other players" ? In fact, he creates LESS space for other players because the other team don't need to bother marking or even tackling him when he's got the ball - he just falls over by himself anyway. |
John Samuels
said:
|
... Harewood is better than Heskey? Have you ever watched a game of football in your life? Harewood is terrible, he hasn't even got the ball winning habit of Heskey and finishes one chance in a hundred. I like the guy, but not good enough. Heskey was bought as a replacement for Harewood and back up for Carew. Not sure if anyone remembers but Carew was injured when Heskey started playing and I can understand MoN wanting to try and pick up more points and push for fourth by playing 4-4-2 which is why he bought Heskey. Gabby was tired, in fact the whole squad was tired and I'm fed up with people blaming our demise last season on him. It was a number of factors that led to this and maybe we shouldn't have bought anyone in january. Mon tried to sign Downing too in Jan apparently and I think with the two of them it would have been enough. Celtic Villa, thanks dude i'll have to keep writing controversial posts just to wind you up. Fatkevs, I think you are my favourite poster on here. JPA could you be any further up your own backside. I just watch and play a lot of football. Have you ever played or watched football Kev? I tend to listen to what managers say and then look for it on the pitch and if you watch Heskey, although he doesn't get many direct assists, look at the way defenders find it hard to pick up players around him and the way he gets in between CB's. He simply creates space to be exploited by intelligent footballers. He's finding his feet in the squad and could prove to be a useful addition. If he doesn't he won't play and at the end of the day it's only £3.5m. With Carew I admit i'd rather have him play, but how long before he has another virus or a hang nail or heaven forbid a recurrence of his back problem? What if Gabby gets tired or suspended. I hope he has a decent year as I can't see him playing much beyond this season and fully expect a more high profile replacement come in next summer, especially if we finish well. I may have my head up my own arse but at least my Villa shirt is a size Medium. |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
|
...Juan Pablo Angel said: It's a dead cert; and he'll start Sunday too in a 4-4-2. We can blog 'till we're blue in the face, but that is what will happen. |
Damian
said:
|
... Pancho Villan what makes you think it will be 442 on sunday after o'neill has started and finished the last two league games 451? |
Halfwit
said:
|
... If we ever sell carew before heskey then im sorry but our manager has lost the plot Cant stand heskey one bit im amazed as to what fabio and martin see in him carlton cole should get the nod i think he can do what heskey does but he can turn a player score goals and provide a bit of skill heskey cant do any of them but hold a ball up WOW not |
harbinder singh
said:
 |
... heskey is the worst striker i have seen at villa since i started watching villa in 1974. I think his rant about losing his world cup place and his link to oneill in his leicester days gives him favouritism over carew who must be sitting on the bench thinking this has now gone beyond a joke and i might aswell run my contract up and get out. please go heskey today. |
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