Goodbye Emile Heskey

Peter Gilbert 9.3.00

Some days are good, some are OK and others are not so good;I would have to rate this day as lower than any I can remember for a long time.

It's football you see, Leicester City and our home grown talent being snapped up from under our noses yet again. I remember this happening with Gary Lineker in the mid 1980's. He felt he had to go to Everton to further his career and anyway, the directors needed the money. Years later Gary admitted that it broke his heart when he left and he was virtually forced into it by money men. He never came back of course and it has to be said his career never looked back either. He went for a song as it turned out; about £0.75m. Chicken feed. They say history repeats itself.......and so it would appear.
A local lad made good moving on to better himself for chicken feed. £11m for Emile Heskey that's a ridiculous figure when you consider he's impossible to replace. You could travel the world over and you'd never find anyone to replace Emile Heskey. There is no-one who can dish out such damage to a defence and anyone who thinks this is 'good business' will quite quickly be forced to eat their words.

Actually I feel sorry for Emile himself who has been treated like so much horse flesh by his advisers for the last 12 months in the hope that they will be able to cash in on their commodity. In this case it would appear that his advisers are people who should know better and the exploitation of your 'own flesh and blood' is something that may or may not prey on their consciences in years to come.
Who knows what pressures the lad was put under.
So Emile in Liverpool. How will he get on living with a bunch of Irishmen who didn't have the imagination to realise that England didn't stop at The Mersey and who are so bigoted in their footballing opinions that they will hound their players mercilessly should they falter. Emile must realise very quickly that he will not be playing in front of a charitable home crowd who love him to bits and he'll find that he won't have his brother and Dad holding his hand on the pitch.

The media are saying 'It's good business' Leicester have cashed in on an asset before his contract expires. Well that's true in a sense and I don't blame Martin O'Neill for giving in eventually to pressure but it's not good business if he cannot be replaced and I defy anyone to find a replacement for less than £11m.
But it would appear his advisers were adamant after the League Cup triumph that 'their lad' should be going for a sign on fee.

Stan Collymore they say is his replacement. Can he be relied upon? Only time will tell. History has a terrible habit of repeating itself.
It is said we are interested in John Hartson for £6m. You must be joking, he's not fit to lick dog crap off Emile's boots. He's a fat donkey. A training ground brawler, a boozer(allegedly) who hasn't kicked a ball in anger for months.West Ham didn't want him; why should we?
It is said we're after Noel Whelan for £4m, but when you consider he can't get into Coventry's side.........why should we have him either.
Let's go abroad then.......think of a striker who can run at mind boggling speed and charge past 3 or 4 defenders and lay on a goal one minute and win every ball in the air the next and lay off and flick on with the sensitivity of a violin player........and it just goes on.
He's just .................my favourite player that's all........he plays for MY team he's from Leicestershire, he's the best in England and I will miss him terribly.

Goodbye Emile ........all the best to you. I hope you sleep easy in your bed at night with your 'shared' signing on fee and wages under your mattress. Watch your back, stay lucky. You were our dream ticket............but now the dream is over.

ps.....The only possible replacement would be another local lad made good....step up Stefan Oakes your time is now. Maybe we'll become a big enough club to hang on to you.