After a glittering 20-year career, you have to ask whether Emile Heskey deserves all the crap he gets.
If you watch his latest games for the Newcastle Jets, you might think so, but in his earlier years he certainly held his own.
He has an amazing 63 caps for the England national team, with seven goals. He has played at two World Cups including South Africa in 2010.
He is the 19th top scorer in the EPL with 110 goals, one in front of Manchester United great Ryan Giggs.
In an astonishing 17 straight years, he showed everyone his amazing heading ability and brute strength, while also giving us glimpses of his pace and finishing ability.
He was excellent at holding the ball up and bringing others into the game. This was rewarded by receiving his first international cap in 1999, aged 21.
He was then transferred to Liverpool for a club-record 11 million pounds. He soon made a name for himself, scoring 17 goals in his first 48 games.
Competition at Liverpool soon got hard for Heskey as Milan Baros was favoured in the 2003/2004 season. At the end of that season he moved to Birmingham City, looking for more first-team action.
He started his Birmingham career strongly, scoring 10 goals in his first season but then the next season Birmingham got relegated and Heskey only managed to score four.
Wanting to stay up in the Premier League, Heskey then signed for Wigan Athletic for 5.5 million pounds, exciting Wigan fans for the new season.
On his 500th game in the EPL, Heskey scored his first goal for Wigan and continued this form to keep Wigan above relegation on goal difference, with Emile scoring eight goals.
He struggled in his next two seasons for the club, only scoring seven goals in two seasons. Struggling with injury, Heskey was soon on the outer at the club and left for Aston Villa in 2009.
At Villa, more injuries disrupted his playing time and he only scored nine goals in three years.
Unable to find an EPL club to play for at the age of 33, Heskey moved to Australia where he signed for Newcastle Jets as a marquee player.
After scoring 10 goals for the club in 42 games, I think that he can look at his time in Australia as a success.
Emile Heskey in his prime was a great player and doesn’t deserve much of the criticism that has come his way.
mahonjt
Guest
No he doesn't. He deserves respect for his achievements and for the contribution he makes and the person he is.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Sorry, pressed the enter button too soon. His wages relative to other strikers in Europe are also a red herring. There's a huge premium paid consistently in England for English players and has been like that for the longest time. Heskey would not have commanded anything like the wages or transfer fees if he had not been English. The likes of Kieron Dyer, Jermaine Jenas, Seth Johnson, Glenn Johnson, Shaun Wright Phillips, all prime examples of players that weren't nearly as good as their wages and transfer fees would suggest.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Reginald, I hear everything you're saying and there is more to forward play than scoring goals but Heskey is not particularly highly regarded in Europe and that's a fact. It's because he wasn't very good. Just the best of a poor crop of England forwards at that time.
Cooper
Roar Rookie
People only rip on him for how he is now, not what he used to be, which makes it somewhat deservable, who cares if he isn't a goal scoring striker, 1 goal in 20 odd games, I'd fancy my grandma more than that,
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
Every time I hear that name 'Emile Heskey' I feel like goin on a rampage To explain my hysteria, a few years back, coming up to Xmas, my beloved Aston Villa was 4th, 7 points clear of the Gooners and looking near certain of a Champions League spot. BUT We got there with a small squad that needed adding too with the gaffer at the time Martin O'Neil ( MON ) knowing this Key, was a natural goal scorer to ensure a top 4 place So, MON for some reason buys Heskey on the cheap, rather than getting a proven scorer and e have been on the slide ever since From perenial challenger for the top 4 to dangerous close to the bottom 3 now :(
Mister Football
Roar Guru
No mate, quite obviously, that is not me.
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
Heskey was one of the highest paid strikers in Europe and did very well in club football. He is in fact on the all time EPL Scorers Roll of Honour. The problem was his English managers who used him as a battering ram to intimidate defenders and hold up the ball so the others like Golden Bollocks could score.
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
Nah - just my observations. Indeed Good Sir, I can make no claims as to being an expert on racism. Mister Football you are making up some weird user names these days - gonad the ballbearing??? WTF.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Well put, good post, I agree.
gonad the ballbearing
Guest
Reg you say that as far as racism goes Emile has had a "pretty good run". How do you judge that? The only person who can say is the man himself. We as white people who have not experienced the daily grind of casual racism don't get to say what is or is not offensive. For instance this article discussing him through the prism of his race would offend me. It's like people defending Chris lily over his latest steaming pile. We've all heard lines like 'it's only a joke' or 'it's just the Australian sense of humor' or other such cringe worthy excuses. As for his good run Hesky has been copping it here and in England for a decade though how much of that is about race is questionable. I'm certain it's not none though.
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
Are there 2 different Adams posting here, you [adam] said in the article that "Emile Heskey in his prime was a great player and doesn’t deserve ... the criticism that has come his way" Or is the author another Adam? How can that be?
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
Heskey did very well in the league and is in fact on the all time EPL Scorers Roll of Honour. The problem was his English managers who used him as a battering ram to intimidate defenders, so the others could score. With Roy Hodgson still in charge it will be more of the same. No Tika Taka, no complicated tactics, just good old British courage mate.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
I also think it's amazing that it took him 63 caps to score 7 goals for England. Something about a cow's backside and a banjo? The comparison in goals with Ryan Giggs is entirely irrelevant. Giggs has played his entire career as a winger or now a central midfielder. Heskey an out and out centre forward. I do think for a while he provided a decent foil for Michael Owen circa the 2002 World Cup but I think he merely filled a void left after Alan Shearer retired from Internationals. He seems a nice enough guy but I don't think you'll find many people in Europe who rated his time particularly highly.
Adam
Guest
Any crap he gets for not scoring enough goals as a striker is totally deserved. Never really been aware of any other crap he receives
Bondy
Guest
I remember a time where England "three lions" where under massive scrutiny or pressure form their media and you know how they can be completely and utterly irrational, in saying that England played that poorly they couldn't have won a rigged chook raffle let alone a football match at times, but to me Heskey shone head and shoulders above supposed bigger named players in their National Team time and time again . I think also a better fit for Emile with domestic football in Australia could've or should've been with the Brisbane Roar, the Jets played a little to direct and I feel the local players where in awe of him and not giving the ball that frequently.
nordster
Guest
He's english of course he deserves it :) When your own countries players are the worst thing about your own countries league....well....
Reginald Bomber
Roar Guru
Not sure what "crap" you are talking about Adam. In my travels I've found Emile to be well liked and respected by just about everyone, except maybe extremist bigots and racists and the English Press. But the English Press will savage anyone in an England Jersey if they aren't winning, especially the centre forward. And as far as racism goes, I think he's had a pretty good run, compared to some of the other targets. I believe he's had a fantastic time in Australia, loves us and is keen to stay on in some capacity if he can. I know someone who's 2 boys play for a local Newcastle Junior Football Club and when the Jets visited for a clinic, Heskey was the most popular player and gave them lots of encouragement and signed the most autographs. Very popular and well respected.
Fadida
Guest
Actually, I'll temper the above by saying he made a fantastic contribution (financially) to his old club Leicester to keep them alive. I think it was Gerrard who said something along the lines of Heskey not having the self belief to play at the top level. He comes across as a lovely guy, but you could always tell when eve was struggling for form as he'd fall when shooting. This was still in evidence at the Jets, good lead up play but lacked the quality/belief when it counted.
Fadida
Guest
Nah, I disagree. An amazing 63 caps, and an amazing 7 goals. He made the "defensive forward" position all his own. His is a career characterised by falling over in front of goal. Lucky he is English as I can't see any of the other top leagues giving him a game