Birmingham Sign Heskey

[evertonfan]

Heskey can hold up the ball better than Beattie, who is not a god at all - he's average at best.  Heskey creates goals as well, so the whole 'so and so has scored more' argument is redundent.

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According to ESPN "Soccer" site, both Beattie and Heskey have been credited with 6 assists this season, making the idea that Heskey creates more goals than Beatie redundant. And, even if Beattie had created less goals for others, he's a striker, not a midfielder, it's not his job to create goals, it's his job to score them, which he has done more often than Heskey.

That Beattie has scored more either says more about him, or it says a lot about Liverpool.

Edited May 18, 2004 by evertonfan

[TMM]

The biggest problem with Heskey is, when he plays well he plays very well. It's been said time and time again; Heskey relies on people telling him he's good.

If people don't show confidence in him, he plays crap. I think Heskey isn't to bad of a player, but he needs to learn how to use his feet and stay on them

[TheArsenal]

Ok, form was a poor word to choose.

Gotta go with the player who has done his job the best this season.

Happy?

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Still, If Heskey has scored 12 in 6 games and a Beattie has scored 17 in 40 games then Heskey has done a far better job!! He's on hotter form!!

Scoring 2 goals a game is better than scored less than one every two. I would say using my stats that Heskey has done a better job, although they are not the true stats.

And, even if Beattie had created less goals for others, he's a striker, not a midfielder, it's not his job to create goals, it's his job to score them, which he has done more often than Heskey.

Tell that to Thierry Henry. Last season he had more assists in the Premiership than most strikers had goals.

Edited May 18, 2004 by TheArsenal

[G-O-D]

Tell that to Thierry Henry. Last season he had more assists in the Premiership than most strikers had goals.

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You're comparing Henry with the likes of Beattie and Heskey?

Henry is totally in a league of his own.

And I think neither Heskey nor Beattie are good strikers. Comparing them is like picking the better apple out of 2 rotten apples. Has no purpose when you have better options available.

Neither Heskey nor Beattie should be called up for England judging by their performances this season. Defoe and Kevin Phillipes would be better choices, IMHO.

[TheArsenal]

You're comparing Henry with the likes of Beattie and Heskey? 

Henry is totally in a league of his own.

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A fair point. But I'm just illustrating that a striker can give assists as well as score.

[evertonfan]

And, even if Beattie had created less goals for others, he's a striker, not a midfielder, it's not his job to create goals, it's his job to score them, which he has done more often than Heskey.

Tell that to Thierry Henry. Last season he had more assists in the Premiership than most strikers had goals.

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He had the goals as well, the assists are a bonus to go along with the goals, which are his main objective.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. Being in better form over the last 6 games isn't that important when the tournament is 3 weeks away.

The fact is that no matter who might be in better form, Beattie has scored more goals over the whole of the season. Whats the point in playing well and helping win 6 games at the end of the season but playing badly and helping lose 32 in the previous 7 months?

[TheArsenal]

I think you are missing the point.

If Beattie has played more games than Heskey, it may have been Heskey who has been the better player.

It's the same if Bergkamp plays 30 games and scores 15 goals in the whole of this season, and Aliadiere scores 10 goals in 5 games all season long, then Aliadiere has done his job better.

[evertonfan]

I see your point, but I dont agree. By scoring more goals, Beattie has done his job better. If one of the reasons he played more games is because he was picked more, then that just backs up my point. He was playing well, so was picked, while Heskey wasn't playing well, or at least not as well as his teammates, and so wasn't picked.

If it was due to injuries, than surely it would be better to take a player who has a better injury record?

[Thomas]

I've not read any of the topic, but for the people doubting this signing, I would like to point you to the manager who signed him.

[Johnny Drama]

Yeah but Heskey has played more than 6 games, compare him to full season like you have Beattie.

[therockbox]

I see your point, but I dont agree.  By scoring more goals, Beattie has done his job better.  If one of the reasons he played more games is because he was picked more, then that just backs up my point.  He was playing well, so was picked, while Heskey wasn't playing well, or at least not as well as his teammates, and so wasn't picked.

If it was due to injuries, than surely it would be better to take a player who has a better injury record?

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But if Beattie has played more games, then he's had more opportunities to 'do his job well'. And at Southampton, there is no real competition for strikers, whereas at Liverpool there are 4 strikers competing for the place. Owen, Heskey, Baros and Pongolle.

But the fact still remains. Beattie would be just another ground player, leaving the likes of Beckham and Lampard, who are going to be the ones delivering crosses etc with no real purpose, as there will be no one to get on the end of them.

[G-O-D]

Blues chief Gold wants silverware

Birmingham chairman David Gold has targeted a piece of major silverware next season after the club broke their transfer record to sign Emile Heskey.

David Gold: Up for the Cup. (JohnWalton/Empics)

Blues paid £6.25million to Liverpool to recruit the 26-year-old England striker, eclipsing the £5.5million they paid last summer for David Dunn.

With manager Steve Bruce also expected to bring in more players of proven Premiership class, Gold believes the club are in a position to add to their one and only major trophy - a League Cup success in 1963.

Gold told Sky Sports News: 'What we believe we now have is a squad that can win the FA Cup, can win the League Cup.

'We have to aim at places like sixth or fifth [in the Premiership]. Whether fourth is attainable I'm not sure, but that has to be our target.'

The League Cup may not be glamorous enough to be taken seriously by the Premiership's big three but, as Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren will attest, it is a far easier route to the UEFA Cup than finishing fifth in the Premiership.

Millwall are also in Europe by virtue of reaching the FA Cup final, despite not facing a single Premiership opponent en route to Cardiff.

Gold believes this is the realistic route for City to go down, adding: 'You've got to accept we've only had two seasons in the Premiership - it will be our third year next year.

'Remember that the great clubs have been in the Premiership receiving huge sums of money, building their squads over a 12, 13-year period, so we've got lots of catching up to do.

'We are very enthusiastic, we are very ambitious but we just have to take care.

'There have been a lot of clubs who thought they could buy their way to the very top and we know what happened to Leeds in their attempt to do that.'

Bruce is now believed to be turning his attentions toward Leicester midfielder Muzzy Izzet, out of contract this summer, while Gold will be doing his utmost to keep his highly-rated manager as rumours persist that he may be a target of other clubs.

'You must expect that if he brings success to Birmingham City Football Club, you will attract predators and you have just got to live with that,' Gold added.

Heskey has expressed his delight at signing and forging a partnership with Mikael Forssell, who will spend another season on loan at St Andrews from Chelsea.

'I think Birmingham is a progressive and ambitious club and very much going in the right direction,' he said.

'But they are also building within a sensible framework without throwing money around and jeopardising the future of the club.

'I am keen to play as an out-and-out striker, which I have not done since my second season at Liverpool, and Steve has made it clear that is the role that he sees for me.

'I am also looking forward to linking up with Mikael Forssell. I have been very impressed with what I have seen of him and I think we can create an effective partnership.'

Source

IMO, Birmingham don't need Heskey to win the League Cup. They can win it with their current squad.

[evertonfan]

Just a quick point:

Baros-missed 5 months with a broken leg.

Owen-Various niggles through the season.

Pongolle-is 18, and only special 18 year olds like Rooney are regulars.

We obviously have different views as to what kind of player Beattie is. Whenever I've seen him, he's held the ball up, won things in the air, and made intelligent runs. Kind of like an all rounder, not excellent at one thing, but good at a few.

And, if England don't have a big striker, than surely it would be up to the players and coaches to adapt to that, and play along the ground, through the midfield, instead of hoofing it 5o yards like normal?

[Turbo Yannis]

Heh, I can just imagine it

"No pressure, Emile. But next season, we want trophies...AND LOTS OF THEM!!"

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Mwahahahahahahahahaha Heskey is a player who has never dev eloped or realised his potential. I personally don't rate him at all and feel Alan Smith would have done the same role in the England squad, only better.

I know he's not in to score (with 5 goals in 40 games just as well) but it places to much pressure on Owen, especially with Scholes not scoring in 25 games).

£6.2million is FAR too much for Heskey who will fail again at Birmingham. You can quote me on that.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Oh and I feel that the following strikers should be in front of Heskey for a place in the England squad:

Alan Smith

Michael Owen

Wayne Rooney

James Beattie

Jermain Defoe

Darius Vassell

Kevin Phillips

Chris Sutton

Need I say more?! What exactly DOES Sven see in him, still as he no longer plays with Owen for Liverpool maybe he won't get picked for England quite so often.

[Turbo Yannis]

Being Scottish, the England team didn't bother me too much, but I've got to agree with pretty much everyone you said. Not quite so rue about Vassell though. IMO, Defore could do a better job up front. And the Sweden game proved that, although they lost. He was making more opertunities and working harder that I've seen Vassell work pretty much ever.

[Summers]

Vassell works his ass off for England. He just doesn't perform for us at club level often enough. :\