by bigmick » Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:25 am
TGO, I think to suggest Heskey didn't do the buisness due to racist treatment is nonsense. He was at times a good player for Liverpool, he had some great games, I don't think many would deny that. The issue was the other games, the ones when he appeared not up for it. the ones where the slightest contact would see him writhing around, where his first touch was awful, his contribution non-existent. His finishing verged from the excellent to the awful but unfortunately, he missed a whole lot more than he scored. He seems like a lovely fella, his gesture to Leicester City revealed an honourable and caring man but ultimately he came up a little short on ability IMO, pure and simple. Probably Birmingham is about right for him. No disrespect to them but they don't realistically aspire to the hieghts that Liverpool do. Thats not to say he won't have a blinder when they play us, he probably will. On that day, their fans will probably say "fer f's sake, just think if he played like that every week. What a player he'd be", just like we used to. A result of racism? No a result of ability and application.
On the question of Owen, saying he caused a builder to commit suicide is a one-eyed representation of the facts as we know them and without wanting to get into a full on debate on the subject, is a bit lacking in taste. I'm no lover of the little ponce purely on a football/contract/loyalty level, but would leave my criticism there.
As far as Mista is concerned, on a free he would look like a good aquisition. Poaching takes skill and intelligence, qualities Rafa holds in high regard and Mista posesses both. A four year deal at 3.2 mill equals about 16 grand a week, and while thats a fortune to all of us, less than he would realistically expect to earn at a bigger club so its no surprise that he's keen to leave. As to the point about ranieri not playing him, well you wouldn't would you? There would seem little point in basing your attacking options on a player who is leaving in a couple of months and who would appear less than comitted to the cause. Makes perfect sense to me.
"se e in una bottigla ed e bianco, e latte".