All the Heskey haters.....

This isnt the time to be cautious, its a case of you must win every game - there are no second chances.

Take a risk and play an attacking formation with players who have pace who are going to cause trouble to the oppositions defence.

Let's not let this get too heated folks:)

I was in the "Heskey played well vs the USA" camp but after giving it some thought, the above comment sums it up. If we are weak in defence (which we are), we simply need to score more goals, and this definately isn't a time to be cautious. We need to win the next two games and win them convincingly with lots of goals to top the group, and a striker who's best attribute is "nice assist" doesn't cut the mustard in my book.

Bring Barry on, play Gerard off Rooney and do better to maintain possession in midfield (especially with our pace on the wings), and we will maximise our chances imho.
 
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I agree that Heskey did his best - he's just not very good (imo). It's not his fault he got picked, but I don't think anyone's blaming him for the draw, just questioning the reasons for him being picked for the squad and picked for the team Saturday night...

I think managers pick him because they look at Prozone and see his work rate, but a striker who misses so many chances is a liabilty...

I too would like to see Rooney at 10 as I think that suits his game, then pair him with a pacy finisher like Defoe.

If Rooney is injured / knackered then Heskey could cover for him. Crouch gives us an extra option if things aren't going well or we need a change of tactics (ie we want to change to the "lump it up to the big man" tactic!)

I'd like to see J Cole on the left wing with Lennon on the right so both players can make things happen out there, they can both cut inside and attack, they can both cross.

Gerrard and Barry in the middle for balance, Dawson with Terry at the back, stick with the fullbacks, Hart in goal.

Can I have my £5 million now please? :D
 
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I'd like to see Rooney at 10.

I'd also like to see someone else in the side other than Heskey but the point I was making is that he got picked to play and did his best, which in this individual game, I thought was pretty good.

The references to the penalties etc was to put into context the stick he's got over the years when others have effectively got us knocked out and are still lorded over.

To be honest the real issue here for me is that Capello supposedly created a new era where players were picked on merit / injury risks were not tolerated / every place was hotly contested etc, etc,

In reality, now we are here, he's done what everyone else does which is stick with a known formula and go for experience. He's also brought two players of dubious fitness and several players who are already not playing well (admitedly they have been playing whereas Heskey hasn't).

Thing is all of this isn't Heskeys fault it's the managers. What's Heskey supposed to do? turn down his place?

If anyone want's to give Heskey grief it should be for injuring Rio Ferdinand.... not for being picked to play.... the clumsy rhinocerous :devil:

I still stand by my comments about Heskey although you do make a very good point. It is really Capelo's fault for picking and playing him. I also agree Heskey tries his little heart out.

I also agree with your point about the manager not picking players on form.

However the one point I disagree with you with and hail Heskey for is taking out Rio Ferdinand. He's not the player he once was, he's not in form, still struggling with injuries and would have been a huge liability at the back. So in all honesty I was pleased of his injury giving John Terry the chance to partner King, Dawson, Upson or Carragher. It also means we've only got one injury-prone defender in the squad, who was in excellent form and played more than Ferdinand did all last season anyway.
 
For those of you knocking Heskey, I realise that we all have our opinions, which is one of the great things about football, but none of us are football managers. You have to respect the fact that two of the most successful managers in the world have both regularly picked Heskey for the England starting XI.

This in itself must tell you that he brings something to the team that perhaps a less "football educated" eye is missing.

Personally, I'd play a 4-4-1-1 with Gerrard off Rooney, and I'm hoping that we will once Barry is fit, but I do think that Heskey does a job for the team, and in most cases, when he plays, he enables the other supposed better players to play well as well.
 
Personally, I'd play a 4-4-1-1 with Gerrard off Rooney, and I'm hoping that we will once Barry is fit, but I do think that Heskey does a job for the team, and in most cases, when he plays, he enables the other supposed better players to play well as well.

Agree completely :)
 
I agree that Heskey did his best - he's just not very good (imo). It's not his fault he got picked, but I don't think anyone's blaming him for the draw, just questioning the reasons for him being picked for the squad and picked for the team Saturday night...

I think managers pick him because they look at Prozone and see his work rate, but a striker who misses so many chances is a liabilty...

I too would like to see Rooney at 10 as I think that suits his game, then pair him with a pacy finisher like Defoe.

If Rooney is injured / knackered then Heskey could cover for him. Crouch gives us an extra option if things aren't going well or we need a change of tactics (ie we want to change to the "lump it up to the big man" tactic!)

I'd like to see J Cole on the left wing with Lennon on the right so both players can make things happen out there, they can both cut inside and attack, they can both cross.

Gerrard and Barry in the middle for balance, Dawson with Terry at the back, stick with the fullbacks, Hart in goal.

Can I have my £5 million now please? :D

I'm not honestly sure who I would partner with Terry but I pretty much agree with your selections. It is also a pity that Lampard will never get dropped during this World Cup to make your selection happen.
 
Personally, I'd play a 4-4-1-1 with Gerrard off Rooney, and I'm hoping that we will once Barry is fit, but I do think that Heskey does a job for the team, and in most cases, when he plays, he enables the other supposed better players to play well as well.

Gerrard and Torres make a fantastic partnership but personally I prefer Gerrard playing in the centre of the park, given the chance to burst from midfield when play allows. In addition to his battling defensive midfield skills being at the centre of the action he is so much more influential, in my opinion, and able to set up goalscoring opportunities for the strikers with a good range of passing. While also being able to run into the space between midfield and defence then launch a devastating strike at goal or link up with the strikers. Personally I think in that position you get the most out of Gerrard.
 
Gerrard and Torres make a fantastic partnership but personally I prefer Gerrard playing in the centre of the park, given the chance to burst from midfield when play allows. In addition to his battling defensive midfield skills being at the centre of the action he is so much more influential, in my opinion, and able to set up goalscoring opportunities for the strikers with a good range of passing. While also being able to run into the space between midfield and defence then launch a devastating strike at goal. Personally I think in that position you get the most out of Gerrard.

I would agree if we also didn't have someone else that has done that this season as well (Lampard). Playing Gerrard off Rooney, is a position that Gerrard is proven to play well at (with Torres), and also enables Lampard to play in his natural club position as well. With Barry as insurance, this plays most to our strengths. Also, when we don't have the ball, Gerrard can slot back into midfield, giving us 5 in midfield, which should give us more passing options and help us keep possession better. All imo of course :)
 
I would agree if we also didn't have someone else that has done that this season as well (Lampard). Playing Gerrard off Rooney, is a position that Gerrard is proven to play well at (with Torres), and also enables Lampard to play in his natural club position as well. With Barry as insurance, this plays most to our strengths. Also, when we don't have the ball, Gerrard can slot back into midfield, giving us 5 in midfield, which should give us more passing options and help us keep possession better. All imo of course :)


Lampard is great at getting forward but his defensive skills are less than adequate imo. Even using your formation I think I would play Lampard in front of Gerrard with Barry in the holding role. I firmly believe Gerrards versatility works better when he's in the middle of the action guiding the play (and as a player who can use his strong defensive midfield in talents where they could be seriously needed against more talented teams).

Regardless of this season's highly impressive goal tally Rooney isn't a proven goalscorer, season in an season out. I'd like to see less pressure on him as a player to score and shoulder the burden of England. Seeing him in more of a roaming(or holding a high line) creative player linking up with a goal scorer. Rooney has a proven finish but I don't think he's a No. 9 unlike Fernando Torres.
 
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Someone show Heskey a video of Tae-Se Jong the North Korean Number 9. First touch is class, won a decent amount of headers against the towering Juan and Lucio. Instant ball control but importantly he always spun and sent his team on the counter attack. None of this ball ends up back with Terry rubbish - the best form of defence is attack :lesson:

In contrast Heskey wins headers for the other team. One assist every few internationals is not good enough when every game at the WC matters

I wasn't joking before about sticking a metal pole in the opposition area instead of playing Heskey.
 
I thought Tae-Se Jong played an excellent game last night....never mind showing Heskey the video I'd show Drogba considering he couldn't get past Lucio whatsoever last season.
 
.....were proved right once again. A truly shocking performance from England's most famous falling oak.

All his old tricks on display, falling over the ball, getting it tangled in his own feet, lame crosses, hapless attempts at goal, being beaten in the air by people a good foot shorter.

What a player! :rolleyes:

For Algeria.
 
.....were proved right once again. A truly shocking performance from England's most famous falling oak.

All his old tricks on display, falling over the ball, getting it tangled in his own feet, lame crosses, hapless attempts at goal, being beaten in the air by people a good foot shorter.

What a player! :rolleyes:

For Algeria.

I'm no Heskey fan, but please seriously name an England player that performed better than Heskey in this game, oh, and defenders don't count as it was Algeria :)
 
I'm no Heskey fan, but please seriously name an England player that performed better than Heskey in this game, oh, and defenders don't count as it was Algeria :)
Barry.

Gotcha! :D
 
I'm no Heskey fan, but please seriously name an England player that performed better than Heskey in this game, oh, and defenders don't count as it was Algeria :)

David James

It's not Heskey's fault though, it's Cappello's for still picking him. If he picked me and I had a chance to play for England I would, even though I know it would be awful.

He's just not good enough, but we have other options, Zamorra, Agbonlahor, Bent - jeez even my six year old said Elliot Bennett's better than him and Bennett plays Div 1 for Brighton each week. But still we persist, as we do with Lampard and Gerrard. How many more tournaments do we have to endure before someone sorts this farce out?
 
David James

It's not Heskey's fault though, it's Cappello's for still picking him. If he picked me and I had a chance to play for England I would, even though I know it would be awful.

He's just not good enough, but we have other options, Zamorra, Agbonlahor, Bent - jeez even my six year old said Elliot Bennett's better than him and Bennett plays Div 1 for Brighton each week. But still we persist, as we do with Lampard and Gerrard. How many more tournaments do we have to endure before someone sorts this farce out?

As I've alredy said, it's not the players per se, it's how you play them. Are you telling me that Chelsea were adversely affected by playing Lampard as an attacking MF this year ?


The questions we should be asking are:

Why is Gerrard playing left midfield, when clearly he's better playing behind Rooney ?

Where's Joe Cole ?
Why take off Lennon and replace him with Wright-phillips

Where's the passion ?
 
Barry.

Gotcha! :D

Rubbish.

Heskey played the only decent game, followed by Barry, then James.....the rest I wouldn't trust to sit the right way round on a toilet
 
I'm going to have to insist that no one had a good game

Difference being having an average game versus Algeria meant that in contrast to some of the rubbish served up you played a blinder

Did James have to make 9 show stopping fingertip saves? No. He just had a steady average night. He's been worked less in a Pompey shirt(!)

How low England have sunk
 
Heskey needed a pair of step ladders to reach most of the balls hoofed towards him. :rolleyes:
 
Rubbish.

Heskey played the only decent game, followed by Barry, then James.....the rest I wouldn't trust to sit the right way round on a toilet
You a football fan? Clearly not if you think Heskey had decent game.

The key elements of being a forward are: Passing, heading, shooting, possession.

Heskey managed none of these with any competency.

Yes, the rest of the team were awful, but to say Heskey played the only decent game......jesus wept. :rolleyes:

Unless that was a wind up?

Please tell it was...................?:lease:
 
i don't see what copella see's in heskey. The guys is rubbish. I don't know how many games he's played but he must one of englands worst ever strikers. I would much prefer he plays crouch then heskey.
 
I know I said before that I don't think Emile has a goal left in him but I wonder if he thinks it too? What are the stats on one v ones saved? Fabio must evidently see something special in training because I've not seen it since the Croatia match
 

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