Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Sports World |
Heskey could prove shrewd signing for Jets Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:15 AM PDT Emile Heskey is unlikely to be greeted by the same hysteria that left marquee signing Alessandro del Piero wide-eyed on his arrival at Sydney International but his impact on new club Newcastle Jets could be no less significant. He has been a professional since 1994 but punters betting on soccer have never considered him a regular scorer - only four times in his career since has he hit double figures in the league. His best was 14 in his debut season for Liverpool - but then Heskey was never an archetypal goal-scoring goal-scorer. He was often derided for offering, well, not a great deal - in total he scored 111 goals in 512 Premier League appearances - but then criticism from the armchair has become a national pastime in the land of Heskey's birth. Gerard Houllier, Sven Goran Eriksson, Martin O'Neill and Fabio Capello - they can't all be wrong, surely? Let us not forget that at the peak of his powers Heskey was seen as the first-choice foil for England and Liverpool team-mate Michael Owen. Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond has told news soccer reporters that he can maybe build a team around the imposing 34-year-old. Heskey first burst onto the scene as a bulldozing centre-forward; a defender's nightmare you might say. The kind of opponent who would leave you black and blue. Certainly, the physical nature of the A League will not be an issue. It is this trait that could benefit the likes of James Brown, Marko Jesic and Ryan Griffiths if, as expected, the former Birmingham City and Wigan targetman is used as a focal point of the Jets attack. True, the goals have dried up in recent years but then Jets fans should be prepared to a chalk a line through a spell to forget at his most recent club Aston Villa. After more than a decade in the English top flight, this FA Cup and Europa League winner may just have the last laugh. |
Posted: 26 Sep 2012 07:04 AM PDT Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has vowed to stand by striker Papiss Cisse despite the hitman's recent poor form. The Senegalese star arrived at St James' from German side Freiburg in January and made an immediate impression for the club, netting 13 times in his first 14 appearances as the Magpies eventually went onto finish 5th in the Premier League table. However, he is still to open his account this term and despite his characteristic all action displays, he has looked somewhat out of sorts in front of goal. His problems were most evident on Sunday against Norwich, as despite once again producing a fine performance for the team, he spurned a number of chances, most notably a penalty which he skied well over the bar. In contrast, Cisse's compatriot Demba Ba, who has been forced to play on the wing since his great friend's arrival, has flourished so far this term, netting four times in five soccer games, including the winner in the Canaries clash. This has led to speculation on online gambling forums that Pardew could drop his number nine and move Ba back into the position he played so well in during the first half of last season. However, the boss is refusing to panic and says he is more than willing to stand by his charge as long as he is working hard for the team. "He is one of those players who doesn't really carry too much baggage, if I am honest," he said. "I don't see an overriding problem there. I just know with Papiss that one goal, one moment will get him back into the groove. "He's a great player, and like all great players you have got to stand by them," he added. |
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