How Heskey and Houllier's bond was formed

By Mat Kendrick on Sep 23, 10 05:40 PM

JUST been asked by a couple of readers to expand on the intro to my match report from last night's game which basically went along these lines......

"The last time Gerard Houllier kicked Emile Heskey off a bench with such an impact the big striker was lying between his manager and life-saving heart treatment in the Anfield physio room.

Last night Aston Villa's new boss repeated the feat by sending on the much-maligned forward and super sub Heskey responded by getting Houllier and the Holte End's blood-pumping again.

Needless to say Houllier will not be quite as grateful for Heskey's assistance last night as he was on that eventful October afternoon back in 2001, but he might just have started this Villa revival."

Apparently, many of you haven't heard the tale about Heskey being an eye witness when Houllier suffered his serious heart problem during back in October 2001.

In fact neither had I until I saw a piece from Patrick Barclay in The Times a couple of weeks ago.

It happened during Liverpool's 1-1 Premier League draw with Leeds when Houllier complained of chest pain at half-time and disappeared down the tunnel to seek help.

He went into the physio room but Heskey was receiving treatment on an ankle problem so rather than asking the big striker to move Houllier bravely returned to the dressing room.

As the pain became too much to take Houller went back to the doctor, but, in a tribute to his politeness, told the medic to continue attending to Heskey - until it was apparent the Frenchman was in serious trouble.

It's just as well that Heskey was moved to make way for his manager who required urgent medical assistance to repair his main artery.

He was subsequently taken to hospital and received major life-saving heart surgery.

In a interview with Barclay, Houllier recalls: "I thought it might be a bit of flu or an infection, so I carried on. I did the talk and made some changes, because Emile had twisted his ankle.

"Only then did I go to the treatment room to see the doctor Mark Waller.

"But he was looking at Emile's ankle. So I just asked him to give me a shout when he was free.

"I went back to the doc and remember saying to him that, although Emile was more important, maybe I could have an injection or something to see me through the second half.

"Whatever it was, I wanted to see that second half and the doc asked Emile to move.

"For the rest of my life, I will be able to see Emile's eyes goggling as he slid off the treatment table, to be replaced by his manager in a suit."

Given Houllier's remarkable recovery to return to management at Liverpool around five months later it is an evocative story with a happy ending.

Sharing such a distressing moment together at Anfield has created a close bond between manager and player - and it was great to see them resume their successful partnership with Heskey's decisive contribution to Houllier's dugout debut at Villa on Wednesday.

If anybody can get Heskey going, it seems it is Houllier - let's hope so.