18 years ago today....

[Koke]

How excited we got over the potential Collymore/Heskey partnership... 

 

 

 

[Wolfox]

I watched that game in a pub in Southend…. Had a family do that meant I couldn’t go (mate had my season ticket)

 

we were seeing the dawn of a great new era…. Then we sold Heskey, O’Neill left, Taylor came in and we brought Akinbiyi

Edited 6 March 2018 by Wolfox

[Wymsey]

Seems longer than that.

Shame Filbert Street was replaced with student accommodation and a bit of a dumping ground on the side.

Think Heskey still lives in the Leicestershire area?

[lestajigs]

Flipping hell, like we’re the hell has it gone 

[Countryfox]

Didn't Colly flower convince Heskey to move on ? ...   cvnt.

 

Remember that game like it was only yesterday ...   what a belter !!

[RoboFox]

59 minutes ago, Wymeswold fox said:

Seems longer than that.

Shame Filbert Street was replaced with student accommodation and a bit of a dumping ground on the side.

Think Heskey still lives in the Leicestershire area?

He lives in Cheshire still, I think. I've always got the impression he's more of a Liverpool supporter than City.

 

I've even seen him get tongue-tied and get Leicester and Liverpool mixed up when he was a pitchside pundit on TV for a City game.

[st albans fox]

36 minutes ago, RoboFox said:

He lives in Cheshire still, I think. I've always got the impression he's more of a Liverpool supporter than City.

 

I've even seen him get tongue-tied and get Leicester and Liverpool mixed up when he was a pitchside pundit on TV for a City game.

He always was - that’s why he went there. 

 

Never heard that collymore story before. T

[crisp packet]

Making me feel old.

Emile always was a Liverpool supporter. We are same age played in same teams as kids . Ratby and Groby .He was a centre half.

 

Remember the game well . 

Sunderlands goals was class also that day . 

 

 

[AyewJoking]

I was there. Swede hit by Stan.

[ian_marshall]

That game showed us a glimpse of what could have been. I remember thinking we'd finally cracked it and could push on and break into the top 6, only for Heskey to be sold straight after in what would prove to be the pinnacle of that generation and the beginning of the end of the O'Neill era. Such fond memories, yet so sad to see to see it all fall apart. 

[Nalis]

Remeber thinking how exciting it was to have Collymore and Heakey leading our frontline only to quickly realise Collymore was bought to replace Heskey.

[ARTY_FOX]

Was my first game at filbert street. What game. The atmosphere before during and after too was amazing.

[NorthfieldsFox]

Genuinely thought that it would lead to a huge season , ohh how we were all let down  

[urban.spaceman]

I was there. Excellent game, one week after we'd won the cup as well. Doing well in the league, demolished Sunderland, who were having a very season at the time too (Kevin Phillips Bong scored 30 that season). Emile and Collymore were in perfect sync, we were in Europe, were planning a big new stadium, and we looked like we were really growing as a club.

 

A week later Emile left for Liverpool and it was all downhill from there! O'Neill left in the summer, followed by Lennon in the winter, Tater Peeler came in and fundamentally destroyed all of O'Neill's good work. He exiled Steve Walsh, fell out with and got rid of Collymore, squandered the club's record received fee for Heskey on Akinbiyi, Tricky Trevor Benjamin (so tricky he tricked himself) and sicknote Matt Jones, and even worse, unleashed Junior Lewis into the world. 

 

Oh, what could have been.

[Corky]

Proved what a good player Heskey was and how ridiculous the coverage of his career has been and also what a wasted opportunity it was to get the best out of Collymore. He could've been some player for us.

[katieakita]

Stan the man was always a player who needed a loving arm around him. He needed some TLC then Taylor brings in Akinbiyi and Trevor Benjamin and puts Collymore behind them in the pecking order that must really hit your confidence

[Guest Electric Yetis]

1 hour ago, urban.spaceman said:

I was there. Excellent game, one week after we'd won the cup as well. Doing well in the league, demolished Sunderland, who were having a very season at the time too (Kevin Phillips Bong scored 30 that season). Emile and Collymore were in perfect sync, we were in Europe, were planning a big new stadium, and we looked like we were really growing as a club.

 

A week later Emile left for Liverpool and it was all downhill from there! O'Neill left in the summer, followed by Lennon in the winter, Tater Peeler came in and fundamentally destroyed all of O'Neill's good work. He exiled Steve Walsh, fell out with and got rid of Collymore, squandered the club's record received fee for Heskey on Akinbiyi, Tricky Trevor Benjamin (so tricky he tricked himself) and sicknote Matt Jones, and even worse, unleashed Junior Lewis into the world. 

 

Oh, what could have been.

Also bombed out out Cottee who was still plenty good enough to be in and around the squad.

[Blue ROI]

Remember it being a 12.30 kick off. Open to correction but it might have been one of the first we ever played in.

 

The most complete display of that era for me. Everything we touched that day turned to gold. Our highest finish in the premier league up to that point and a cracking squad.

 

We were all impressed by Collymore but I always felt that it would go pear shaped sooner or later. Him and Heskey were gone by the end of the year and in all truth so were we.

 

Even at the time though there was something about that Sunderland game that felt like it might never get any better. I didn't expect such a huge decline.

Edited 5 March 2018 by Blue ROI

[Freeman's Wharfer]

So many things that are butterfly effect about our recent history.

 

We thought we had reached the peak that day and that the days of our lives were about to begin. If Heskey, O'Neill and Collymore had stayed would we have become another Everton in terms of being established but not truly challenging the biggest teams in the division?

 

It never happened and all fell away but we got our pinnacle and it was beyond our wildest imaginations (even those of that day).

[Tuna]

The prospect of a Stan/Emile partnership was just fantastic, shame things didn't really work out and that idiot Taylor turned up.

 

Thinking back now, would you ever have a premier league manager leave to join a Scottish club now? Nope.

[somebum]

Scotty oaks scored a free kick that day if I remember 

[Ric Flair]

What a complete package Collymore was on his day, there's not been a striker like him since either. Just wish there was a manager who could have harnessed his ability for longer, he had the world at his feet.

[Corky]

18 hours ago, Blue ROI said:

Remember it being a 12.30 kick off. Open to correction but it might have been one of the first we ever played in.

 

It was 4pm on Sunday.

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

On 05/03/2018 at 16:26, ian_marshall said:

That game showed us a glimpse of what could have been. I remember thinking we'd finally cracked it and could push on and break into the top 6, only for Heskey to be sold straight after in what would prove to be the pinnacle of that generation and the beginning of the end of the O'Neill era. Such fond memories, yet so sad to see to see it all fall apart. 

So well put, I have so many fantastic memories of that era, feeling old now. 

[Guest seanfox778]

I miss Andy Gray as a commentator