Heighway gone?

[The Glove]

Heard a rumour hes quit the Academy today, finally accepted a financial pay-off thats been on the table for "sometime".




(Waits for Dunk to post it on KT now)






Credit to he wont mind.

[lfc4ever]

Sorry to see it happen in the end, but, there was very little cohesion between the two camps and something had to give, let's look forward now and as one.

[fatistuta]

I would be sad if this is true as he is a true Reds legend and a hero of mine.

I have to admit though that it does look that the academy has failed as of late.

[Dhav]

What's Rafa's involvement in the Academy? Does he have any say whatsoever?

Seems like they've wanted rid of Heighway for some time and if last night is anything to go by you can see why

[The Glove]

What's Rafa's involvement in the Academy? Does he have any say whatsoever?

Seems like they've wanted rid of Heighway for some time and if last night is anything to go by you can see why

Rafa has no involvement in the Academy.

[fatistuta]

Rafa has no involvement in the Academy.

Then he should have.

[The Glove]

Then he should have.

Well if it is true, then he now will have.

[dww]

Rafa has no involvement in the Academy.

A lot of people have said this, but I seem to remember that when Rafa came in there were a lot of stories that all the under-age teams were made to use zonal defence. So I guess there must have been a dialog with at least if not direct control by Rafa.

I suspect that a big problem for our youth setup was the loss of Herrera who seems to have been very good with people and seemed to integrate the young foreign players and the academy players really well. I suspect he may also have been the diplomatic link between Rafa and the academy.

[andyinswinton]

Its a shame about Steve Heighway. From listening and reading about him with some of the younger lads that have come through, they have all spoke very highly of him.

The only kids that we are really talking about are those that we have actually paid for so there must be something wrong within the academy.

[le2red]

They've got the guy from Southampton lined up for the job haven't they?

Heighway was a hero of mine when I was a kid, but I don't think he has worked out at the academy. Good luck to him wherever he goes (the States?)

[lfc4ever]

Steve Heighway

My first experience of the Kop was in May, 1970, I was still a student at Warwick University, but had decided to sign professional for Liverpool on completing my Degree in June. As a student, I was quite surprised to be called by Mr. Bill Shankly, who invited me to play in Gerry Byrne's Testimonial for a celebrity XI against the Liverpool side. Not only was it my first visit to Anfield, but it was also at the age of 22 my first ever visit to Liverpool itself. It was a filthy night with rain and sleet, but I recall that about 50,000 people were there.

The two teams walked side by side to the centre of the pitch and I stood next to an ex-Everton full-back who was playing in the Celebrity team. With total honesty and complete naivety, I quietly said to him: "Which end is the Kop?" He looked at me as if I had come from another planet, pointed to the bulging end rather than just the full end.

That was my first experience and, of course, there were many more opportunities to play in front of what was very obviously the fanatical end. I had good games and bad games through my eleven years, but I feel extremely fortunate that at no time did I feel animosity from the Kop.

I would have found that very difficult to live with and I am eternally grateful that the Kop always seemed to recognise that I was doing my best.

My special memory comes from the day we played Leeds United and a pass I intended for Peter Thompson went through to their keeper, Gary Sprake.

Gary collected the ball and I was annoyed at myself. I had to do something, so I ran across to their full-back and marked him for no apparent reason. But Gary was about to throw the ball to him, saw me move and in changing his mind, finished up throwing the ball into his own net. Immediately the Kop game me a tremendous ovation and chanted my name ... they credited me with lightning thinking! Later the DJ put on the record 'Careless Hands' and the Kop joined in.

I found it natural, instinctive, to run to the Kop and give them a salute when we turned out. They were Liverpool.




Outside the Shankly Gates
I heard a Kopite calling
Shankly they have taken you away
But you left a great eleven
Before you went to heaven
Now it's glory round the Fields of Anfield Road.

All round the Fields of Anfield Road
Where once we watched the King Kenny play (and he could play)
We had Heighway on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
Of the glory round the Fields of Anfield Road

Outside the Paisley Gates
I heard a Kopite calling
Paisley they have taken you away
You led the great 11
Back in Rome in 77
And the Redmen they are still playing the same way
All round the Fields of Anfield Road
Where once we watched the King Kenny play (and he could play)
We had Heighway on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
Of the glory round the Fields of Anfield Road






We Love you Liverpool we do. We Love you Liverpool we do.
We Love you Liverpool we do. Oh Liverpool we love you.
Shankly is our hero, he showed us how to play
The mighty reds of Europe are out to win today
He made a team of champions, with every man a king
And every game we love to win and this is what we sing.
We Love you Liverpool we do. We Love you Liverpool we do.
We Love you Liverpool we do. Oh Liverpool we love you.
Clemence is our goalie, the best there is around
And Keegan is the greatest that Shankly ever found
Heighway is our favourite, a wizard of the game
Anh heres the mighty Toshack to do it once again.
We Love you Liverpool we do. We Love you Liverpool we do.
We Love you Liverpool we do. Oh Liverpool we love you.
We've won the league, we've won the cup,
We're masters of the game.
And just to prove how good we are
We'll do it all again.
We've got another team to beat and so we've got to try
'Cos we're the best in all the land
And that's the reason why ..
We Love you Liverpool we do. We Love you Liverpool we do.
We Love you Liverpool we do. Oh Liverpool we love you.



(To the tune of Sean South)

Twas on a cold December?s day
Back in 1959,
When a man came down from Hudersfield Town
To lead the Anfield line,
He bought Yeats from Dundee and St. John,
And the football world was shook,
This man he became a legend,
Bill Shankly from Glenbuck.

On the Kop we'd sway and sing

Till our hearts would burst with pride
And Shanks he made a pact with us
To build another side
With Keegan, Tosh and Steve Heighway
The great man kept his word
Then in '74 he bade farewell
Our dear old Scottish Laird.

Now when Shanks was gone we sang walk on
But feared we?d walk alone,
The search was on to find the one
Who could fill the masters throne.
The one we crowned became renowned
Throughout the football game,
Three European Cups, six championships,
Bob Paisley was his name.

Now when Bob stepped down he left his crown
Inside his Anfield home,
Joe Fagan came and brought new fame
With a treble won in Rome.
Though the Heysel year left Joe in tears,
The following year he?d sing,
When we won the league and FA Cup
And Kenny was our king.

When he played in red Bob Paisley said
He?s the best he?d ever seen,
And the team he built in 88
Ruled the football league supreme.
And when Hillsborough left us all bereaved
And the Kop bedecked in flowers,
Kenny proved he truely was a king
In Anfields darkest hour.

Now the mantles being past to a man from France
And it?s Houllier we praise.
As the reds walk on, the Kops in song
And we savour glory days,
Days of ball to feet, of victory sweet,
Days of passion, guile and fire,
The legacy of one so great,
Bill Shankly from Ayshire.



Anybody remember the chant along the lines of "Heighway down the byway, did it my way", can't find it, neither can RAWk http://www.redandwhitekop.com/songs.php


MY WAY

And now the end is near
And so I face the final season
My friends I'll say it clear
My contract's up, of that I'm certain
I've built a team that's full
Of crap and not Steve Heighway
And yes much more than that
I did it my way
Transfers I've made a few
And some I made, oh please don't mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through leage re-election
I planned and played each game
Rotating squads this way and that way
But more, much more than this
I did it, my way
Yes there were times we lost and drew
So much more than we ought to do
But through it all when there was doubt
And our team had a goal drought
I faced it all, and cleaned the walls
And did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed, you cried
Look at my sides, they're sick of losing
And now as time subsides
I find it all so amusing
To think I caused all that
And may I say - in not a shy way
"No, oh no not me
I did it my way"
For what is a man(ager), what has he got?
If not a club then bloody nowt
To say the things he truly feels
And hoping all his words mislead
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way!

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Hopefully now Rafa gets complete autonomy over the clubs entire footballing operations.

To be honest Heighways recent performance as academy director has been pretty mediocre - if you judge it on quality of players produced. The last player of any quality to come through the ranks was Stevie Gerrard, in 1998.

[Chris]

Heard a rumour hes quit the Academy today, finally accepted a financial pay-off thats been on the table for "sometime".

(Waits for Dunk to post it on KT now)


Credit to he wont mind.

Good lad on YNWA last week said Parry told Heighway a few weeks back they'd be getting rid of him in May, think Rafa is gradually getting more control and this Elias will take over.

[The Wolfman]

Credit to he wont mind.

my "i have inside info" thread??

[The Glove]

my "i have inside info" thread??

Why dont you share it with the group?