Emile Heskey admits that he has been a shoulder to cry on for Clinton Morrison as the Irish international has been left out in the cold at Birmingham City. Heskey and Morrison formed a dynamic partnership over the Christmas period as, between them, they banged in seven goals in five games – giving Birmingham four straight wins. However, the goals dried up for Morrison and on the last day of the January transfer window Steve Bruce bought in Walter Pandiani who has already bagged three goals. It has been a tough time for Morrison who has only made two starting appearances since mid January. He is still a key man for the Republic of Ireland, scoring two goals in as many games at the end of March, but it has been back to bench-warming duties at St Andrew's on his return and he has held fire on contract talks with the club to see what the future holds. Heskey has seen both sides of the coin himself with Liverpool and England and, as he explained to Ian Clarkson of givemefootball, he has had to lift Morrison's spirits in the last three months.
Q:HAVE YOU HAD A CHAT WITH CLINTON ABOUT HIS SITUATION?
A:It has been hard for Clinton, as he had done brilliantly and he has had to take it on the chin. I have spoken to him about the situation and he has handled it professionally and not kicked up a fuss. His time will come as he is still focused, and I know he will produce the goods when it does. He has shown that he is still focused by going away on international duty with the Republic of Ireland and scoring two goals.
Q:HOWEVER, YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH WALTER PANDIANI SEEMS TO BE BLOSSOMING?
A:Walter has been brilliant to play with as he works his socks off. He has got his fair share of goals despite the fact it has been hard for him, as the style of play is totally different from what he was used to in Spain – and probably Uruguay as well.
Q:DOES THE FACT THAT HE CAN'T SPEAK ENGLISH MAKE IT DIFFICULT?
A:It can be a little bit difficult at times because he can't speak the language, but football is a universal language on the pitch. If he stays next season then he will be learning the language. Being around the players daily, he is picking it up already – including one or two words he shouldn't know!
Q:AND HAVE YOU BEEN PLEASED WITH YOUR OWN FORM?
A:I have been reasonably happy with my own goals return, but there have been a few games where I could have scored more. I have enjoyed my football so much and because the lads and fans have really taken to me, I have been able to settle in quickly. I don't know whether being a bigger fish has helped, but being back in the Midlands has definitely helped me.
Q:WITH LIVERPOOL IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL DO YOU EVER LOOK BACK AND THINK 'WHAT IF?'
A:I am really happy for Liverpool that they have reached the semis but I have moved on now and I don't need to look back. We need to kick on. You can't just sit in the middle of the table and be happy with that – it is important to try and move further up the table. I think the club is moving in the right direction. You want to move on to the next level and the lads are looking to do that. I don't know whether the manager is looking to bring in new players in the summer, but with the squad we already have at the club we want to take it further.
Q:IT IS NOTICEABLE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN VERY VOCAL ON THE PITCH THIS SEASON – DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A FUTURE CAPTAIN?
A:I don't know about being a captain but it is important to make your views heard. When I was at Liverpool you had to speak up and it is important to have 11 captains out there. I am one of the more experienced members of this team and you feel more of a responsibility to help the younger players.
