Daily Australian News 2012

[Pico]

Open season as FFA puts out mat for foreign talent


Looking around ... Michael Ballack in action for Leverkusen. Photo: AFP

AS FOOTBALL basks in the glory of Alessandro Del Piero's arrival at Sydney FC, the FFA has left the door open for more overseas stars to ply their trade in the A-League.

The game's powerbrokers confirmed yesterday that guest players will this season be exempted from the limit on the number of overseas players allowed at each club.

The news came as Western Sydney Wanderers turned down an offer to sign former Germany captain Michael Ballack's services and also as it was reported that former England striker Emile Heskey was on the verge of joining the Newcastle Jets.

The Herald understands the Wanderers turned down the approach from Ballack's Australian representatives because they were not convinced about his condition and commitment.
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The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich midfielder would not have been eligible for a marquee contract with the Wanderers as all five foreign player spots were already filled, but the FFA confirmed yesterday he would have been able to join as a guest player for up to 10 games.

The Wanderers signed their last two foreign players last week: Italian defender Iacopo La Rocca and Dutch midfielder Youssouf Hersi.

Ballack has been a free agent since leaving Bayer Leverkusen in June and has been linked with moves to the Middle East and the US.

Heskey is set to pocket $100,000 a month at the Jets in a deal that will make him the highest paid player in the club's history.

He has agreed terms and, pending a successful medical, will earn $700,000 for the season, which equates to $26,000 a game if he plays all 27 rounds.

Heskey is expected to join them in Newcastle next week, where he will officially put pen to paper.

A free agent since he was released by English Premier League club Aston Villa in May, Heskey had been linked to a return to his former club Liverpool. The Herald understands he knocked back a more lucrative deal, believed to be worth $1.2 million a year, in the Middle East to move to Australia.

The 34-year-old target man replaces Jason Culina as the Jets marquee player.

Culina signed a three-year deal worth $2.65 million in February last year but broke down in the pre-season after aggravating his surgically repaired knee and did not play a game.

Culina was to have collected $850,000 a year, but per month Heskey will earn more.

At the height of his career, Heskey made an £11 million move in 2000 from Leicester to Liverpool.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/a-league...919-26744.html

Makes much more sense to have the guest players outside the squad limits, be it salary or visa spots.

[timmy_v]

No - the football advisory board made the decision. All the members are no longer with the Jets except for Baartzy

thats incorrect, The board had nothing to do with player signing. The Herald only printed what they were told.

[Pico]

Ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack in A-League talks with Western Sydney Wanderers

Tom Smithies
The Daily Telegraph
September 19, 2012 7:40PM

GERMAN star Michael Ballack is the latest European superstar to be lined up for the A-League, with Western Sydney Wanderers approached to bring the veteran of two World Cups to Australia .

The former Chelsea midfielder would complete a stunning trio of signings for Australian soccer after Emile Heskey yesterday agreed to sign for Newcastle Jets, just two days after Sydney FC unveiled Alessandro Del Piero.

It's understood that no contract has been offered to Ballack but that the 35-year-old has expressed his interest in coming to Australia, having already had offers from Dubai and Qatar.

Ballack played 98 times for Germany, including the 2002 and 2006 World Cups with only injury depriving him of a third tournament two years ago.

He has just left Bayer Leverkusen after a two year stint in the Bundesliga, following on from four years with Chelsea.

A number of impediments lie in the path of a deal, but the fact that the Wanderers have their full complement of five visa players is not one of them.

The Daily Telegraph understands that the other A-League clubs made a remarkable offer in July to allow the Wanderers short-term dispensation to sign a small number of extra overseas players, given the tightness of the market in Australia.

Ballack's signing would give the Wanderers' profile an almighty boost, but it would also require a remarkable change of course for a club so far built on community engagement and eschewing the marquee model.

There is also the question of funding the deal - though senior sources said it would come from the club's operating budget, realistically it would have to be supported by extra sponsor or commercial income on the back of the deal, or risk the wrath of the other A-League clubs.

Wanderers chairman Lyall Gorman last night cooled talk of any deal, saying: "A-League clubs talk to lots of player agents about lots of different players.

"We don't provide a running commentary on these talks and we won't offer confirmations or denials every time a rumour surfaces.''

The developing story came after Heskey's one-year deal was agreed subject to a medical, the results of which may be known as soon as today, and the former England international will arrive in Newcastle within days.

It emerged yesterday that new A-League boss Damien de Bohun played a key role in laying the groundwork for Heskey's signing, with Football Federation Australia rewriting the rules around marquee players to allow more flexibiltiy with sponsors and in contracts.

Meanwhile the Mariners have unveiled their own big signing of the off-season, with 30-year-old English midfielder Nick Montgomery arriving to begin a three-year stint in Gosford.

Montgomery had spent the whole of his career previously at Sheffield United, making 349 appearances in 12 years and earning a standing ovation from the Blades supporters at the end of his last game at Bramall Lane last weekend.

Twenty six of those games came in the EPL, and Mariners coach Graham Arnold hopes Montgomery can fill the gap in midfield left since Rostyn Griffiths moved to Chinese club Guangzhou R&F last season.

De Bohun off to a good start, not affraid to make changes where he thinks it will help, hopefully the large range of exclusive partners can be trimmed a little as well, will probably be subject to what sort of TV deal can be done.

Also sign Griff & one of his buddies from china on guest stints in January, nothing like a paid Australian holiday.

[hauss]

Memberships now at 9,231.

There has been a nice jump in the last couple of days and this is probably before any Heskey effect.

I thought that the Jets would only get around 9,000 after the Jets license issue, so I've already been proven wrong. It would be great if the Jets could get their 11,000 target and beyond now that our striker is sorted.

Congratulations to the Newcastle community. It proves that last year was not a one off. Lots and lots of people in our city want the club to be a success.

[furns]

thats incorrect, The board had nothing to do with player signing. The Herald only printed what they were told.

if thats the case, then was the hell did they actually do?

[pv4]

they were a sign that the jets were honoring the past players & the community - but effectively they were fall guys, plus the only way they could help in making a decision was by saying yes.

[BodyNovo]

thats incorrect, The board had nothing to do with player signing. The Herald only printed what they were told.

bloody deans

[Pico]

Former Socceroo Stan Lazaridis says Emile Heskey is a perfect signing for Newcastle Jets
Tom Smithies
The Daily Telegraph
September 21, 2012 12:00AM


Newcastle Jets signing Emile Heskey puts himself about for England v USA at the 2010 World Cup. Source: AFP

FORMER Socceroo Stan Lazaridis has hailed the imminent arrival of Emile Heskey at Newcastle as a "fantastic coup" for the A-League, and warned defenders that his former EPL teammate will offer the most potent aerial threat in Australia.

As the Jets waited for confirmation of Heskey's medical clearance to seal the deal, Novocastrian icon Ray Baartz also weighed in, saying that Heskey would be "the final piece in the jigsaw" for Gary van Egmond's squad.

It's believed Heskey will be confirmed by the Jets by the end of the week, having agreed personal terms earlier in the week in England, and Lazaridis reflected on two years as a teammate of the striker at Birmingham City.

"Emile's a great signing, the right person going to the right club," Lazaridis said yesterday. "He's a big name but more importantly he'll be a great target man for Newcastle.

"I think he'll be the best guy in the air in the entire competition, he's just got so much power and a ferocious shot on him. I really can't say a bad word about him. He's also a good all-round lad, he's no show-off on or off the pitch and I had a lot of good times with him at Birmingham. He'll fit in well and be a good guy around the club."

Lazaridis pointed to the work Heskey had contributed to various striking partnerships, particularly with England, and said the Jets' youthful squad would have an anchor to play around.

The 34-year-old was released by Aston Villa at the end of last season and has played in three World Cups, linking with the likes of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.

"I take my hat off to Newcastle, it's a massive coup for Nathan Tinkler and the people who've made this happen," Lazaridis said.

"I've no doubt he'll bring the other players into the game, it's how he operates.

"In the great England days Michael Owen fed off him, and that was a powerful partnership.

"He'll also take a bit of pressure off the younger guys at Newcastle, and they've got a few in their squad - his experience and his strength will give them something to work around.

"When you add in Del Piero and all the other rumours, I think there's something special about this season."

Meanwhile Baartz, chairman of the club's advisory board, said that Heskey would be an "outstanding acquisition" for both the first team and the club's development plans.

"It's like putting a jigsaw puzzle together and this would be the final piece," Baartz said. "To have a player of that stature come here, straight from the EPL, would be unbelievable.

"We've needed that strength up front, a No.9 to complement our younger players, and Heskey would fit that bill perfectly. His presence alone would offer us a new weapon.

"But having launched the emerging Jets program (to develop the region's best young players up to A-League), it's fantastic to think that our talented kids will get exposure to someone like that."

One of the few who actually seems positive about the signing & is not peddling the Heskey hate.

[Pico]

Michael Ballack wage demands mean he is unlikely to join A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers
Tom Smithies
The Daily Telegraph
September 21, 2012 12:00AM


Michael Ballack's wage demands mean he is unlikely to be joining Western Sydney Wanderers. Source: AP

THE prospects of Western Sydney Wanderers luring German star Michael Ballack to the A-League are diminishing, as soccer chiefs balk at the prospect of paying $2.5 million to secure him for next season.

Though the figure required for Ballack was reported to be $1.7 million, it's understood that is the "net figure", after tax and superannuation.

Talks continue with his agent but Football Federation Australia, which is bankrolling the Wanderers, faces a backlash from other clubs if it attempts to raise those funds.

A-League boss Damien De Bohun, while reluctant to comment on individuals until officially anounced, said the competition stood to benefit hugely from the entrance of "world class athletes".

"The signing of Del Piero has got the attention of people around the world, and what's interesting is that it's not necessarily the clubs or FFA who are going to them, but players contacting the clubs here."

Ouch can't see FFA or even a personal sponsor handing out $2.5m.

[Pico]

Del Piero has Wanderers eyeing deal


Emile Heskey ... a potential marquee signing for the Newcastle Jets. Photo: Reuters

THE overwhelming response to Alessandro Del Piero's arrival at Sydney FC is expected to prompt Football Federation Australia to let Western Sydney Wanderers chase their own marquee player - but only if they can find one capable of a similar impact.

So far the FFA, which owns the Wanderers, has run the club frugally but with Del Piero sparking unprecedented interest in the A-League, heightened by Emile Heskey's budding move to Newcastle, Whitlam Square is ready to change its stance.

Wanderers executive chairman Lyall Gorman, the former A-League chief, has consistently suggested the new club will avoid a marquee in an effort to create more of a community feel but it is no secret that money has led to the club staying within the salary cap.

However, the Wanderers haven't been as passive as publicly suggested. The Herald revealed last week that the club keenly registered its interest in signing Del Piero if the deal with Sydney FC fell through.
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Inquiries have also been made on several international players who would be considered genuine marquee signings, with one South American midfielder - arguably in Del Piero's class - recently in the club's sights.

Given the Wanderers' playing stocks remain a concern, with few tipping them to make the finals, a marquee player might provide not only a spark in interest but also lift the competitiveness of the team.

Surprisingly, German legend Michael Ballack - like Del Piero, a member of FIFA's top 125 players of all time - was passed over by the club.

Ballack, 35, was released by Bayer Leverkusen at the end of last season but still showed enough during his 25 appearances, scoring three goals, to suggest he could have an impact.

The FFA is delighted with the effect Del Piero has had on the A-League without even kicking a ball. The league's new boss, Damien de Bohun, said he'd ''never seen anything like it''.

''There's no doubt Del Piero's signing has opened the eyes of athletes all over the world,'' he said. ''There's all sorts of rumours flying around but the fact someone like Ballack would even contemplate coming … is huge.''

The A-League has officially dubbed today ''Del Piero Day'' - the celebration being that this is the first day tickets go on sale to the general public for the season's A-League matches.

Tickets for Sydney FC's first three matches are expected to be among the hottest items, starting with their first match, at Wellington Phoenix on October 6, Del Piero's A-League debut.

Sydney FC chief executive Tony Pignata, who formerly held the same role at the Phoenix, said he was confident New Zealanders would turn out in force, predicting a crowd of up to 20,000 at Westpac Stadium - roughly double the Phoenix's average of recent years.

But it's the following two weeks that are expected to have the phones running even hotter today. The next Saturday, Sydney's first home game of the season - and Del Piero's first match in Australia - is against Newcastle.

Anticipation is already high for that game, but if the Jets can seal the deal with former England star Heskey as expected, Allianz Stadium will be almost certain to sell out in what is shaping as a promoter's dream.

''I'd love to see a sell-out, but if we could get over 30,000 that would be phenomenal,'' Pignata said. ''And if Heskey is confirmed with Newcastle, then you better get your tickets quick.''

After the Newcastle match, the Wanderers will host Sydney FC in round three, and the 21,487-seat Parramatta Stadium could easily sell out by the end of today, given the hype leading into the clash.

Pignata said he would be rapt if Western Sydney could end up doing a deal with Ballack, as it would only add spice to a rivalry that is sure to be among the A-League's most intense.

The World Game website reported last night that Ballack, who turns 36 next week, has agreed to join Wanderers on a one-year deal worth $1.6 million, and would be ready to play in round one. All could be revealed when the club unveils its foundation captain today.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football...#ixzz273B6LNNA

So the headline says they are looking at a marquee, the first half of the article says they are not looking at Ballack, but by the end they say it could be announced today, I don't think anyone knows anything solid.

[plague]

I don't think many of these journos have any idea what "in Del Piero's class" means.

Ballack is light years from Del Piero's class.

[la bazzle]

Agreed ballack is several classes above

[GazFish35]

I believe ballack teaches the class DelPiero is in.

[parksey]

I don't think many of these journos have any idea what "in Del Piero's class" means.

Ballack is light years from Del Piero's class.

no he's not. the guy is a legend.

[pistolpete]

Del Piero is quality but Ballack is the man. Time will tell anyway. Hopefully Heskey outplays both of them.

[plague]

wow, interesting.
I would take Del Piero's career over Ballacks any day.
but anyway, opinions and all that.

[Pico]

Marquee men have the power to please

September 22, 2012

Sebastian Hassett


Michael Ballack ... thought to be a target for several A-League clubs. Photo: Getty Images

IT WAS the concept meant to revolutionise the A-League. Instead the marquee rule, enabling one club to purchase a player outside the salary cap, has produced a mixed bag.

Before Alessandro Del Piero signed with Sydney FC, so on the nose was the strategy that four of the 10 clubs didn't have a marquee player of any kind this season - and only half the clubs boasted foreign marquees.

But such has been the instant impact of Del Piero that clubs around the league have begun to wonder if they too could stir the imagination of fans with a marquee signing.

In truth, nothing out there is quite on the level of the Azzurri legend, for he is one of the world's truly great players. But that hasn't stopped other clubs from seeing what other talent is available to help build the buzz that's surrounded the competition in the past week.
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Even teams who have already signed foreign marquees have been looking to see if they could rearrange their signings to fit those players under the cap to accommodate one of the big names available on the open market.

Here's a selection of the best potential marquee options that might be tempted by a move to the A-League.

Could these be the A-League next marquees?

Emile Heskey, 34

As of yesterday morning, the deal to bring Heskey to Newcastle is done. He's a proven target man, and his style of play means he could play at the top level for another season or two. He's not a prolific striker but he'll take the attention of defenders away from Ryan Griffiths, and the pair could easily fire Newcastle into contention this season.


Shinji Ono, 32

In Japan, Ono is held in the kind of rarefied air set aside for Hidetoshi Nakata and ex-Sydney FC star ''Kazu'' Miura. While he's no longer in the Japanese team, he remains one of the country's most recognisable football figures. With revelations that he's close to agreeing terms with Western Sydney, expect the new club to welcome a flurry of Japanese supporters if the deal comes off.


Michael Ballack, 35

Has he signed or hasn't he? Is there interest or not? Will he be a Wanderer or something else entirely? The speculation about the former German international is at fever pitch although where he'll end up, nobody knows. However, it seems his $1.6 million asking price needs to be lowered to get an Australian club interested.


Juan Roman Riquelme, 34

An idol of the football cognoscenti worldwide. He wasn't quite Argentina's replacement for Diego Maradona but he provided the genius until Lionel Messi came along. His skill is on par with Del Piero - perhaps even exceeding it for raw ability - and he remains unplayable when in the right mood. At least one A-League club has sought to make contact in recent weeks.


Eidur Gudjohnsen, 34

A star for Chelsea and Barcelona, Gudjohnsen is keen to test himself in new markets, and recently was on trial with MLS club Seattle Sounders but they couldn't fit him into the salary cap. A proven striker with top pedigree, he's younger than some of the other options, and his record for club and country speaks for itself.


Guti, 35

For those who've come to obsess about Spanish football in recent times, the prospect of one of Real Madrid's former stars running around in Australia is salivating. He has been training with West Ham recently, and while he hasn't played in almost a year, his rare technical gifts surely haven't left him. He could provide a bargain buy if his fitness levels haven't dropped.


Thomas Hitzlsperger, 30

He's the right age, and with more than 50 international caps to his name, he's the type of signing that could silence those who think this is a ''retirement league''. Nicknamed ''The Hammer'' for his penchant for spectacular long-range strikes, he is being courted by Everton but would be a top signing for any A-League club. Having played for Aston Villa, Wolfsburg and Lazio, his pedigree isn't in question.


John Carew, 33

Once among the most coveted strikers in Spain when he was banging them in for Valencia, Carew's career has stalled in recent years since moving to the English Premier League. However, Australia is the kind of league where he could become a sensation. He is linked with Celtic but the Norwegian remains an intriguing prospect.

The next level down …


Fabio Grosso, 34 - Italian World Cup winner has shown interest in Australia.

Freddie Ljungberg, 35 - former Arsenal star is also interested after recently leaving the J-League.

Hernan Crespo, 37 - recent deal with the collapsed Indian league never eventuated.

David Carney, 28 - Socceroo set to be released by Uzbek club Bunyodkor.

Owen Hargreaves, 31 - former England international believes he can still play at the top level.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football...921-26c3n.html

How on earth did Carney make that list

[Pico]

Japan's genius ponders taking wander out west

[IMG]http://images.smh.com.au/2012/09/21/36***55/art-353-Ono-300x0.jpg[/IMG]

Shinji Ono ... favoured over Michael Ballack by the Wanderers. Photo: AFP


ONE of the most famous players in Asian football is on the verge of becoming the inaugural marquee player for the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Japanese playmaker Shinji Ono is closing in on a switch from Shimizu S-Pulse to the A-League in the next fortnight in what would be a coup for the start-up club.

Terms between the 32-year-old and the Wanderers are still being thrashed out, but it is understood Ono is available at around $800,000 a season - roughly half the price of the other mooted marquee, former German international Michael Ballack.

However, with Ono retaining cult-like status in his native country and with Alessandro Del Piero boasting enormous popularity in the same country, Football Federation Australia, which owns the Wanderers, would quickly recoup his wages through the sale of television rights to Japan alone.
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Ono is ready to quit the J-League after a falling out with the management of his hometown club, ending his two-year stint with the Shizuoka team.

He is so highly rated by Tony Popovic that it is understood the Wanderers coach would prefer to sign Ono over Ballack. He is known as Tensai - ''Genius'' - in his homeland.

Popovic played in the J-League for Sanfrecce Hiroshima from 1997 to 2001, scoring 13 goals in 87 games, and knows first-hand the talent of Ono. During the same period, Popovic was just starting his career with Asia's biggest club, Urawa Red Diamonds.

In 1998, Ono was selected for Japan's World Cup squad aged just 18, and went to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, eventually making 56 appearances for his country.

After leaving Urawa in 2001, Ono was bought by Dutch giants Feyenoord, where he scored 19 goals in 112 games during a four-year spell where he became the first Japanese player to win a European trophy.

In an interview with the Herald in January, his club teammate, Socceroo Alex Brosque, said that Ono was a ''living legend of Japanese football''.

''He's just so loved everywhere you go, he's a massive star here,'' he said. ''He's still got that class factor about him and his skills are right up there.''

Meanwhile, the Wanderers are understood to have finalised their inaugural four-man board.

Wanderers executive chairman Lyall Gorman has been given permission by the FFA to take one of the four places, alongside former ALP president Warren Mundine- who until this season claimed to be a passionate Sydney FC fan.

Another position has been taken by one of Frank Lowy's associates, who was formerly involved in the Westfield Group, with the final place filled by a prominent Sydney-based Chinese-Australian businessman.

The Wanderers also announced their foundation captain yesterday, with Michael Beauchamp getting the nod to take the armband.

Beauchamp, 31, spent the first four years of his career in western Sydney at NSL clubs Marconi and Parramatta before making a name for himself with the Mariners.

He went to the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and returned from a stint in Germany to play solitary seasons with Melbourne Heart and Sydney FC before joining the Wanderers this season.

''It's a huge honour to be handed the armband to wear at any club, but it is certainly that little bit more special to receive it for a club in its foundation year that represents everything about my boyhood days and dreams,'' he said.

''I'm definitely a leader by my actions and I'm someone who will motivate on the pitch in the heat of the battle.''

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football...921-26c3m.html

So much for Gormans no marquee suggestion they cant get enough now.

[Pico]

Mark Bosnich says Western Sydney Wanderers should do everything in their power to sign Michael Ballack



Mark Bosnich says Western Sydney signing former Germany captain Michael Ballack would be a no-brainer for the club. Source: AFP

ONE of the many pieces of advice I received during my time in England went like this: start as you mean to go on. Simple but priceless.

After Sydney FC's amazing signing of Alessandro Del Piero and Newcastle's successful swoop for Emile Heskey, Western Sydney Wanderers have been left with some decisions to make.

Do they go out and match their rivals with a huge marquee player of their own? Or do they stick with their original position of no marquees?

After Del Piero's signature attracted front and back page headlines in the week of the AFL and NRL finals, the answer is simple. Who dares, wins.

Michael Ballack is ready and available. He has superb fitness levels to complement his mastery of the ball. As a commanding presence in midfield - and an ability to score goals - Ballack is as dynamic a player as any we have witnessed in the last decade.

We should remember a few points when considering the signing of a Ballack - or, for that matter, a Del Piero or a Heskey. For starters, the excitement created among traditional and non-traditional football watchers is immense, as we have seen over the past fortnight. And then there's the impact their arrival has on the players around them in the A-League.

Their experience at the elite level of our game is priceless, and their willingness to share those among this generation of Australian players is incredibly exciting. They will undoubtedly leave an indelible imprint on teammates and opponents alike.

We also shouldn't underestimate the impact these big names are having on the global reputation of the A-League. Doors are opening. Friendships are being forged. Contacts are forming.

All of this augurs well for the future.

Which leads me to this conclusion. Those who do not see the benefit that a Del Piero, Heskey and possibly Ballack bring to football in Australia are probably more interested in themselves than the game itself. Perhaps their own insecurity is a factor. Maybe they're just happy being unhappy.

We are - and have always been - a tribal game. History has shown that, with any tribe, strong leadership is needed. Frank Lowy has that in abundance, as well as the best interest of the game at heart.

So I ask on behalf of all true football lovers: Mr Lowy, if anyone can use their influence to convince the decision makers to allow the Ballack deal to happen, it's you.

Dare to dream and dare to believe. As Sydney FC showed with Del Piero, dreams can come true.

Can't see Lowy throwing money at WSW when he didn't really do it for SFC.

[Pico]

Tickets selling fast for Alessandro Del Piero's home debut for Sydney FC

Jamie Pandaram
The Daily Telegraph
September 22, 2012 12:00AM



Fans are rapidly snapping up tickets to see Alessandro Del Piero make his home debut for Sydney FC. Source: Getty Images

THE showdown between Alessandro Del Piero and English striker Emile Heskey sparked an unprecedented rush for tickets yesterday, with Sydney FC generating record results on the opening day of sales.

More than 5000 general admission tickets were purchased for the round two match between Sydney and Newcastle Jets at Allianz Stadium, compared to about 300 this time last year for their first home game.

Del Piero's signing has also seen Sydney FC memberships skyrocket, with the club already surpassing the 6800 mark they reached throughout all of last season. The Italian superstar has also generated a massive response from Wellington, where he will make his first A-League appearance in round one against the Phoenix.

Wellington boss David Dome said they had already sold 10 times the usual number of tickets for the season opener.

The clash between Sydney and the Jets could break the attendance record for a non-finals A-League game in Sydney, which stands at 33,458 when the Sky Blues hosted Melbourne Victory in 2007-08. Sydney FC's biggest ever crowd was at the 2005-06 A-League grand final when they beat Central Coast 1-0, watched by 41,689 fans.

Clearly the Heskey Factor!