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Smiling assassin bids farewell to crime scene
THERE will be a return to where
it all started for Dwight Yorke
today and the man nicknamed
the smiling assassin' accepts his
appearance this afternoon could
well be his last at Villa Park.
After a move from Trinidad &
Tobago at the age of 17, Yorke
spent nine years of his life developing
into the sort of striker that
Manchester United paid £12.6m
for in 1998.
It was Graham Taylor, the former
England manager, who was
responsible for persuading Yorke
to move to England from his
Caribbean comfort zone. Arguably
the best decision of his
life.
And while success in terms of
silverware and medals may not
have been as forthcoming as he
would have liked during a nine
year spell in the West Midlands,
it was that period which set him
up for his finest hour a year later.
Yorke was part of a Red Devils
team that overcame Bayern Munich
in the Champions League
final in May '99 and, prior to playing
his part, he had one man to
call.
"I rang Graham Taylor to
thank him for everything he'd
done for me," said Yorke. "It's no
secret that he was the man who
brought me to this country, he
was the one who invited me and
obviously helped me to make the
grade.
"I'm very grateful to him for
that. When I was at the height of
my career, doing what we did at
Man United, winning all those
trophies, I always looked back
and thought that if it wasn't for
Graham Taylor giving me the opportunity
I wouldn't have been
there.
"Some people say that it was
my doing, that if I wasn't committed
and didn't do all the hard
work, that it wouldn't have happened,
but the reality is that I had
to be given the opportunity and
the man who did that was Graham
Taylor.
"I remember standing on the
pitch before the final and I just
couldn't stop thinking that I
wouldn't be here if it wasn't for
him. That's how I felt at the time,
so I rang him up and told him so."
There were options of going to
the United States, but it was the
solitary offer from the English
league that excited Yorke.
With his Sunderland contract
up for renewal at the end of the
season, a similar scenario is likely
to present itself come May.
And, with offers from the
States and Australia, it could be
Yorke finds himself leaving the
Premier League for a second time
- meaning this afternoon will be
emotional occasion.
"Will Saturday be my last
game at Villa? It probably will be.
Who is to say?" said Yorke, knowing
there is still a chance he will
stay on Wearside. "I've not discussed
an extension of my contract
with the manager or anything,
so this might be the moment
when I make my last visit
to the stadium where I started
my career.
"There will be emotion there,
providing I get selected. I've got
my family and all my close
friends there, it will be an emotional
day. My new born son will
make his appearance for the first
time. It's a great feeling to have,
to know that this is where my career
started and that it might be
the last time I grace this stadium
as a player."
There is a chance Keane will
offer Yorke a role on the coaching
team at the Stadium of Light,
having been impressed by his former
United team-mate's attitude
on the training ground.
"Nobody else in my dressing
room has really been there and
done it although that's where
they want to get to," said Keane.
"It always helps if you've got one
or two in like that. Not for the
players to be in awe but to think
he knows the craic.
"He's doing his coaching
badges and he will make a good
coach. Yorkie brings a lot to our
dressing room. I know he's doing
his qualifications.
"He knows his football and he's
got a good way about him."
After almost a month on the
sidelines with a calf problem,
Yorke returned as a substitute in
last weekend's 1-0 defeat to
Chelsea. He could be recalled to
the starting line-up at Villa.
"Without a doubt, it's a crucial
game for us now; every one is between
now and the end of the season,"
said Yorke. "It's really vital.
It's evident that we need good results
away to ease the expectations
at home. We have big expectations
on our home form so
it's important we try to get some
kind of result away from home
and a point would be valid for us
at this stage of the season.
"We have given ourselves a
good fighting chance in terms of
survival. I'm sure the manager
has got higher expectations because
he's a man that exceeded
beyond everyone else, but the reality
is the history of this club
and you've got to take things like
that into account.
"This is a team that comes up
and goes straight back down,
pretty much. Now that we are in
a situation, which I think is
healthy, where we've given ourselves
a huge chance of staying
up, we have to make the most of
it."
Brushing today's emotion
aside, Yorke knows there will
only be seven matches remaining
to preserve top-flight status. At
this stage of his career, if he can
help Sunderland do that, his illustrious
career would have
achieved another great goal.
■ The deadline for supporters to
renew existing season tickets or
any fans wishing to purchase a
new seat is approaching fast.
The deadline to secure a seat at
07-08 prices is Friday, April 4.
Supporters can renew their
season ticket online for the first
time this season, using a credit/
debit card via www.safc.com.
■ Ipswich have signed Manchester
United defender Danny Simpson
on loan until the end of the
season. Simpson has made eight
appearances for United this term
and spent time on loan at the Stadium
of Light last season.
8:39am Saturday 22nd March 2008
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