I'm on a train, facing backwards, feeling slightly sick and heading at speed towards
Cheshire, where I've been invited to the home of an England legend for afternoon tea.
We have arrived at our location in leafy Cheshire, sadly our guest hasn't bothered to come and
meet us, which possibly suggests he doesn't even want us here.
Liverpool in the FA Cup on Saturday, you are going to go back to Anfield, how do you feel
about that?
Wonderful.
Who would have thought at 37 going back to play at the club where I enjoyed so much success.
We won a lot of trophies - that's where I won most of my trophies - I am grateful for
them and the fans were wonderful for me.
You had huge success playing with Michael Owen at Liverpool; why did those particular
dynamics work do you think?
Mine and Michael's started from a young age.
We played together - he was 16, I was 18 playing for England under-18's - we started playing
together there and that's where Gerard Houllier saw us.
He was the manager of the French under-18's at the time.
Obviously he then bought me at Liverpool and it escalated from there.
We would work on stuff, and it just clicked, any time I went up for the ball I knew where
he was going to be and he knew where I was going to be, it just worked.
Have you ever played with someone where there just isn't that sort of chemistry?
You play with loads of people like that.
You try and make it work but inevitably it's not quite clicking but you still try, but
me and Michael had this little thing where straight off it just worked.
What point in your life Emile did you realise I'm pretty good at this football life and
I can make a living out of it?
When you say living - make it my job - I knew I was pretty good from a young age.
Probably 16, 17, as late as that.
But I knew I was good at it when I first started, which was when I was nine.
I did athletics and until they put a ball in front of me I used to love athletics more.
Throughout your career you have got stick for not scoring enough goals, Gerard Houllier
always stuck up for you, but some fans got on your back saying you weren't prolific enough
in front of goal.
Did you find that criticism harsh?
Not really - look I was on the pitch to do a job, and I did that job.
Even though scoring was part of that, I did score, but not as much as everyone wanted
me to.
I was still on the pitch to do a job.
But did it bother you?
Only in the early years of my career.
I'm still playing, so if anyone is wrong, who's wrong?
When you were in Australia we were all very amused over here when we got reports of Heskey
Cam, which was basically a camera following only you around.
It was like that movie with Zidane.
What did you make of that?
It was a first for me to be honest with you.
When you were on the Heskey Cam I presume you were aware of it so does that make you
really self-conscious?
I can't pick my nose, I can't spit, I can't scratch myself.
I didn't think about it one bit.
You are just running around and I'm only thinking back now when you are saying that - what was
I actually doing?
So, thanks.
You are getting towards the end of your career, have you got plans for after football?
I haven't actually, everyone keeps telling me to take my badges - do this do that - I
haven't really thought about it yet.
If I was to do coaching it would probably be younger kids rather than adults because
you can actually - they do what they are told - basically.
Have you any regrets?
I haven't.
The only possible one, it wouldn't be a regret, I was injured in the quarter final Leicester
played against Spurs, we lost it 1-0 I think.
I was injured, and that could have been prevented, if I had of figured out what was wrong.
I just had a muscle imbalance at the time.
I was getting injections in my back and all sorts, just to get back on the field.
If I had of known what was wrong, I could have prevented that and we could have won
that.
After nearly a 20 year career that is the sum total of your regrets.
That's a nice thing to be able to say.