EMERY DEMANDS FACEBOOK GROUP REMOVAL

Stephen Emery has threatened to have Facebook "taken off the internet" after he discovered a derisory group about him. The social networking page has been in existence since last summer and was created by some disgruntled Rugby & Northampton fans after the 5k man made a big money switch to Coventry Godiva. Speaking exclusively to the echo the group's founder described the "immense hurt" that Emery's snub had caused his boyhood team. "We were nearly relegated [from Birmingham League Division 1] weren't we? I always thought that when Stephen wore that vest saying 'I'M RUGBY TILL I DIE' he would always be with us. I cried myself to sleep the night he left".

Emery famously "nearly veered off the road in horror" when his agent telephoned through Rugby's contract renewal offer. Claiming to be "better than that" the then largely unknown athlete deserted his club-mates overnight for cross region rivals, Coventry. He has since shot to fame and commanded a salary rumoured to run into the tens of millions as well as attracting interest from big clubs such as Newham and Belgrave. Emery has not been without controversy since the switch and boss David Dix was forced to leave him out of the squad for the National 12 Stage this April.

The Loughborough based ace refused to answer questions about the incident at his weekly press call this evening, but did threaten to ban a journalist from this Friday's pre-BMC conference after he asked him "how important Facebook was" in his preparation. A source close to Emery said that the star was "absolutely fuming" and had dismissed two close aides after they didn't pick it up sooner. "Nineteen people have been having a laugh at his expense" said the insider "that is outrageous. We have a meeting booked with Mark Zuckerberg [Facebook's founder] first thing in the morning to discuss compensation".

The Facebook group in question can be found here.

EMERY FUMES AT EIGHTLANE PREDICTIONS

Stephen Emery has reacted angrily to predictions on the popular running forum, eightlane that he will not win a medal at this weekend's BUCS Championships. The website invited its posters to predict how the Championships might turn out and only one post mentioned Emery as a contender for the 5,000m - predicting a 5th placed finish in 14:56.

"F****** outrageous" thundered Emery from his weekly press conference "who the f*** do they think they are? How can they f****** count me out? It's f****** mental if you ask me. I am the bronze medalist! FIFTH? You've got to be kidding me." Emery famously ran a "sensible" race last year to secure his place on the podium - but faced criticism from Steve Cram for "never even trying to win it".

The Coventry Godiva star also denied that his success has gone to his head. Emery has been criticised for "lauding his success" over close pals. "I only display the medal at weekends" said the engineer "and the picture on the wall was a gift". In response to accusations that he is often "over-hydrated", Emery threw his water bottle (room temperature) across the room. "Nonsense" blasted the 3:48 (Stretford Timing) 1500m man "they'll try anything to get at me, before my big day. Just you wait until I'm the champion - then you'll all see what correct hydration looks like".

EMERY FURY OVER 'CHEATING' SLUR

Stephen Emery has expressed his "absolute horror" at being branded a cheat by some of his contemporaries. The £20m Coventry Godiva man was accused of "not behaving in the spirit of the occasion" at a water park visit during his warm weather training trip to Portugal this afternoon. A high-stakes race was organised on a five lane water slide with many of Emery's most bitter rivals taking part. The 3:48 (Stretford Timing) 1500m man was disqualified in his heat after false-starting but immediately appealed the decision on the grounds that "a whistle from the crowd" had distracted him. A small scuffle ensued resulting in both Emery and Altrincham's Andy Norman being dragged away by race officials. 

The upshot of the 90 minute steward's inquiry was Emery's reinstatement in a re-run of his heat, with the determined 23 year-old easing into the semi-finals. However, the Godiva star had to put up with boos from the 23,000 spectators and cries of "cheat" as he stretched between rounds. Visibly shaken by the atmosphere, Emery only scraped into the final where he was once again disqualified for what he called a "harsh" false-start. The race was eventually won by the largely unfancied Shane Kerr.

Speaking afterwards, Emery made no effort to hide his displeasure at the circumstances of his defeat. "You work your whole winter for an event like this" he blasted "and then an incident like that ruins the whole day.  I am not a cheat. I would never cheat. It is a personal insult to be called one". On his disqualification in the final, Emery harrumphed that the starter "didn't know what he was doing" and held competitors for far too long. "Total amateurs" thundered the BUCS Bronze medalist "I will never compete here again".

'PETULANT' EMERY TO BE DROPPED FOR NATIONAL SHOWDOWN

Coventry Godiva's Director of Athletics, David Dix has dropped star man Stephen Emery after he "showed contempt to his teammates" at the Midland 12 Stage on Saturday. A dismal performance saw the 3:48 (Stretford Timing) star slump to a miserable 27:21 clocking for a long leg at the weekend - an occurrence that "undoubtedly cost" Godiva a medal - according to Dix. "It was arrogant and unprofessional" thundered Dix of Emery "we all know that he wants away from here, but the offers just haven't been good enough". Coventry paid £19.3m for Emery in 2009 and it is understood that Dix wants "at least double" that price in order to let him go.

Emery has been fined two weeks wages (roughly £100,000) after he was photographed on a night out just days before the Midlands event and Dix has said that he is "making a point" by leaving arguably his most important athlete out of the line up for next month's National Relay. "I want to show that the club is bigger than just him. Sure, I'd like to hang onto someone like that but not at the cost of losing the soul of the club." Emery could be replaced in the team by a member of the youth team to further demonstrate "the future".

Coventry legend Dave Moorcroft blasted Emery yesterday evening and stated that the club was "ready to sell". The former Rugby & Northampton talisman was furious in January when the club turned down a £25m bid from Tipton, but Moorcroft's comments now seem to leave the door open for Emery to fulfill his "boyhood dream" of pulling on a Green and White vest. Speaking exclusively to the lufbra echo, Josh Lilley (who recently joined Tipton) said that the club "was the right place" for Emery. "We're building a team that will dominate" said Lilley "it's time to get serious now and go after the big boys".

Emery's spokespeople refused to comment this evening, but he did use his Twitter account to bemoan the increased level of fluoride in Loughborough's tap water.

SNOWBALL MUST GET RESULTS: RADCLIFFE

Paula Radcliffe has added to the pressure mounting on LSAC Cross Country Captain Ben Snowball today by commenting that the captain's future "rests on an upturn in form". The Marathon world record holder and former Loughborough student poured scorn on Snowball's claims that he is "building for the future". "You look at the club over the past few years and it is in a bad way" said Radcliffe from the launch of her new perfume "I don't necessarily blame Ben as it is largely the quad he inherited, but with BUCS just around the corner, I think he is going to have to up his game sharpish".

Loughborough are without a win all season and whilst Snowball has pointed to "an injury crisis" many have questioned the Aldershot man's ability to handle a big club. "He came in with good credentials" continued Radcliffe "but unfortunately we haven't seen any of that yet. Some of the performances of late have been completely abject." Whilst a heavy points deduction for Birchfield Harriers looks like saving LSAC from the ignomy of relegation, the club slumped to one of their worst performances ever at Perry Barr last month evidenced by the fact that Pete Matthews was a high counter. "That is completely humiliating for a club like this" sighed Radcliffe "you look at the great history of scorers and now a hapless ginger is a key figure. It's very sad."

Snowball will be relieved to be able to call on the services of Stephen Emery - whose loan deal does not permit him to race for Loughborough in the Birmingham League - at BUCS next month. However, with the British Number One Five Miler voicing concerns about "a wasted generation" at Loughborough, all is not well. "We should have Ryan [McLeod] and so that will give us some credibility" said Emery from his weekly press conference "but it still is a bit humiliating to look at some of the contenders to be honest." Emery was speaking just days after signing a lucrative contract extension with Coventry Godiva rumoured to be worth somewhere in the region of £5m. "It was never about the money" said the 24:24 5 mile man "I think that this club can best suit my needs going forward and so I am here to stay".

Whether Ben Snowball will be allowed the same luxuries is unclear, but with a "vote of confidence" issued by George Gandy after last month's disaster the signs are not promising.

EDMONDS SNUB LEAVES EMERY OUT IN THE COLD

Noel Edmonds has blocked Stephen Emery from appearing on Deal or No Deal, the Lufbra Echo can exclusively reveal. It is understood that the Coventry Godiva star applied to be on the Channel 4 show in order to fulfil a "long-held" ambition to beat the banker and become the first male quarter millionaire in the history of the show. However things went array when Edmonds - a life long Rugby and Northampton fan - discovered that the 3:48 man had snubbed his beloved club in favour of a lucrative move to Coventry.

Emery is known to be "borderline obsessed" with the programme and regularly plans training commitments in order to free him up for its tea-time slot. "This is a major blow to Stephen" said a close friend "it has been such a tough few weeks and I know that he was really looking forward to the show. He has quite literally been sent to Coventry". The BUCS Bronze Medallist is said to be "devastated" that his boyhood hero is behind the rejection. The source refused to confirm whether the Noel Edmonds poster that adorned Emery's bedroom wall had been torn down in disgust, but did say that he was "really really upset".

It is not known whether this setback will effect Emery's preparations for the 2011 campaign, but it is now likely that his availability for training on weekday evenings will be a lot more flexible.

DEVONISH LATE NIGHT TV SHAME

Marlon Devonish is today facing a fight for his future after shocking revelations appeared in this morning's Daily Star. The former Olympic (Relay) Gold Medallist has been accused of staying up "into the early hours" watching "smutty shows from Australia" that involve 22 men "playing with bats and balls for days at a time". It is understood that this sick showing appears nightly on Sky and is known in the trade as "The Ashes".

Devonish has remained silent this morning and a spokesman for his club Coventry Godiva said that they were treating the incident "very seriously". "We believe that the show demonstrates rituals known as sledging and hitting each other for six," said the source "whilst I cannot speculate on Marlon's involvement in the viewing of such filth, it goes without saying that the club would be most concerned if that were to be the case."

Devonish - who was 34 this year - had previously said that he hoped to continue his career as long as the London Olympics in 2012, but it seems very likely that meeting organisers will now steer clear. Whilst shocked fans today pledged to "stand by" their man regardless of his alleged wrongdoing, others have been quick to distance themselves from the sprint ace stating that his behaviour has "cheapened the sport".

EMERY 'FED UP' WITH LOUGHBOROUGH REGIME

Stephen Emery could be on the brink of a shock move to Birmingham after telling his advisers not to enter into discussions about the renewal of his contract at Loughborough. The 3:48 1500m man is said to be "very upset" after not receiving a personal email of congratulations from Guru George Gandy after his recent Birmingham League success and has always had a soft spot for the velvet tongued Bud Buldaro. The Lufbra Echo also understands that Emery is still furious about the new arrangements surrounding physio vouchers that have been introduced by a rampaging Ian Anholm. The Director of Administrative Affairs (Upstairs Office) has limited all athletes to just five vouchers per term and Emery has slammed this decision as "unreasonable" and is rumoured to have left a "stroppy note" on Anholm's car windscreen.

"Stephen is tired at the moment" sighed a seemingly unconcerned George Gandy from his weekly press conference "I am sure that this is the hours of stretching are taking their toll and in the new year he will be refreshed and ready to commit his future to us." The fact that a possible Emery defection is headline news only serves to underline how far the unfancied engineer has come in the past eighteen months. Written off by many, Emery was criticised for his "handlebars" by assistant coach David Howe just over a year ago and was on the brink of being "moved on" from the club after a dismal summer campaign in 2009. Since then, the Coventry Godiva man has become a linchpin in Gandy's squad and however much LSAC protest otherwise, his loss would be catastrophic in the run up to the BUCS Cross Country Championships.

An Emery spokesman was keen to play down the rumours this evening and was instead focussing on the "ludicrous" decision by Pete Matthews to grow a pony tail for the aforementioned BUCS. "If anything it is Mr Matthews that is forcing Stephen to consider his position" said the source "living with him is an awful experience and I think anyone would get fed up of hearing about how he once medalled at the U6 National Cross Relays every single day".

Matthews is said to be growing the pony tail for "attention seeking purposes".

'I AM THE FAVOURITE': EMERY

Stephen Emery "can't bloody wait" for the first outing of the winter at tomorrow's Birmingham League at Leamington. Despite rumours that Emery is unhappy with his current arrangements at Coventry, the 1500m star has insisted that he will "give his all" to the forthcoming campaign. "There is no reason why it can't be a clean sweep" said the former Rugby & Northampton athlete "I know that if I can win tomorrow, I can get a run going...let's face it - I am the one to beat."

Emery will not have to face long time rival Sebastian Foy as the Cheltenham man has joined the legions of ex-Loughborough stars to retire from the sport. Foy conceded that his "height disadvantage" had become too much for him and announced his retirement at an emotional press conference last week. "I haven't been the same since I suffered a suspected stress fracture last Spring" said Foy "I guess it's all over for me now. I want to congratulate everyone else on all the good work they have been doing."

Emery was dismissive of the rivalry when asked about it at his own press conference and even went as far as admitting that he "never liked" Foy. Calling him a "slimy no-hoper", Emery slammed Foy's "pretences at stardom". "I have no idea what people saw in him," said the 3:48 1500m man "when it came to the track, his challenge disintegrated." When asked about potential rivals for the forthcoming series, Emery said that he "honestly couldn't think of anyone capable of getting close" to him and branded Pete Matthews "an embarrassment to the sport".

The Loughborough based engineer refused to answer questions surrounding rumours that he has approached David Howe in order to "beg" for some help. "Private business is private business," said a stern faced Emery sipping from an electrolyte drink.

'DOOR ALWAYS OPEN' TO TIPTON: EMERY

Stephen Emery has indicated that he would "always consider" a move to Tipton Harriers "if the contract was right". The 1500m star is rumoured to be unhappy at Coventry after a dismal display at the 6 Stage this weekend. David Dix - Coventry's manager - has already criticised his athlete recently after Emery opted for a weekend away over competing for his club at the Midland's event. The BUCS Bronze medallist slumped to an 18:07 clocking on Saturday which was only good enough fourth fastest amongst his team mates. Such a performance will almost certainly put his place in the National Cross Country Relays in jeopardy and it is unlikely that this will sit well with the £80,000 a week star.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Emery refused to rule out a switch to Coventry's midland rivals and had harsh words for his current employers. "I didn't know what leg I was to run until the morning of the race", said the 3:48 man "that isn't on. I know that McLeod [of Tipton] knew his leg weeks ago. It almost certainly cost me an individual medal." Speaking of Tipton, Emery conceded that he "had always dreamt" of a National medal and wondered whether it "would ever be possible" at his current club. "I am better than the Birmingham League" sighed Emery "I'm always associated with my stunning displays there, but I feel that I have done all I can for Coventry."

Tipton have made no secret of their desire to attract Emery - with rumours that they are ready to install him on a "significant sum" circulating in yesterday's papers. However, Emery is on a four year deal at Coventry and it is likely that his transfer fee could stretch into tens of millions. Issuing a "hands off" order, Dix said that he was "very disappointed" with Tipton, adding that it "undoubtedly contributed" to his man's appalling showing at Sutton Park. "These so-called big clubs have to learn that they are not the be all and end all," thundered Dix this evening, "it is outrageous. I will be lodging a complaint with UKA - not that they'll care."

COVENTRY LAMENT EMERY SNUB

Coventry Godiva manager David Dix has hit out at Stephen Emery after he decided to go on holiday rather than compete for his club at the Midland 6 Stage Relays. The 3:48 1500m man is only contracted to run 8 races a year for Coventry and opted for the excitement of a German weekend break over helping his team win a medal. Calling Emery's decision "very disappointing", Dix said that his lack of team spirit was becoming "increasingly worrying". Dix was speaking after watching his team miss out on a medal by just 30 seconds in a race won by Notts AC. "Obviously it's gutting to lose like that," sighed the head coach "but it is always going to be tough when your big names become selfish".

In 2009, Coventry broke their transfer record in order to pay Rugby & Northampton nearly £6m to bring Emery to the club. Despite promising showings in the Birmingham League, Godiva have struggled to net a major regional or national title and - according to club insiders - Emery should take some responsibility for this. "He still hasn't run a Midland Championships," said a source, "he underperformed at the National Cross and probably cost us a medal."

Radio phone-ins were inundated with Coventry fans voicing their disapproval of Emery's convictions yesterday evening. "All this rubbish about him being sensible" said Peter, a 48 year-old season ticket holder, "the truth is that we have given him the platform to get to where he is and he hasn't repaid us with anything. Is he really worth the money?" Another disillusioned fan pondered whether the club would ever be able to challenge at a national level: "the fact is that we have spent a lot since the new owners have come in, but what we've got is a bunch of individuals. I think we need a clear out."

A spokesman for Emery said that his charge was "greatly upset" at the lack of support from the club and pointed out that he had "no obligation" to compete. Emery is due to run the National 6 Stage but with Dix talking about blooding some youngsters, the BUCS bronze medallist may face a fight to win his first team place back.