Michael who?
I stopped worrying about Michael Owen on the day his contract expired with Newcastle United - but to see the pint sized striker paraded with a Manchester United shirt and scarf should not be a major surprise.
He's not fussed what Toon fans think or Liverpool supporters either.
Owen probably stopped worrying about Newcastle when he refused to sign a new deal last season, months before the season ended and months before United were relegated.
Whether he has ever truly cared about Newcastle United is a major topic for debate, in my opinion his time at St James's Park was simply his job but he didn't go about like most Toon fans wanted.
There didn't seem to be any joy in his face when he played for Newcastle or after a number of his goals.
It was just a job for him, that he had to get out of bed for in the morning.
The fact you only seemed to see him smile when he was at the races with his top hat on underlines that.
Sir Alex Ferguson is shrewd enough to know that Owen will probably turn out to be an excellent signing.
And the fact that Newcastle went down made it easier for Owen to go to Old Trafford.
As Toon fans we were always sceptical about his desire to play for Newcastle, backed up by his latest comments - or more boring drivel if you like.
Even Liverpool fans knew that he didn't look like a man who cared as much as others, underlined by their love for Robbie Fowler at the time.
Owen for me is manufactured as a footballer, he isn't one of the game's characters.
In the 1970s, people like Denis Law, Rodney Marsh and Supermac were great players because they had charm, cheek and skill to die for.
They wouldn't be ashamed to mix it with real people in pubs have a pint or get some pie and mash down their necks.
In the 1980s football had people like Frank McAvennie, Charlie Nicholas and Ian Rush while Kevin Keegan showed that the world was changing for footballers with a string of commercial deals, which kept him in the public eye.
But still in the 1990s where would our football memories be in the pub on a Friday night if we couldn't talk about Micky Quinn, Lee Clark, David Kelly and Rob Lee!
Certainly we won't be talking about Michael Owen in the same breath as the likes of that lot.
Owen has done it by the book and has been trained on FA courses as a kid to say sensible things to the media, look after his body and don't drink too much.
Yet it says it all when Toon fans probably have more feeling (not much) for disgraced midfielder Joey Barton than the choir boy looks of Cheshire's (not in Wales) Michael Owen and his mundane Hollyoaks accent.
Gone and quickly forgotten me thinks.
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, the Chronicle's chief sports writer has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
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Glad he's gone - just can't believe he's ended up a decent club. He'll no doubt score more for them with so much put on a plate for him, and knowing our luck he'll stay fit for them too.
It's nice how he summed up the £40m he cost us as "a poor spell". Cheers Michael, you're welcome I'm sure. Enjoy the stables we paid for.
Sorry if this is wrong, but such is my detestment for this horrible little S*** that I hope he picks up a career ending injury in the tour to malaysia. Why should we care about him , what exactly did he do for Newcastle apart from bleed us dry . Weren't we the ones who looked after him when he picked up his major injury playing for England, or a number of other injury spells . It sums him up really , tells you everything you need to know about the man . Not a person I would want with me in the trenches , in my opinion a coward. Good riddance and good luck to Man U , hopefully they have him on a pay as you play and he gets injured and gets F*** all
I will second that djc I hope his spell with scum utd is full of injuries and misery the money grabbing scouse git. What really gets up my nose is that he had the cheek to say that his time at Newcastle utd was a bad spell. If that expensive waste of space had of rolled his sleeves up and found a back bone and the net more often we might not of been in the brown stuff and not so bitter at his exit to scum utd I will admit it I hate them more than Sunderland and always will. Keep the faith lads I'm sure this current nightmare will come to an end one day??.
The stories about Owen must be another spoof created by a Sunderland fan.
Regarding other news: the guys from Malaysia were undoubtedly visiting Newcastle to look at the stuff being sold off, but seats from SJP will be too big for them to use back home.
Lee,
Why do you and your paper report that the sale of the club is set to go through within days one day and you go on national radio and say the worry is that Ashley will be incharge at the start of the season with Kinnear in charge.
You have no evidence that Ashley will appoint Kinnear again. If he was he'd have done it already.
Wish you would be as bit more consistant in your stories!
Ryder's reply: Sorry Kris, but I did not write that story.
As far as I'm concerned if the club isn't sold I think there is a great chance Kinnear will be appointed due to his friendship with Ashley and while is suitability is in question outside the four walls of St James's Park, Ashley and Derek Llambias rate JFK.
Are you saying that isn't a worry?
It's not that long ago that you were singing his praises!
It's funny how Sir John Hall has been so critical of the creature who currently owns the club he cares so deeply about. If he's really that bothered then why don't he and his fat mate have whip round and see if they buy it back off the cretin they sold it to. Perhapse they could finance the move using some of the millions they pocketed out of the sale in the first place. Seriously, who the hell are these Malaysans? Does anyone know a thing about these consortiums? How thick is Mike Ashley.
Surley, by simply appointing Alan Shearer and backing a promotion campaign he would got a few better offers. He could of sold the club at any time next season. With the right attitude and the right combination of the players weve got and some decent new ones, by about March this team should have been nailed on to the top of the division, having absolutely obliterated every vastly infearor opposition they face. A club flighing straight back to where they belong would surley be a more attractive proposition to buyers then one decending into footballing oblivion. Which by the way is exactly where we are heading.
Michael Owen is the star mercenary footballer.
He came to Newcastle to get back into the premier league as Real Madrid were on to him. Shepherd and the toon fans were suckered by the hype. Owen failed in his plan to spend a few months at NUFC because he got himself injured. Keegan made a big mistake making him captain in the vain hope of keeping him at the toon. It was plain for all to see he could not motivate anyone to keep the toon up as he was not motivated himself, he always wanted away.
The turmoil at the club and the relegation did not bother him at all. the jammy sod has been scooped up by fergy as a stop gap, same as Saha, and will suffer the same fate only quicker, when he hands his first sick note to fegy. As bad as things are we will be better off without him and the rest of the faint hearts. We still have to wait and see what kind of mess the spivs leave us with but at least there is one less lemon sucker to look at.
I have to agree with the feeling of thes posts that not only did he not want to play for us but he wanted the money and use us as a sping board to another club.If am honest a surprised he ended up at a club like manchester united but who are we to question the best manager in the game and maybe all time in ferguson
MO is like a two faced girlfriend that stabbs you inte back once she´s drained you of all your emotions....and money...stonecold..
M = mercenary
I = insensitive
C = coward
H = has been
A = arrogant
E = evil
L = loser
O = owes us
W = wicked
E = elf
N = nobody
What infuriated me most about Owen was his attitude to NUFC from day one. He seemed to resent playing for our club with a passion and showed this with poor performances, no emotion, and lame injury excuses.
Interesting that in his brochure he states that NUFC sold him a dream that never materialised. What's clear is that Owen did exactly the same to the toon. What Owen never acknowledged is that he was a major part of the our squad and therefore a major part of the problem.
Each time I see Owen smiling from ear to ear in that Man U shirt I grip the remote a bit tighter. He will be a success at Man U as he is only joining them as a squad player. He cant lie back on the massage table and watch the cash roll in as he did at SJP. He HAS to play and therefore HAS to stay fit in order to keep his GGs in hay!
Owen should have been a big player for us. He could have been loved by us, all he had to do was mention the word "Newcastle" now and again in interviews for England.!
But a Fitba mercenary is what he is. 4 years and no song. That tells ya everything...!
Am hoping we can think of a song this season for him. Am also hoping he injures himself loading his massive wallet into the back of his big car.!
On a positive note: Beeb1 showing Toon games. No extra expence to spend there then. I will save a few coppers cancelling my Sky telly.! ;)
Michael Owen is a class act who has been unlucky with injuries. He still managed 30 goals in 79 appearances (14 as sub).
As for the drivel about him being told to treat his body right well if you are holding that against him then I have no sympathy for you. The reason he does this is so he can give the best performances on the pitch, would you prefer him to turn up hungover? When you are paying him 100k a week would you rather he got wasted on it and played terribly or that he looked after himself and was able to perform on the pitch?
Some people...
Matty Boy - I could not agree more. One of the previous posts hit the nail on the head - he was sold a dream that never materialised. Let's face it, when he joined, the team and club was completely different to what it is now. In 10 appearances he scored 7 goals (Shearer played 40 and scored 14). If he had joined a club that managed to move forwards and not one that was completely and utterly mismanaged then the situation could and really should have been completely different.
When are people going to stop blaming MO for the serious failings of this club? Did anyone really expect him to resign when it was patently obvious that the club was in freefall with yet more managerial change, an incompetent owner and an unbalanced team? If you did then you are seriously deluded.
He's certainly not to blame for the club's woes and he was undoubtedly sold a dream that didn't materialise - as were we all. He did, however, miss numerous sitters anmd when we needed him to put a shift in, he didn't even look bothered. No matter how 'good' he was/is and no matter his past reputation, when he pulls on the B&W shirt and is asked to do a job, he should have done it. He should be no more immune to criticism on this than sveral players past and present, like Shola, Dyer, Coloccini, Boumsong etc etc
The cynics amongst us might reflect on how a player with a big reputation but poor recent fitness record who's already been tapped up by a club or manager that would ensure that he stayed full square in the international picture would look on the pitch in the last year of his contract.
Oh I forgot, we don't need to reflect. we just need to look at replays of last season.
How he must have received the shock of Sir Alex's call the other morning.
He taken so much from the club - even our pleasure at booing him on his return to SJP with another club!!
Aaaaaaaaaaaarggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!
Mr.Owen can go to hell for all I care, the idiot resented playing for us but was happy taking our money, I really do wish him an injury, for real
Correct me if I’m wrong, but Owen was bought for his football talent, not his looks or personality… or voice talents. Please, forget the price at that time, 2005, because it was OUR contract, our foresight, our risk, our potential mistake. Do you really think Alex Ferguson is looking for a new pin up boy here, now that ronaldo has effed off? I doubt it.
Ferguson, bless him, knows there is untapped gold. And of course it took an oh so astute (not) business sense to see this opportunity. Timing, of course, is everything. Sadly, the toon’s best business brain at present is likely sitting on a beach, sipping cocktails, wondering whether to buy that pretty time share apartment or not.
Many posters here seem horribly pi**ed at the outrageous greed of the player, and in some ways of course rightly so. It hurts, those figures. It isn’t fair. It’s a normal reaction to be well angry. As a player, Owen clearly can’t be called a toon legend, but let go this sour grape petty jealousy attitude. He was not exactly a Luque, et al, he overcame serious injury to knock a decent ratio. When the hurt dies off what will you remember? We got the England wannabe legend, in his near prime - and a mixture of bad luck and consistently horrendous mismanagement condemned it to an almost unthinkable conclusion. Yeah, you see, the unthinkable does sometimes happen in life, and in football. But Micheal Owen, he’ll be all right, because he isn’t consistently blinkered and mismanaged, is he?
I wonder how he’ll do next season?
Good to see you are not concerned by him.....by writing an article about it, its clear you're not at all bothered!
All you lot who seem to want ot defend MO. Lets get things straight we dont blame him for Newcastle demise and fall, however you can say he ever had any intention of playing with pride for OUR club. His attidude stinks, he lied to the club and the fans instread of being honest about the fact he never had and intention of staying (as already said he only stayed this long because he was injured). He was a waste of money and I wish him no success in the future, as far as I am concern his comments of cruel, harsh are all the more farcical in way of the fact what did he do on the pitch to make us think other wise. You would think the amount of time he spent watching football and not playing he would have learn't that the TOP MODERN day strikers are head shoulders and hips above him. He is a lazy over paid waster nothing more but perhaps plenty less.
To RAF Mark. The vast majority of modern day footballers use clubs to their own ends. Get over it.
Why don't you redirect your anger and passion where it is applicable - the circus that brought the expensive clowns to town.
The whole episode of Owen is overated as there are a lot of us that want passion instead of money makers.
How many kids that want to wear the toon shirt for nowt is outweighed by players that want the big wages, the fact is that this is a job but the loyal black and whites work to fund the big wages.
The Ronaldo affair esculates transfer fees for the future which gives little value to the kids playing on the hope of playing just to wear their favourite team shirt.
Seems a disgrace on how much money is spent but no trophies.
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