Toon tell Owen to accept £30k a-week pay slash... says the Mail

[midds]

More s****-slinging from the rags. Whatever next?

 

Used to annoy me but not any more. They know the square root of f*** all.

 

The Times isn't a rag though in fairness

 

Part of News Corporation, owned by Murdoch, written by wankers.

 

Do you believe every word they print? 

 

 

[Tooj]

More s****-slinging from the rags. Whatever next?

 

Used to annoy me but not any more. They know the square root of f*** all.

 

The Times isn't a rag though in fairness

 

Part of News Corporation, owned by Murdoch, written by wankers.

 

Do you believe every word they print? 

 

 

 

Only if Henry Winter writes it. 

[midds]

More s****-slinging from the rags. Whatever next?

 

Used to annoy me but not any more. They know the square root of f*** all.

 

The Times isn't a rag though in fairness

 

Part of News Corporation, owned by Murdoch, written by wankers.

 

Do you believe every word they print? 

 

 

 

Only if Henry Winter writes it. 

 

The best of a very bad bunch. And even Winter has been known to have the odd dig from time to time.... 

 

Not got a problem with Owen's quotes, more the way they're spun.

[Mick]

 

Only if Henry Winter writes it. 

 

He's possibly the only one I would trust as he's more interested in football than agendas; I've got a lot of time for him.

 

[Ronaldo]

More s****-slinging from the rags. Whatever next?

 

Used to annoy me but not any more. They know the square root of f*** all.

 

The Times isn't a rag though in fairness

 

Part of News Corporation, owned by Murdoch, written by wankers.

 

Do you believe every word they print? 

 

 

 

no, not quite, but I have a modicum of respect for it's writers

[Ronaldo]

More s****-slinging from the rags. Whatever next?

 

Used to annoy me but not any more. They know the square root of f*** all.

 

The Times isn't a rag though in fairness

 

Correct, it makes perfectly good bog roll, as do all Rupert Murdoch owned companies.

 

since when do you read the times? thought you were still on with the Beano

[Mick]

 

The best of a very bad bunch. And even Winter has been known to have the odd dig from time to time.... 

 

Not got a problem with Owen's quotes, more the way they're spun.

 

Henry does have digs at times but I think he'd be over the moon if things were going well for us, he'd be the first to praise the club.

[Mick]

 

since when do you read the times? thought you were still on with the Beano

 

[midds]

 

The best of a very bad bunch. And even Winter has been known to have the odd dig from time to time.... 

 

Not got a problem with Owen's quotes, more the way they're spun.

 

Henry does have digs at times but I think he'd be over the moon if things were going well for us, he'd be the first to praise the club.

 

Think you're absolutely right, if we get it right.

 

I'm getting more cynical the older I get. Christ knows what I'll be like when I'm your age.

[Tooj]

 

The best of a very bad bunch. And even Winter has been known to have the odd dig from time to time.... 

 

Not got a problem with Owen's quotes, more the way they're spun.

 

Henry does have digs at times but I think he'd be over the moon if things were going well for us, he'd be the first to praise the club.

 

Think you're absolutely right, if we get it right.

 

I'm getting more cynical the older I get. Christ knows what I'll be like when I'm your age.

 

Struggling to make it to the toilet on time probably.

[Mick]

 

Think you're absolutely right, if we get it right.

 

I'm getting more cynical the older I get. Christ knows what I'll be like when I'm your age.

 

 

 

[Mick]

 

Struggling to make it to the toilet on time probably.

 

 

You're all at it tonight.

[midds]

[Tooj]

Even Sir Bobby is looking younger in his avatar. 

[Guest black n white]

he can go for me like, i'll even offer to fly his helicopter back to where ever it is he lives. later buster

[rocksammy]

ive said this many times but this is the most important signing of the season and i hope it gets done

[Disco]

Sport

Football

Newcastle United

Owen warns Newcastle he is ready to walk out on a free

Simon Williams and Dominic Fifield

The Guardian, Saturday July 26 2008

Article history

 

Michael Owen is in a strong bargaining position for his contract talks with Newcastle United. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

 

Michael Owen has warned Newcastle United he will leave on a Bosman free transfer at the end of the season unless they improve their contract offer. The England striker has told friends he wants to stay at St James' Park having been impressed by Kevin Keegan since the manager's return in January. But talks over a new deal, which began in May, have dragged on because the club are reluctant to match his wage demands.

 

Owen's £105,000-a-week contract has less than a year left to run and in January he will be able to open discussions with rival clubs about a free transfer next summer. Although the 28-year-old would rather stay at Newcastle, he knows he is likely to receive a larger wage offer elsewhere if he leaves on a Bosman and as a result he and his advisers are negotiating from a position of considerable strength.

 

Newcastle's owner, Mike Ashley, is keen to reduce wages but Owen does not see why he should take a pay cut after proving his worth with 10 goals in 19 games at the end of last season. The club, though, are mindful that their £16m signing from Real Madrid has played only 47 games for them in three years because of injuries.

 

Keegan insisted in April that he regarded Owen's new contract as the club's most important signing of the summer but the matter has not been resolved, despite several meetings. Owen is keen to get something finalised after expressing his pleasure at life under Keegan. "We had a good time of it last season, especially towards the end," he said yesterday. "There was a feelgood factor about the club and we were buzzing."

 

The Football Association has moved to clarify comments made by Fabio Capello to stress that the England coach is not intent on quitting after the 2010 World Cup. Capello, who has a contract to 2012, had been quoted in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica suggesting he would retire "having made an impact at a World Cup". But an FA spokesman said: "Fabio just wishes to clarify that he did not mean he was planning to quit the England job after the World Cup. At the moment his full concentration is on qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and he is not thinking past that objective at the moment."

 

Dwight Yorke is likely to miss the rest of Sunderland's pre-season campaign after suffering a suspected fractured cheekbone in a collision with Vitoria Setubal's goalkeeper Nikola Milojevic during Wednesday's 1-1 draw in Portugal.

[mattypnufc]

Sport

Football

Newcastle United

Owen warns Newcastle he is ready to walk out on a free

Simon Williams and Dominic Fifield

The Guardian, Saturday July 26 2008

Article history

 

Michael Owen is in a strong bargaining position for his contract talks with Newcastle United. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

 

Michael Owen has warned Newcastle United he will leave on a Bosman free transfer at the end of the season unless they improve their contract offer. The England striker has told friends he wants to stay at St James' Park having been impressed by Kevin Keegan since the manager's return in January. But talks over a new deal, which began in May, have dragged on because the club are reluctant to match his wage demands.

 

Owen's £105,000-a-week contract has less than a year left to run and in January he will be able to open discussions with rival clubs about a free transfer next summer. Although the 28-year-old would rather stay at Newcastle, he knows he is likely to receive a larger wage offer elsewhere if he leaves on a Bosman and as a result he and his advisers are negotiating from a position of considerable strength.

 

Newcastle's owner, Mike Ashley, is keen to reduce wages but Owen does not see why he should take a pay cut after proving his worth with 10 goals in 19 games at the end of last season. The club, though, are mindful that their £16m signing from Real Madrid has played only 47 games for them in three years because of injuries.

 

Keegan insisted in April that he regarded Owen's new contract as the club's most important signing of the summer but the matter has not been resolved, despite several meetings. Owen is keen to get something finalised after expressing his pleasure at life under Keegan. "We had a good time of it last season, especially towards the end," he said yesterday. "There was a feelgood factor about the club and we were buzzing."

 

The Football Association has moved to clarify comments made by Fabio Capello to stress that the England coach is not intent on quitting after the 2010 World Cup. Capello, who has a contract to 2012, had been quoted in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica suggesting he would retire "having made an impact at a World Cup". But an FA spokesman said: "Fabio just wishes to clarify that he did not mean he was planning to quit the England job after the World Cup. At the moment his full concentration is on qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and he is not thinking past that objective at the moment."

 

Dwight Yorke is likely to miss the rest of Sunderland's pre-season campaign after suffering a suspected fractured cheekbone in a collision with Vitoria Setubal's goalkeeper Nikola Milojevic during Wednesday's 1-1 draw in Portugal.

 

 

The Mail & not a single quote.  Conjecture much??

[Disco]

Agreed, article appears to be based on hearsay (not the former Popstars band).

[Willow]

based on hearsay (not the former Popstars band).

 

cheers for pointing that out 

[biggs]

Imho this is looking increasingly like Owen will go even though there is time to sort it out ,my overall feeling at the moment is asking Owen to take a pay cut is all very noble but sends out a message to potential targets that we do not offer a attractive package if what has been quoted by by agents is true on players we have failed to sign previously if those are the reasons they have slipped through our net .

We have fook all to offer at this minute i.e europe and this business is harming us i believe and to build a team capable of breaking into the top 6 is looking increasingly less likely as the weeks go by.

 

 

 

Similar story as above but from our local rag The Journal.

 

 

Owen wants to stay, but contract has to be right

 

Jul 26 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

Michael Owen

 

MICHAEL Owen is adamant he wants to stay at Newcastle United, but the striker has also warned he will leave on a free transfer next summer if the club do not improve their contract offer.

 

Meetings between Owen’s advisers and United’s negotiating team of executive director (football) Dennis Wise and head of recruitment Tony Jimenez have been going on all summer, but it is the Newcastle captain who holds the stronger hand.

 

With less than a year remaining on his existing deal, Owen can start to talk to rival clubs in less than five months’ time to discuss the lucrative terms of a Bosman-style free transfer.

 

Owen (pictured) has told Newcastle’s manager Kevin Keegan, as well as Wise and Jimenez, that he wants to stay on Tyneside, but the England international is far from naive and feels the club need to reward him financially.

 

Although Wise and Jimenez, on the instructions of owner Mike Ashley, have asked Owen to reduce his wage demands, the player’s representatives know they will be able to negotiate a far larger basic weekly wage if he leaves on a Bosman and have told the club to either improve their offer or risk losing their best player for nothing at the end of the season.

 

Newcastle have, so far, failed to budge and Owen is growing increasingly exasperated at the lack of progress as he prepares for the start of his fourth season on Tyneside.

 

A source close to Owen said: “Michael wants to stay and he will stay if Newcastle give him what he wants, but that hasn’t happened yet and the contract talks are dragging on. Michael can leave on a free transfer next season and he knows he will get the wages he wants then. He is in a strong position.”

 

Owen’s happiness at St James’s Park is evident in the enthusiastic way he talks about the start of the new season and the positive impact Keegan has had since he returned as manager, but he will not allow emotion to get in the way

 

of business decisions. In the club’s defence as they look to reach a compromise, Owen has still only played 47 games in three years because of injuries which, with wages of more than £100,000 a week and a club-record fee of £16.5m spent to sign him, hardly represents value for money.

 

Owen, though, is hoping the injury problems are behind him and he can continue in the rich vein of goalscoring form which provided so much cause for optimism at the tail end of last season.

 

He said: “The end of the season was great. When I get into a rhythm and start playing regularly, it’s fine. But since I have been here, it has been stop-start with a lot of injuries, and it is probably the first time in my career it has been like that.

 

“I had a few niggly problems early on with hamstrings, but I have had big, major things since I have been here – it is six operations, I think, I have had and not one prior.

 

“I finally got into a nice rhythm and you saw me score a few goals when I was in that rhythm, and that will continue as long as I get on the pitch and I am fine, and that’s the plan.

 

“We had a good time of it last season, especially towards the end. There was a feel-good factor about the club and we were buzzing. Hopefully, we can start the season in the same vein as we ended last year.”

 

Significantly, Owen also knows he has the unwavering support of his manager. Keegan insisted back in April the club’s most important signing this summer would be the England star on a new contract and he will also be frustrated at the failure to tie his skipper down.

 

Keegan has already insisted he will keep naming Owen as captain, even if he does not sign a new contract before January, and he has been in the game long enough to realise top players want big money and will go wherever they can get the best offer.

 

Supporters will also be alarmed by the lack of definitive progress on the Owen deal, particularly in light of the fact the Magpies have still managed to sign only two players so far this summer. The start of the Premier League season is just three weeks away, but only Danny Guthrie and Jonas Gutierrez have arrived ahead of this afternoon’s pre-season clash with Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium and the Magpies squad is looking alarmingly short on numbers, particularly in defence.

 

[Mick]

Imho this is looking increasingly like Owen will go even though there is time to sort it out ,my overall feeling at the moment is asking Owen to take a pay cut is all very noble but sends out a message to potential targets that we do not offer a attractive package if what has been quoted by by agents is true on players we have failed to sign previously if those are the reasons they have slipped through our net .

We have fook all to offer at this minute i.e europe and this business is harming us i believe and to build a team capable of breaking into the top 6 is looking increasingly less likely as the weeks go by.

 

 

 

Similar story as above but from our local rag The Journal.

 

 

Owen wants to stay, but contract has to be right

 

Jul 26 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

Michael Owen

 

MICHAEL Owen is adamant he wants to stay at Newcastle United, but the striker has also warned he will leave on a free transfer next summer if the club do not improve their contract offer.

 

Meetings between Owens advisers and Uniteds negotiating team of executive director (football) Dennis Wise and head of recruitment Tony Jimenez have been going on all summer, but it is the Newcastle captain who holds the stronger hand.

 

With less than a year remaining on his existing deal, Owen can start to talk to rival clubs in less than five months time to discuss the lucrative terms of a Bosman-style free transfer.

 

Owen (pictured) has told Newcastles manager Kevin Keegan, as well as Wise and Jimenez, that he wants to stay on Tyneside, but the England international is far from naive and feels the club need to reward him financially.

 

Although Wise and Jimenez, on the instructions of owner Mike Ashley, have asked Owen to reduce his wage demands, the players representatives know they will be able to negotiate a far larger basic weekly wage if he leaves on a Bosman and have told the club to either improve their offer or risk losing their best player for nothing at the end of the season.

 

Newcastle have, so far, failed to budge and Owen is growing increasingly exasperated at the lack of progress as he prepares for the start of his fourth season on Tyneside.

 

A source close to Owen said: Michael wants to stay and he will stay if Newcastle give him what he wants, but that hasnt happened yet and the contract talks are dragging on. Michael can leave on a free transfer next season and he knows he will get the wages he wants then. He is in a strong position.

 

Owens happiness at St Jamess Park is evident in the enthusiastic way he talks about the start of the new season and the positive impact Keegan has had since he returned as manager, but he will not allow emotion to get in the way

 

of business decisions. In the clubs defence as they look to reach a compromise, Owen has still only played 47 games in three years because of injuries which, with wages of more than £100,000 a week and a club-record fee of £16.5m spent to sign him, hardly represents value for money.

 

Owen, though, is hoping the injury problems are behind him and he can continue in the rich vein of goalscoring form which provided so much cause for optimism at the tail end of last season.

 

He said: The end of the season was great. When I get into a rhythm and start playing regularly, its fine. But since I have been here, it has been stop-start with a lot of injuries, and it is probably the first time in my career it has been like that.

 

I had a few niggly problems early on with hamstrings, but I have had big, major things since I have been here it is six operations, I think, I have had and not one prior.

 

I finally got into a nice rhythm and you saw me score a few goals when I was in that rhythm, and that will continue as long as I get on the pitch and I am fine, and thats the plan.

 

We had a good time of it last season, especially towards the end. There was a feel-good factor about the club and we were buzzing. Hopefully, we can start the season in the same vein as we ended last year.

 

Significantly, Owen also knows he has the unwavering support of his manager. Keegan insisted back in April the clubs most important signing this summer would be the England star on a new contract and he will also be frustrated at the failure to tie his skipper down.

 

Keegan has already insisted he will keep naming Owen as captain, even if he does not sign a new contract before January, and he has been in the game long enough to realise top players want big money and will go wherever they can get the best offer.

 

Supporters will also be alarmed by the lack of definitive progress on the Owen deal, particularly in light of the fact the Magpies have still managed to sign only two players so far this summer. The start of the Premier League season is just three weeks away, but only Danny Guthrie and Jonas Gutierrez have arrived ahead of this afternoons pre-season clash with Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium and the Magpies squad is looking alarmingly short on numbers, particularly in defence.

 

 

I'm not saying that nothing in these stories is true but we've seen a variation of £15,000 per week between the ones who have listed his weekly wage.  I wouldn't be surprised if whoever is representing Owen has given the press some information to try and add some pressure to get a better deal but I wouldn't take anything for granted from the hacks.

 

They are all adding quotes from Owen regarding a totally different matter to try and add weight to an article which is low on or even devoid of actual facts.

 

Owen could end up leaving but these shitty stories prove nothing either way other than both sides seem to be trying to strike a deal which we all know anyway.

[Pilko]

I don't understand, if he wants his £105,000 a week, then surely we can say to him he can have £75,000 a week, followed by £20,000 appearance bonus and £10,000 goal bonus?

That way he's getting his £105,000 and if he's injured long-term then Ashley saves his £30,000 a week.

[Cajun]

That would be sensible but not sure if he would accept.

[NE5]

Why are we messing with our main player like this? Owen is crucial to us, will Ashley and co feel better about themselves if he says no, fucks off and we have 110k a week off the wage bill? Its madness giving him ultimatiums when we should be trying our best to keep him.

 

The daily spreadsheets will ultimately look better though, and ultimately Ashley & Co. are spreadsheet guys.

 

Football reality, and how the contract market operates. For top-line players entering contract negotiations in their late 20's, approaching the eve of their twighlight years in other words, this contract deal - ie. lets say 3 to 4 years - will most likely be their last 'big earner'. After this one, after the next deal expires, it's very much about lower contract lengths & lower wage packages as the next batch of top-liners emerge in the same 'wage earning' bracket as they step into the void created as the likes of Owen & Bergkamp.

 

Owen has every right to tell the club to f*** off, while and Ashley & Co have no idea as to how the market operates with relation to paying the going rate and keeping your key players on board.

 

On the other hand The Glaziers come from a football background, admittedly a different code, and previously they turned around a cellar franchise in the form of Tampa Bay. Looking at it from a slightly left of centre view they backed their football front-office/a new head coach by keeping their established top players on board - ie. Derek Brooks is one name, and a dominant defensive unit - when they could've allowed them to be picked off in the free agency market in the name of financially restructuring the club/franchise. In other words they payed the aforementioned 'going rate'. And they've done likewise at United.

 

Utter crap, the Glazers took over the Bucs and played by the rules of their particular game, i.e. the salary cap, they couldn't replace Brooks for a similar or lower salary so they paid him the required amount needed to make him stay. As for Owen, whilst he is good, he's not worth £110,000 pw anymore - the likes of Ronaldo, etc are on £100kpw or more and MO just isn't in that class anymore.

 

Also, none of our 'rivals' are paying anywhere near that amount for their top players, Spurs, Everton, Villa - we would like to be competing with that trio next season, but why are we paying almost twice as much as their top earners?

 

United strike a healthy relationship with Sporting Lisbon as a source for unearthing their next generation of potential first teamers. The likes of Arsenal & Chelsea have similar agreements/co-existences in Belgium and the like, leagues which are more often than not the first port of call for African talent trying to find a for themselves in Europe. Mikel is an example. We on the other hand travel, in a bid to keep as much of Ashley's cash in his pocket as possible, travel down a cost-effective route just across the Scottish border as reported by Nial & Biffa - a prodigious talent pool.... my arse. The club's talk of emulating the model & example established at Arsenal is PR rubbish.

 

This is just error-laden, I don't know where I should start - the comment about Jon Obi Mikel for one...the only agreement Chelsea had in place to sign Mikel was the one Kenyon brought with him from OT. There was no prior relationship with Lyn

 

Once again though, you're comparing the club to the top trio of elite teams in the country, who have far greater spending power and are already established within Europe, which makes it easier when coming to sign players. While I'd love to see us challenging in that top 4 bracket, I'd rather see us progress in an timely and sustainable manner, as opposed to splashing out a couple of million in the hope of 'doing a Chelsea'.

 

Pure Spread Sheeters, like Ashley, have no place in football.

 

Just a flame, why bother?

 

With regards to the Bucs and the Glazier's impact in Tampa, and the point about Brooks and the salary cap. They could have just have just let him and some of their other key defensive stars go - and they only let Sapp go when he was past his best - as opposed to not filling up their salary cap as per the Bidwells for many a year in Pheonix, while opting for the draft option as opposed to keeping the team's best players, *filling the cap, and chasing silverware. That's called having 'ambition'.

 

*and there are owners in the United States who regularly stay well below the cap and the Glaziers could have done likeweise. Just counted their pennys, and the miserly Bidwells are the notable example and are the reason as to why the Cardinals went nowhere fast, akin to McKeag imo.

 

Club owners in the US can use the salary cap game for two separate benefits: 1. fill the cap/keep your impact playing veterans - ie. the 5-10 year stars on board - and challenge over a 3 to 4 period unitl it reaches the point where they have to break up some areas of the team when they can no longer squeeze all of them in

 

or 2. travel down the Pheonix Route for many a year: consistently leave a sizeable & unfilled vacaum in their cap, and count their pennies year after year as the team flounders in the lower echelon of the competition. And i didn't mention have the team play in a shitty stadium, as other teams made such advances off the field long before them.

 

the overriding principle, explained once again mate, continues to fall on deaf ears. Who will be deemed to be the most repetitive I wonder, those who see the above as being the way the club is going, or those who refuse to see anything that doesn't portray Ashley as a knight in shining armour. I wonder what Keegan will say about the club when he leaves.

 

People will continue to deny the blatantly obvious even when it stares them in the face. Was out last night with a friend of mine, who has finally fallen into "my" camp with regard to the new owner ie he agrees with me at last that the ambition he has for the club isn't what it ought to be [unless something unexpected happens in what remains of this transfer window, bearing in mind the season starts in 3 weeks time].

 

Why has nobody responded so far, I've just seen this BTW.