Oba Martins tells it like it is

[S.S.R.]

Surely he would have been given the once over by the physio to really decide whether he's fit or not? Don't think it's possible to really fake an injury in football

 

It's really quite easy. You simply go "Ooh, aah" and hold your leg.

 

When the physio says "Where does it hurt?" You say "Me knee, ayah!"

[Ronaldo]

Wanted off after 30 mins v Spuds, then turned up Monday said he had hurt his knee and could not train.

 

how do you know this?

 

was told today, but not going to say where it came from..

 

fair play

 

take it it wasn't Shola

[S.S.R.]

Wanted off after 30 mins v Spuds, then turned up Monday said he had hurt his knee and could not train.

 

how do you know this?

 

was told today, but not going to say where it came from..

 

Like I said, people were told Gazza was dead.

[Baggio]

Not sure how the club doctors can diagnose a 6 week injury lay off if he's faking it tbh.

[Novocastrian]

Gotta love Oba. Very honest coments. Gutted if he goes. If he starts on Sat we have half a chance, if he doesn't i fear the worst now that Keegan and Milner have gone.

 

Ah man I wish you hadn't just said that 

Milner would come in more than a little bit handy now as he'd have to be a better option than Duff or Geremi on the RW. Never understood his critics. He was clearly one of our best players. Fantastic young player. O'neil is no mug and paid £12m and Benitez wanted him too. 

 

Spot on, his critics didn't like him because he didn't run 150mph like a headless chicken. Twelve million quid is great but not when its sitting in some cunts bank account and not back on the pitch in the form of re-investment.

[oldtype]

Gotta love Oba. Very honest coments. Gutted if he goes. If he starts on Sat we have half a chance, if he doesn't i fear the worst now that Keegan and Milner have gone.

 

Ah man I wish you hadn't just said that 

Milner would come in more than a little bit handy now as he'd have to be a better option than Duff or Geremi on the RW. Never understood his critics. He was clearly one of our best players. Fantastic young player. O'neil is no mug and paid £12m and Benitez wanted him too. 

 

Spot on, his critics didn't like him because he didn't run 150mph like a headless chicken. Twelve million quid is great but not when its sitting in some c***s bank account and not back on the pitch in the form of re-investment.

 

Now now, it's unfortunate that injuries have made us feel his loss, but let's ease up on the revisionist history here.

 

He was a half-decent player, but there is no way in hell he was ever worth 12m. By all rights we should have been laughing all the way to the bank.  "Fantastic young player?" Please.

[Optimistic Nut]

He's been pretty injury prone lately, but will he get the same stick as Owen did a couple of years back? Like sh*te he will.

 

Oh, but he was fit enough for the ACON of course.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

This has been the first significant injury of Oba's career.

 

[Optimistic Nut]

This has been the first significant injury of Oba's career.

 

 

Yep, and 18 months of Owen's injuries were beyond his control (the metatarsal injury, and then the knee injury in Germany), yet he still got a lot of unfair stick.

[oldtype]

This has been the first significant injury of Oba's career.

 

 

Yep, and 18 months of Owen's injuries were beyond his control (the metatarsal injury, and then the knee injury in Germany), yet he still got a lot of unfair stick.

 

Oba always gets a  lot of small niggly two-week three-week injuries every season though. I guess that sort of thing happens when you run as fast has he does.

[Wullie]

So martins turned up the monday after the spurs game claiming injury? Spot the deliberate mistake.

[Guest rebel_yell12]

Confused on the nature of Oba's injury.  The article run on Thursday said he had aggravated his knee injury.  But I thought he was out with a groin (Keegan said v. Bolton that Oba had come up with a groin injury).  So is it his knee or his groin?  If it's his knee, that's a new injury isn't it, not a recurrence of his previous one?

[James]

Love the disappearance of the 'FKN Love You Martins' sig.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

It is literally impossible to fake an injury to your club. They will perform tests on you, and surely there is some consequence for refusing such a test.

[Guest Stephen927]

It is literally impossible to fake an injury to your club. They will perform tests on you, and surely there is some consequence for refusing such a test.

 

Without doubt.

[Guest Heneage]

Wheres it being said he refused the test?

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

No, I am saying that it would impossible for him to fake an injury for that reason.

[Guest The Libertine]

ironic thread title.

[tmonkey]

No, I am saying that it would impossible for him to fake an injury for that reason.

 

Not really. Marcelino, Babayaro, etc etc.

 

Very doubtful that Martins is faking an injury, however given the apparent tone of his statement regarding Keegan's resignation and the players being upset/some wanting to leave, I dont think it's all that impossible that he's pulling a sickie.

[Mike]

So martins turned up the monday after the spurs game claiming injury? Spot the deliberate mistake.

 

[Yorkie]

He's been pretty injury prone lately, but will he get the same stick as Owen did a couple of years back? Like sh*te he will.

 

Oh, but he was fit enough for the ACON of course.

 

No he won't... cos he'd actually done something for the club before he became utterly injury prone and totally unreliable. I'm not saying it's a warranted reason, but it is the reason.

[Guest Phil K]

Doubt Owen would sign a new deal

With the mess as is - who could blame him ?

Back to Liverpool ?

[ikri]

Doubt Owen would sign a new deal

With the mess as is - who could blame him ?

Back to Liverpool ?

 

Who else is going to pay him £100k+ per week?  Liverpool won't & he'll not be ahead of Keane & Torres so would he sign for them knowing that he'd be 3rd or 4th choice?

 

Same goes at Man Ure, Arsenal & Chelski.

 

Citeh can buy another Robinho-type player & Sven's not there now so that's probably not going to happen.

 

That pretty much leaves

Everton (would they pay the wages, would an ex-Liverpool player play for Everton?)

Villa (again, would they be willing to pay his wages? Who would they drop to accommodate him?)

Portsmouth (they'd pay his wages & he's old enough for them)

Spurs (the only team in a worse position than us, that takes some doing)

West Ham (there are Big Issue sellers with more money them West Ham)

 

He could end up joining any one of those teams but I feel that he'd either not be first choice at any of them or they'd simply not want him due to his age, injuries & wages.

 

Having said that, I expect he'll be off in January.

[Guest rebel_yell12]

How'd this thread get hijacked into being about Owen?

 

Have to disagree ikri.  For as little in transfer fees as Owen would command (nothing in June, maybe 3 mil in Jan?), I think a lot of clubs could afford his wages.  Figure they'd spend at least 7 mil more in transfer on another striker (who wouldn't match Owen's proven record/quality), they can then pay that 7 mil out over 4 years in wages -- which would be 30k per week of his wages, so that Villa would be getting the equivalent of a 10 mil transfer and 70k per week wages.  Considering current transfer fees, the buying clubs' savings would be at least 10 mil, maybe 15 mil -- which over 4 years accounts for 50-70k per week.  So then, the club could justify Owen's wages as the equivalent of a 15 mil transfer fee for a player on 30k per week, or a 10 mil transfer for  player on 50k per week.  Those are fairly reasonable expenses for a club that needs a top-class striker -- especially for  push for Europe/Champions League (which is, supposedly, Villa's goal).  He is only 28 (younger than Robbie Keane, iirc, who went for far more), and could by January have played for half a season without injury.  Since 1 Jan 2008, Owen has missed only one league match for Newcastle United.  If he can continue that for an entire calendar year [touch wood], I think several clubs will take the chance.

 

For me, that list would include Everton (desperate need of striker, back in the NW for Owen, but there is the fact that he came up through Liverpool), and Villa (need a striker to challenge for higher places on the table, according to mates who support that club) primarily.  Other possibilities include Liverpool (but I don't see Rafa wanting to have Owen on the bench), ManCity, and Spurs (assuming they aren't still 20th in Jan).  Personally, I think Villa is most promising though Everton most need his services  -- aside from Newcastle United.  Ince clearly rates him, but I don't think even with the above justification of wages that Blackburn can quite afford Owen. 

[tmonkey]

Doubt Owen would sign a new deal

With the mess as is - who could blame him ?

Back to Liverpool ?

 

Who else is going to pay him £100k+ per week?  Liverpool won't & he'll not be ahead of Keane & Torres so would he sign for them knowing that he'd be 3rd or 4th choice?

 

Same goes at Man Ure, Arsenal & Chelski.

 

Citeh can buy another Robinho-type player & Sven's not there now so that's probably not going to happen.

 

That pretty much leaves

Everton (would they pay the wages, would an ex-Liverpool player play for Everton?)

Villa (again, would they be willing to pay his wages? Who would they drop to accommodate him?)

Portsmouth (they'd pay his wages & he's old enough for them)

Spurs (the only team in a worse position than us, that takes some doing)

West Ham (there are Big Issue sellers with more money them West Ham)

 

He could end up joining any one of those teams but I feel that he'd either not be first choice at any of them or they'd simply not want him due to his age, injuries & wages.

 

Having said that, I expect he'll be off in January.

 

Owen would walk into the Liverpool team right now ahead of Robbie Keane. And given Rafa Benitez's squad rotation policy, the number of games they'll play, the likelihood of injuries to Keane, Torres, Gerrard, etc etc, the fact that Owen can quite clearly play in an attacking midfield role or a deep lying role - I dont think for a second he wouldn't play the vast majority of games in a season over there.

 

Its extremely difficult to see Liverpool not wanting him. It's a no brainer for them. Their fans would be over the moon about his return, and if he keeps his current form up, those that were disgruntled/bitter at the way their talisman at the time left them will barely remember that episode - all they'll see is that the man who helped them to win trophies for the first time in ages, a player who was European Footballer of the Year with them, formerly the nation's best goalscorer, thats who they'll be picking up on a free.

 

It'd be a big coup for Gillett/Hicks and Rafa because of that potential move being very likely to be such a crowd pleaser. Look at the way the majority of Liverpool fans (working on perception here, maybe the real fans felt differently?) creamed themselves over the return of Robbie Fowler. Even the media turned their attention to the return of the crowd's favourite son and nothing else. All the criticisms of transfer policies, squad rotation frequency, Spaniards being signed, etc etc. And this was when Robbie Fowler was dogshit by then.

 

As for Owen's wages, I'm pretty sure they're not a part of the equation. Back when we were first linked heavily, he outright ruled us out because he was only interested in the CL teams. And hence, he only ended up with us because none of those teams wanted him and the only one that did had been heavily outbid, which resulted in Owen not being willing to call Madrid's bluff. Hence, the choice at the time was mammoth wages with us vs good wages but CL football in a good side surrounded by quality players. He wanted to go for the latter but was forced into the former.