Michael Owen (now retired)

[Kimbo]

I'm just wondering who would buy his book. No fanbase likes him and no one thinks he's interesting.

[Interpolic]

Why Michael Owen deserved everything that came his way

 

By Scott Wilson

 

 

WHEN people discover I'm a sports writer, there's generally one thing they want to know. 'Who's the nicest person you've dealt with, and who's the person you've had least time for?'

 

Having spent seven-and-a-half years on The Northern Echo, there's plenty of people that fall into the first camp so it's incredibly hard to give an answer.

 

The second part of the query, however, is rather easier to respond to. One person stands out a mile - and to my mind, he got exactly what he deserved on Tuesday night.

 

"I knew I would get booed as that's what a lot of fans do," said Michael Owen, after his substitute appearance at St James' Park was accompanied by a chorus of catcalls. "But if they knew the facts, then they may have a different opinion."

 

Okay Michael, well here are some facts to be going on with.

 

In his four years at Newcastle United, Owen earned just short of £5m. He scored 30 goals and, in his final season, was unable to prevent the Magpies being relegated into the Championship.

 

He was also thoroughly objectionable from first moment to last.

 

The days of journalists and footballers rubbing shoulders as equals are long gone, but in my experience, the vast majority of players at Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough have done their best to assist the local and regional press.

 

They might not like us - particularly when they've just been given four out of ten on a Monday morning - but they accept that papers like The Northern Echo are a valuable link to the supporters that pay their wages.

 

Not Owen. From the moment he arrived in the North-East, Newcastle's record signing made it quite clear that he had absolutely no interest in speaking to the local media.

 

Interview requests were repeatedly turned down. Post-match questions were assiduously ignored. The entire regional press pack, not just The Northern Echo, were treated with a mixture of arrogance and contempt.

 

When Kevin Keegan made Owen captain, we thought things would get better. Instead, they became worse.

 

As Newcastle careered towards the Championship, their skipper became the invisible man, unable to affect things on the pitch because of injury, unwilling to display the leadership that was required off the park.

 

Gradually, supporters sensed an indifference to the club's plight, a lack of empathy for Newcastle United as an institution and a refusal to even begin to understand what the club means to the city and its surrounding region.

 

I could give dozens of examples of Owen being objectionable, but I think this one sums it up best.

 

Ahead of a derby game with Sunderland, we discovered that Owen had played in the same district youth team as Danny Collins.

 

I headed off to North Wales and interviewed the pair's teachers and some of the coaches who had guided them through their careers in youth football.

 

A few days later, I spoke to Collins, who could not have been more helpful as he reminisced about his youth, dug out a few personal old photographs and conveyed a great respect for the volunteers who had helped him as a youngster.

 

The hope was that Owen would do the same. Three interview requests went in to the player, his agent and Newcastle's media office. All three were turned down.

 

Even when we promised to ignore anything relating to the derby, and offered to only ask questions relating to his time in the same team as Collins, our pleas were rebuffed.

 

A day before the piece was due to run, my colleague, Paul Fraser, spotted Owen in the car park at Newcastle's training ground.

 

He introduced himself to the striker - four years on Tyneside, and he still didn't know who any of the local reporters were - and outlined the piece we had prepared.

 

"We'd just like to ask you about some of the people who worked with you at that time," he said. "Do you remember a guy called Cledwyn Ashford who managed your old Deesside football team? What impact did he have on your career?"

 

Owen looked Paul up and down. "No impact at all". And with that, his car door slammed shut.

 

That's why the booing on Tuesday night was one of my favourite moments of the season so far.

 

This is worth reading again I like this bit:

 

"I knew I would get booed as that's what a lot of fans do," said Michael Owen, after his substitute appearance at St James' Park was accompanied by a chorus of catcalls. "But if they knew the facts, then they may have a different opinion."

 

 

[TRon]

Absolutely hated his from more or less the first day he showed up, because he made it abundantly clear he didn't want to be here. Reminds me of why I hated Shepherd so much, and the fact that Ashley turned out to be a bigger cunt is neither here nor there. It was a disgraceful decision to pursue this once he'd made his feelings clear.

[Guest covmag]

Can’t even remember the little cunt playing for us 

 

Fuck him

[Conjo]

Shearer was being linked with a £5m move to Liverpool around the time we got Kluivert and he was benched so it's probably true to some extent. His time was coming to an end which Bobby recognized so it's not that weird that he was seeking other opportunities to play regularly.

[Interpolic]

Holy shit, this is even worse than I remember it being

 

[RS]

Couldn’t even watch “line of duty” because the midget copper reminded me of owen. Universally recognised as a shithouse. Look who he works for man!

[mrmojorisin75]

kind respect him more for booting off with shearer somehow, the worthless little cunt

[Wallsendmag]

kind respect him more for booting off with shearer somehow, the worthless little cunt

 

I've got no respect for him at all. Horrid individual. Says it all that none of the fans of any of his former teams hold him in any kind of regard or have any respect for him.

[mrmojorisin75]

kind respect him more for booting off with shearer somehow, the worthless little cunt

 

I've got no respect for him at all. Horrid individual. Says it all that none of the fans of any of his former teams hold him in any kind of regard or have any respect for him.

 

i guess i mean that shearer is brutal on twitter, can't remember anyone getting the better of him and this daft little cunt who pretty much everyone hates decides to have a pop

[joeyt]

 

Wonder who the mutual mate was, if it was a footballer

[Gallowgate Toon]

'as I say in my book' such a gimp.

[Chapo]

‘Demeans England’ Henry Winter is such a creep.

[TBG]

'as I say in my book' such a gimp.

 

'on sale now. RRP £14.00, available from Amazon. Link below'

[Rompe]

Owen doesn't deserve to be named in the same sentence as Shearer.

[matta]

He has no clue what loyalty is. Having second thoughts when i gets tough is human. Staying and fighting back is where the loyalty's at. He wouldn't know.

[geordiesteve710]

kind respect him more for booting off with shearer somehow, the worthless little cunt

 

I've got no respect for him at all. Horrid individual. Says it all that none of the fans of any of his former teams hold him in any kind of regard or have any respect for him.

 

i guess i mean that shearer is brutal on twitter, can't remember anyone getting the better of him and this daft little cunt who pretty much everyone hates decides to have a pop

 

Picking an argument with a bigger name to drum up interest in his book and make a few extra quid. I know it's a typical publisher trick when it comes to footballers books but it suits him down to the ground- shameless and shoddy.

[Ameritoon]

No idea how Henry Winter looks at this situation and thinks that the right opinion

[gazzaA2]

No idea how Henry Winter looks at this situation and thinks that the right opinion

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/brazil/10964103/Dear-Neymar-an-open-letter-from-Henry-Winter-to-Brazils-biggest-star-of-its-bittersweet-World-Cup.html

 

Try and read that without throwing up.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I won't if you don't mind

[steve_69]

Lack of self-awareness in people is such a hard trait to understand if you have self-awareness.

 

I find it impossible to understand how Owen feels hard done by in all of this. He clearly thinks he isn't a cunt, even though the vast majority of normal people and people plying the same trade as he did disagree with him. Like how he finds it reasonable to humiliate a 13 year old goalkeeper who is probably a big fan of his - who does that?! No shaking the kid's hand or giving him tips and advice, just running off and celebrating after he'd nutmegged him. Maybe it stems from him being worshipped from 15 years old and he never had the chance to develop any humility.

 

Hated him as a player, laughed at him as a pundit, pity him now as he tries to keep himself relevant. File him away with Keys and Gray.

[xLiaaamx]

Looking back, I love Keegan like, but what in the actual fuck was he thinking making this piece of shit captain?

[Guest neesy111]

Looking back, I love Keegan like, but what in the actual fuck was he thinking making this piece of shit captain?

 

It got the best out of him.

[Scoot]

Hope Shearer knocks the little cunt out next time he see's him.

 

Obviously he's just trying to be as controversial as possible to sell as many of his books as possible.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Looking back, I love Keegan like, but what in the actual fuck was he thinking making this piece of shit captain?

 

It got the best out of him.

 

And squashed the shit stirring in the media that he didn’t rate him (from England days). Was an astute tactical move by KK all-round, especially the position he got Owen to play. Not bad for someone who doesn’t know anything about tactics...