Tooj Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/879068/sir-alex-ferguson:-ive-been-unfair-to-michael-owen?campaign=rss&source=soccernet&cc=5739 Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he has "not been completely fair'' to Michael Owen amid reports the striker is being targeted by Newcastle. But that interest is not from Newcastle United of the Premier League, but Australian club Newcastle Jets of the A-League who are lining up a bid to make Owen, 31, their marquee player for next season, according to reports in the Australian press. The Jets have a new millionaire owner, Nathan Tinkler, who is eager to make a splash with some high profile signings for next season. If Owen was to head down under he would follow in the footsteps of current Perth Glory striker Robbie Fowler - like Owen, a former Liverpool great - and former Sydney FC man Dwight Yorke, who both headed to the A-League as marquee players in the twilight of their careers. Manchester United striker Owen has been starved of opportunities during his second season at Old Trafford, leading to the general conclusion he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. Owen has started just four games so far this season, yet he has still managed to bag four goals, the latest beginning the FA Cup comeback at Southampton a fortnight ago. As the season enters its most crucial phase, Ferguson is acutely aware Owen's nose for an opportunity could be a very useful asset. However, with Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez available as well, the United boss is not entirely sure where he can squeeze Owen into his team. "I keep trying to get myself into a situation where I can play Michael Owen more often,'' said Ferguson. "I haven't been completely fair that way. He is a terrific trainer and every time I play him he never lets me down.'' Understandably, given the impact he has had in a stellar debut season at United, Hernandez has tended to be the man Ferguson calls upon should either Berbatov or Rooney falter. However, as the campaign reaches its tense conclusion, Owen's vast experience may force Ferguson's hand. "Michael is a phenomenal player in and around the box,'' said Ferguson. "You can make similarities in physique to Javier Hernandez. In and around the box, both of them are very dangerous players. The advantage we have with Michael on the run-in is that he has terrific big-game experience. It could prove very important to us.'' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormy Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 You bastard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David28 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Wouldn't be surprised to see Owen scoring the winner against City today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Phew. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stifler Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Is the Australian league becoming the new MLS? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I was expecting somethiing about us since he left when I read the thread title. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
9 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 that would be one hell of a chopper flight home every day from training ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raconteur Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Is the Australian league becoming the new MLS? Not a chance - most of our clubs are insolvent and crowds are generally very poor. This Tinkler character is trying to build up his fanbase with wild dreams that will come to nothing. Most of the "big" imports we have had have been 35+, offered not very much and taken the positions of young players. Romario, Benito Carbone, Juninho, Sibon - they really have given our league very little. Even the relatively successful ones, like Yorke or Fowler only look good because the standard of our league is generally very poor... The key is to bring back quality Australian players before they turn 33; the problems are that we can't compete financially and that it drags the player down to the level of those around him ( eg Culina who came back at 28 and ruined him as a player) Can you imagine Michael fucking Owen in Australia? 10% of his NUFC salary and probably even less effort than he demonstrated on Tyneside. Pass. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfcmagpies Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Is the Australian league becoming the new MLS? Not a chance - most of our clubs are insolvent and crowds are generally very poor. This Tinkler character is trying to build up his fanbase with wild dreams that will come to nothing. Most of the "big" imports we have had have been 35+, offered not very much and taken the positions of young players. Romario, Benito Carbone, Juninho, Sibon - they really have given our league very little. Even the relatively successful ones, like Yorke or Fowler only look good because the standard of our league is generally very poor... The key is to bring back quality Australian players before they turn 33; the problems are that we can't compete financially and that it drags the player down to the level of those around him ( eg Culina who came back at 28 and ruined him as a player) Can you imagine Michael f***ing Owen in Australia? 10% of his NUFC salary and probably even less effort than he demonstrated on Tyneside. Pass. I was thinking though if he played for the Jets, I'd consider going to the Brisbane Newcastle game just so I could boo the turd. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/04/17/owen-deal-was-the-worst-i-did-at-united-shepherd-79310-28532884/ Owen deal was the worst I did at United: Shepherd Apr 17 2011 by Mark Douglas, Sunday Sun AS Michael Owen prepares for the possibility of a rocky return to St James’ Park, the man who brokered the club-record deal to bring him to Newcastle admits the dream signing he toasted six years ago turned into a “nightmare”. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Sun to mark Owen’s comeback, former Magpies chairman Freddy Shepherd confesses signing the England striker was the “worst” transfer of his Toon tenure. While hitting back at the wise-after-the-event merchants who might contend that the deal was doomed from the start, Shepherd admits Newcastle didn’t get value for money for the mega deal to bring him home from an unhappy spell in Spain. And he argues that the striker should have done more in the community to justify his £5million-a-year wages. A candid Shepherd said: “It was probably the worst deal I did at Newcastle. “That is just being frank. We paid £16million and we didn’t get £16million worth of value out of him. “It was a nightmare from an injury perspective. “And there was no added value off the pitch . . . the added value was nil off the pitch. “I’m not having a go at the kid as he was fine when he got on the pitch.” Toon fans’ views of Owen have been coloured by his catastrophic injury record which meant that United only saw the best of him in fits and starts – just 58 of them in the Premier League to be precise. An up-and-down four years, which bore 26 top-flight goals, concluded at Villa Park with a feeble relegation under the tutelage of Alan Shearer – the man he had been signed to partner in a tilt at the title. Shepherd recalls: “He came with great hopes, and people have subsequently said it wasn’t such a good deal. “But hindsight is a great management tool. “There were 25,000 people in St James’ Park who thought it was a good deal at the time and so did the media, from the coverage we got. Everybody at the beginning thought it was a good deal. “Without a doubt we bought a top, top player. He was the man for England. The No 1 striker. We recognised that when we signed him for £16million. “Alan Shearer was over the moon. We asked his advice and he said: ‘Sign him – he’s a great player’. “He thought it was a great idea. Everyone at the time thought it was the way to go. I think Souness said ‘Our season starts here’. People couldn’t believe we had got him. “And he was never injured at Madrid! But as soon as he came to Newcastle he got those problems. “Within five months he got injured and after that it was downhill injury-wise. “On reflection, maybe I think he would have preferred to go somewhere else. In his heart of hearts I believe that he didn’t want to come to Newcastle, but we were the only game in town.” The subsequent criticism of Owen was that he didn’t embrace the region or the unspoken responsibilities of being a marquee name like others have. While other big-money signings – David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Tino Asprilla and Rob Lee to name but four – happily integrated, Owen did not. That will be reflected in the crowd’s reaction to him if he plays a part on Tuesday. Shepherd admits he found the striker a “detached” personality. He said: “His problems were his injuries – which happen in football – and that he never involved himself with the Newcastle fans. “As a player I couldn’t complain about his professionalism but, as a person, I don’t think he did what he could have done for the club with the wages he was paid. “He could have done a lot more in the community. “He could have done a lot more than he did do, which was very, very little. I never got close to him as a player. He was semi-detached, I’ll put it that way. “He didn’t communicate with the fans in the way he should have, being paid the money he was. “You’ve got to give something back in life and I don’t think he did on that side. “On the field, when I was there, when he played – he was fantastic. “But look at someone like Les Ferdinand. A big signing, he got into the spirit of the club – Michael never did. He didn’t integrate himself into the community. “His injuries – that is life. But he didn’t help himself on the other front.” Of course it was the injuries that trained the focus on his contribution off the field. Shepherd admits: “I think if he would have been scoring goals, the community thing might not have mattered. But because of his injuries . . . ” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiquidAK Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Those last 10 lines are a real head-fuck. He's repeating the exact same thing with slightly different sentence structure over and over and over. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Parka Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Fuck owen the pussy no balls cunt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M4 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I thought this was going to be an article or Tooj's thoughts about life at Nufc after Owen. I fell for another kind of joke. Was very intrigued. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 You didn't need hindsight to know it was a mistake, some knew it was a mistake even before he signed, we should have gone for Anelka. And his worst signing was Souness, not Owen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David28 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I thought this was going to be an article or Tooj's thoughts about life at Nufc after Owen. I fell for another kind of joke. Was very intrigued. And I thought I was the only one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 You didn't need hindsight to know it was a mistake, some knew it was a mistake even before he signed, we should have gone for Anelka. And his worst signing was Souness, not Owen. I was livid the day we signed Owen, the deal was fucking lunacy from the off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MW Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Hope he comes on Tuesday, will be a hell of a reception Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David28 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Hope he comes on Tuesday, will be a hell of a reception He won't even be in the squad imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Zaius Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 You didn't need hindsight to know it was a mistake, some knew it was a mistake even before he signed, we should have gone for Anelka. And his worst signing was Souness, not Owen. I was livid the day we signed Owen, the deal was f***ing lunacy from the off. Disagree with this. At the time we signed Owen, he was a world class footballer. He'd came off the back of a good first season with Real Madrid and looked exactly the type of footballer needed to drive this club forward. It was the two injuries that fucked him. He was never the same player. Lost that yard of pace and that sharpness that made him the player he was. A lot of the reason why Owen turned out so poorly was due to sheer bad luck imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormy Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Hope he comes on Tuesday, will be a hell of a reception He won't even be in the squad imo. He'll be 'injured'. Pussy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
80 Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/04/17/owen-deal-was-the-worst-i-did-at-united-shepherd-79310-28532884/ Owen deal was the worst I did at United: Shepherd “Alan Shearer was over the moon. We asked his advice and he said: ‘Sign him – he’s a great player’. Ah memories... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 You didn't need hindsight to know it was a mistake, some knew it was a mistake even before he signed, we should have gone for Anelka. And his worst signing was Souness, not Owen. Owen, Anelka and Souness were all monumental fuck ups. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I despise Micheal Owen. Anelka wouldn't have lasted five minutes either, btw, but i suppose he would have been less hassle for less money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEMTEX Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 At least it's not Francis Jeffers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now