Fat Fred Speaks About Owen Loyalty...................

[Guest nufc_geordie]

From BBC:

 

Shepherd tells Owen to stay loyal

Newcastle striker Michael Owen (left) and chairman Freddy Shepherd

Owen (left) has missed most of the season after a knee injury

Angry Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has told Michael Owen to show some loyalty and warned him none of the 'big four' clubs want to buy him.

 

Shepherd is furious after reports suggested Owen, who has played only 13 games since joining Newcastle for £17m in 2005, could leave in the summer.

 

"Michael has two choices: he can come out and tells our fans that he is happy here," Shepherd told the Daily Express.

 

"Or I tell him none of the big four are interested. Because that's the case."

 

A report in the Times newspaper suggested Owen could be available for less than £10m and could be a target for the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

 

 

He has to prove to everyone, himself and Newcastle United included, that he is fully recovered

 

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd

 

But Shepherd went on: "These suggestions will not impress our fans after what has happened in the last couple of years.

 

"This report was a very thinly-disguised attempt to flog Owen from under our feet, sourced very close to the player or those who look after him. The information must have come from there, not from our club."

 

Owen arrived at St James' Park in 2005 but played only 11 games in his first season before breaking a bone in his foot.

 

He recovered in time to play at the World Cup where he suffered a serious knee injury which ruled him out of most of this season.

 

Shepherd said: "The loyalty this club has shown him over the last two years, when he had injury problems in his first season and had missed virtually all of this season, deserves something in return.

 

"He has had a really serious injury and no-one, least of all one of the biggest clubs, is likely to take a risk at this stage.

 

"He has to prove to everyone, himself and Newcastle United included, that he is fully recovered and not about to break down again."

 

That doesn't bode too well from where I'm sitting.

[stozo]

Well said Freddy.

[Northern Monkey]

Why would he want to leave us?? We're a massive club, he owes us, and he feels incredibly loyal towards us.

 

Is what the people with a clouded judgement of the situaiton might say.

[Guest Gemmill]

Well said Freddy.

 

No.  He's an idiot.  The Chairman of a PLC taunting his company's most valuable asset in the press.  Moronic.

[NUFC06]

Good point Fred

[Guest smoggeordie]

Yet again Freddy goes public and makes himself look like a tit. He's shitting his kegs because he knows Owen wants out.

[Guest Gemmill]

This thread could provide a good way of finding out how many simpletons we've got on here.  Anyone that comes out and goes "Yeah Freddy, well said!" about a chairman alienating the club's biggest asset by challenging him through the press, joins the list of dipshits.

[Guest Alan Shearer 9]

Top 5 chairman in the league with a top 1 article

[Cronky]

Hard to see the point in what Shepherd is saying. It's like he's trying to back the player into a corner, which won't help.

 

Shepherd had very high hopes of Owen, and he banked a lot on him being a success. Perhaps the thought of losing him hurts on a very personal level, because he's speaking from his emotions rather than his common sense. Brain not in gear, not for the first time.

 

It may also be the rantings of a desperate man. His stock has already fallen with having to sack Roeder and tacitly admit to another bad appointment. If Owen leaves cheaply on an escape clause, then Freddie's position becomes even worse, in the eyes of the fans as well as the Halls.

 

And surely there can't be much doubt about this escape clause now. He's appealing to Owen's loyalty, whereas all he ought to need to say is that the player's not for sale. He's admitted that it's in the player's hands.

 

Not your cleverest day's work, Freddie.

[gray]

Well said Freddy.

 

No.  He's an idiot.  The Chairman of a PLC taunting his company's most valuable asset in the press.  Moronic.

 

Exactly what I thought.

[gray]

Hard to see the point in what Shepherd is saying. It's like he's trying to back the player into a corner, which won't help.

 

Shepherd had very high hopes of Owen, and he banked a lot on him being a success. Perhaps the thought of losing him hurts on a very personal level, because he's speaking from his emotions rather than his common sense. Brain not in gear, not for the first time.

 

It may also be the rantings of a desperate man. His stock has already fallen with having to sack Roeder and tacitly admit to another bad appointment. If Owen leaves cheaply on an escape clause, then Freddie's position becomes even worse, in the eyes of the fans as well as the Halls.

 

And surely there can't be much doubt about this escape clause now. He's appealing to Owen's loyalty, whereas all he ought to need to say is that the player's not for sale. He's admitted that it's in the player's hands.

 

Not your cleverest day's work, Freddie.

 

Aye, and no denial of any clause this time.

[Guest graemeh72]

Hard to see the point in what Shepherd is saying. It's like he's trying to back the player into a corner, which won't help.

 

Shepherd had very high hopes of Owen, and he banked a lot on him being a success. Perhaps the thought of losing him hurts on a very personal level, because he's speaking from his emotions rather than his common sense. Brain not in gear, not for the first time.

 

It may also be the rantings of a desperate man. His stock has already fallen with having to sack Roeder and tacitly admit to another bad appointment. If Owen leaves cheaply on an escape clause, then Freddie's position becomes even worse, in the eyes of the fans as well as the Halls.

 

And surely there can't be much doubt about this escape clause now. He's appealing to Owen's loyalty, whereas all he ought to need to say is that the player's not for sale. He's admitted that it's in the player's hands.

 

Not your cleverest day's work, Freddie.

 

Aye, and no denial of any clause this time.

 

Freddie Freddie Freddie ..... you are a tit! just shut up pal.

[Guest Gemmill]

Another thing:  we are in the process of trying to appoint a new manager, and Shepherd chooses this moment to initiate a public feud with his best player.  The sort of player that any prospective manager would look at and think "I could do great things with this lad in my team" and our beloved Chairman has just attached a neon sign to him that says "WANTS TO LEAVE".  Fucking astounding.

[Skirge]

Agree 100% in what he said but he should be saying it to Owen in his officce not to Owen through the press..

[Guest teepee]

Agree 100% in what he said but he should be saying it to Owen in his officce not to Owen through the press..

 

just what i was about to say - should be dealt with internally.

[Northern Monkey]

Problem is, it looks like someone near Owen is using the press to lever him away. Unfortunately, Fat Man is not sharp enough to make a proper statement making them look stupid and leaving it at that, and he gets sucked in too easily.

 

His sentiment, however, is correct.

[Guest steppa]

Not sure if it has been mentioned elsewhere, but did FFS not deny the existence of such an escape clause?

 

[BottledDog]

Fucks sake Freddy.

This will neither alert these other clubs, or increase any desire Owen might have had to leave. No sir.

 

 

Looks like the first step on the road to selling our best striker for even less than this 'clause' in desparation.

[Northern Monkey]

Lets not pretend that - if indeed it is coming from near the player - that he is innocent in this either. Yes, FFS made a mistake, but he isn't the only one.

[Cajun]

Has his comments on Sven been discussed anywhere yet? Cringetastic to say the least!

[Guest 1nol]

Why won't he keep his mouth closed? We are in the shit, not even a week after we lose yet another manager (which he's been very quiet about) he chooses to start this up. As has been said, this conversation should have been had in private.

[BottledDog]

Lets not pretend that - if indeed it is coming from near the player - that he is innocent in this either. Yes, FFS made a mistake, but he isn't the only one.

 

I wouldn't necessarily class trying to get out of the club 'a mistake' at the moment, but that is by the by.

 

The point is Shepherd has brought the arguement into the public domain and I just cannot see any benifit in that (certainly not for the club) other than as something Shepherd can point to when he is forced to accept some insulting offer furthur down the line. Shepherd deserves all the flack directed at him over this in my opinion.

[Skirge]

He does not deny the £9mill get out clause, seems more pissed that it has been made public and if its not came from the club then it has to have came from people close to owen.. Is this Owen looking for a move?

[Guest Gemmill]

He does not deny the £9mill get out clause, seems more pissed that it has been made public and if its not came from the club then it has to have came from people close to owen.. Is this Owen looking for a move?

 

Probably.  Can you blame him though?  It's a very short career, even more so when you have just come back from a serious injury.  If I'm Michael Owen and I'm looking around that pitch and that stadium last weekend, I'm wondering how the fuck my career has come to this, and thinking I've got to do something to get things back on track asap.

 

Does he owe us a season fully fit?  Speaking from the heart as a fan of Newcastle, then maybe he does, but looking objectively at it, he owes us fuck all.  Not his fault he got injured, not his fault footballers get paid a lottery win every year.  He came, he got injured, we got shitter.  I wouldn't want to stay if I was him.

[Cronky]

Another thing:  we are in the process of trying to appoint a new manager, and Shepherd chooses this moment to initiate a public feud with his best player.  The sort of player that any prospective manager would look at and think "I could do great things with this lad in my team" and our beloved Chairman has just attached a neon sign to him that says "WANTS TO LEAVE".  Fucking astounding.

 

And Christ knows what this does to team morale. Can you imagine the atmosphere at training today?

 

Shepherd just doesn't think of anyone but himself. He's completely out of his depth. He's upsetting the player and the squad. He's putting off potential managers. He's making us look amateurish. All to try and save his own skin.