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

[Leazes1986]

I can't be arsed to go on a rant here but it just goes to show what an idiot Shepherd is. This leak of information could most definitely come from those close to Michael Owen. If he really does want to go then he can fuck off right now. We'll be taking a massive loss (nothing new there), but i'm sure someone like Allardyce could do quite a bit with £9. £9m in the bank, £110,000 a week of the wage bill and an unhappy player out of the club is better than keeping an unhappy player who doesn't want to be here. We won't be able to buy individuals as good as Michael Owen in the summer, but its not about individuals. If we can get a good TEAM playing together as a unit then thats all that matters.

[Skirge]

I thought we would have some reaction from the Owen camp by now, but still nothing, not looking good really..

[Dokko]

I can't be arsed to go on a rant here but it just goes to show what an idiot Shepherd is. This leak of information could most definitely come from those close to Michael Owen. If he really does want to go then he can fuck off right now. We'll be taking a massive loss (nothing new there), but i'm sure someone like Allardyce could do quite a bit with £9. £9m in the bank, £110,000 a week of the wage bill and an unhappy player out of the club is better than keeping an unhappy player who doesn't want to be here. We won't be able to buy individuals as good as Michael Owen in the summer, but its not about individuals. If we can get a good TEAM playing together as a unit then thats all that matters.

 

Owen is expendable with Martins here now. Even if we only get £9m for him, we put that towards a 6ft4"+ target man that never gets injured and we'll be deadly upfront.

 

 

[Guest Brazilianbob]

Does anyone really believe that Owen will leave for £9m?  If what we are told is true, that is simply the activation bid.

 

There are a multitude of teams out there who could afford £9m when the Sky TV money is taken into account.

 

£9m would just be the starting point and would very likely end up in a bidding war topping what we paid for him.  Bring it on if he wants to go I say!  Remember Rooney!

[Dokko]

Does anyone really believe that Owen will leave for £9m?  If what we are told is true, that is simply the activation bid.

 

There are a multitude of teams out there who could afford £9m when the Sky TV money is taken into account.

 

£9m would just be the starting point and would very likely end up in a bidding war topping what we paid for him.  Bring it on if he wants to go I say!  Remember Rooney!

 

Can't see it working like that.

 

One team bids £9m its accepted and there talking to Owen, another team only has to bid the same and they are talking, the one who makes the extra will be Owen, yet again.

[Skirge]

If Liverpool bid £9mill then Fed has to accept it if Owen agree's terms with them, make no difference if other clubs bid a higher amount.

[Colos Short and Curlies]

Does anyone really believe that Owen will leave for £9m?  If what we are told is true, that is simply the activation bid.

 

There are a multitude of teams out there who could afford £9m when the Sky TV money is taken into account.

 

£9m would just be the starting point and would very likely end up in a bidding war topping what we paid for him.  Bring it on if he wants to go I say!  Remember Rooney!

 

If we have to let him talk to interested parties at £9m then every interested club will bid £9m and then MO will choose his destination.

 

If the clause is £9m, thats all we will get for him

Oops, already said!

[gray]

its also worth thinking about that the £17m could have included appearance based fees, which probably wouldnt be activated.

 

just a guess like, probably not. sigh.

[Leazes1986]

If we do sell him for £9m and the deal we done with Real Madrid included appearance money then i think the board would be best coming out and telling everyone we didn't pay the full money flat out for him though. we probably did pay the full money though. I hope the fans who sung "there's only one Freddy Shepherd" when we signed Owen feel good about themselves now. I for one wouldn't be gutted if Owen left. The more money the better for the new manager. I don't want to see us get rid of the few good players we do have but taking all things into consideration selling him might be the best thing. He's only got 2 years left on his contract and if we don't sell him now then he will leave for less next summer or if we force him to stay until his contracts up we will have an unhappy player who doesn't want to be here and thats no good for anyone. One things for sure though, if he does leave then he will become the most hated player to visit SJP for the rest of his career. Not that it would bother him like.

[BottledDog]

I thought we would have some reaction from the Owen camp by now, but still nothing, not looking good really..

 

Well every sports bulletin for the last couple of hours on 5 live has stated that they 'understand' that Owen has loyalty to the club and is not looking to move. No idea what their source is but it has been the top story for a while now.

[Skirge]

I thought we would have some reaction from the Owen camp by now, but still nothing, not looking good really..

 

Well every sports bulletin for the last couple of hours on 5 live has stated that they 'understand' that Owen has loyalty to the club and is not looking to move. No idea what their source is but it has been the top story for a while now.

God knows mate, I have looked alover the net and can't fiind a thing and SSN are not reporting it..

[Raconteur]

This whole thing stinks on a couple of levels. For the purpose of this exercise, I am assuming the 9m fee is triggered by failure to make it into Europe

 

Firstly, I think it explodes the myth that Freddy Shepherd does not influence/arbitrarily makes transfer policy. If Greame Souness wanted Michael Owen, then when negotiating the contract Shepherd would surely have refused to agree to the release clause. Rather, it seems Owen was Shepherd's replacement for Shearer one year early as some have suggested, and that he was prepared to sign him whatever the cost. "The cost" being not only a massively inflated fee, but also a release clause that at the time Shepherd might have felt would never be activated but still a ridiculous risk.

 

However, as someone in this thread mentioned, this escape clause should have factored into Shepherd's thinking when Souness nearly got us relegated and was dismissed. We qualified for Europe by the skimpiest of margins (and thus could conceivably have been activated last seaosn!) Shouldn't the thought of losing Owen for 9m factored into Shepherd's thinking when replacing Souness, knowing that there was no opportunity for consolidation but that instant success was essential?

 

And then there is the actual press release in question. Over the years we have become accustomed to Shepherd's press gaffe's, but it's difficult to see any reason or logic behind this one. Did he feel that such a crude and billigerent statement would inspire Owen's loyalty, because if so any first year public relations student could tell him that's not the best way to go about it!

 

Looking at it logically, the only thing that makes sense to me is that things are much further advanced than we think - that Owen's advisors are speaking to the big for without the club's permission (secure in the knowledge that the fee can be activated) and Shepherd is trying to retrieve the situation by forcing Owen onto the defensive.

 

Which, again, is not the best way to go about things when considering team harmony. It might force Owen to stay, but what is an unwilling player going to do to morale within the squad? And more importantly, what impact will it have on prospective new managers - knowing that the club's brightest star is either on his way out or staying under sufferance?

 

[thewellander]

I have a bad feeling about this. I've read Owen's autobiography, and my impression is that he's quite a bit self-absorbed. I think that he'll leave Newcastle and not bat an eyelash, if it suits him to do so. And this little outburst by our chairman definately suggests that - at the very least - Owen and management are not on the same page right now.

 

Hopefully we can ride this out until next week, when we have a new manager, and then we can see in what direction Allardyce is going to take this club.

[Teasy]

What concerns me is that Shepherd is telling Owen that none of the top four are interested, but he seems to have completely overlooked the fact that Owen moving to a team finishing 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th would be a big step up for Owen and would likely propel that club into the top four.

 

I believe Shepherd is trying to get Owen to refute these rumours, simply because of the detrimental effect it could have on season ticket sales.  No more, no less!

 

What you've missed is that none of those teams could afford even half his wages never mind all of them..

 

On the subject at hand, it amazes me all this talk that Owen owes us "fuck all" and its understandable if he leaves.  Yeah in the world of no responsibilities and no morals that's true.  But in the real world Owen does owe us a season fit due to how well he's been treated by this club and its fans right through his injury problems.  Frankly he should be so embarrased with what's happened at Newcastle he should be raring to to prove to everyone that he was worth the money we paid for him.  Obviously that doesn't mean he'll stay because the real world isn't fair.  But it does mean that if he leaves its fair to label him a fucking wheasel with no respect for himself or anyone else!

 

Oh and I don't buy this £9 million clause either.  Why is it £9 million all of a sudden and not £12 million?

[johnnypd]

 

On the subject at hand, it amazes me all this talk that Owen owes us "fuck all" and its understandable if he leaves.  Yeah in the world of no responsibilities and no morals that's true.  But in the real world Owen does owe us a season fit due to how well he's been treated by this club and its fans right through his injury problems.  Frankly he should be so embarrased with what's happened at Newcastle he should be raring to to prove to everyone that he was worth the money we paid for him.  Obviously that doesn't mean he'll stay because the real world isn't fair.  But it does mean that if he leaves its fair to label him a fucking wheasel with no respect for himself or anyone else!

 

agree, think he's going to leave now though, and i won't be too upset if we can replace him with a good creative striker, berbatov or tevez for instance.

[The Bonk]

f*** me lad, I'm not suggesting we should go out specifically looking for these players, but that's exactly what we HAVE been doing for years now.  Flash the £££ at them and they will come.  Do you think Damien Duff came here because he thought he could win things?  You seem to think Owen should be driven to stay here by his desire to win things now too - quite the f****** opposite tbh.

 

So what would be your strategy to break the mould? How would you go about building solid foundations?

 

First, I would stop signing players that only come here because of our ability/willingness to offer them wages far in excess of market rate.  We don't have a wage structure at NUFC.  Look at the Owen deal, we got him here because we offered him astronomical wages and because (as is becoming increasingly evident), we put a clause in his contract that actually allowed him to leave FOR LESS than we paid for him.

 

Stop for a second and think about that.  We were basically acknowledging two things by doing that:  firstly that we weren't an attractive option to Michael Owen as we were giving him an escape route out of the club that no player willing to come here would get in their contract.  Secondly, and perhaps more damning, we were acknowledging that we had paid far in excess of his market value to get him to come here.

 

We offered Scott Parker crazy money to get him here, we offered Damien Duff crazy money to get him here, we gave a crocked Kieron Dyer crazy money to get him to stay.  Steve Sidwell is arguably better off at Reading than he would be here, but it looks to me like we've turned the lad's head, no doubt by talking about wages a good £15k in excess of his market value.

 

Does this sound like a way of establishing the club of motivated winners that you're looking for?  Doesn't sound like it to me.  And yet this is what we have established ourselves as.  We can't even shift some of the s**** in our squad because we're paying them far in excess of what they're worth and they know they're onto a cushy number here.  You can talk about huge resources and being starved of success, but it's our misuse of those huge resources by our moron chairman which is making life far too easy for the players at the club. 

 

The top and bottom of it is this:  Players don't come to Newcastle United to win things.  They come to get paid.

 

They do that at Chelsea and they finished second in the league this year, mate.  You've done a brilliant job of outlining the problems, but I fail to see where you answered any of Newcastle Rocker's questions there?

 

How can we attract top talent without splashing the cash?  We can't, simple as. 

[Geordie Boot Boy]

It seems to me that Owen is half way out the door already.  It's unfortunate because he's represented terrible value for money, even by our shocking standards but that's life.  I'd probably do the same in his position as a non-Newcastle supporter.

[Superior Acuña]

I really want to see owen for a year.  When we first got him, i thought he'd be off quick, but expected to see him for a season.  I want to see him for more than the odd game.  And i would have thought now is the time to be most optimistic since he arrived, with seemingly a good manager coming in.  I'll be disappointed in him if he goes this summer, as i've always praised him as a character as well as a player.

 

However, as said, he is more dispensable now.  We have martins who is young, good now and looking very promising, and with 9million and a saving on wages, i'm sure if we get the right man as manager, he'll be able to get another v good striker, tailor made to partners martins.

[Geordie Boot Boy]

...I'll be disappointed in him if he goes this summer, as i've always praised him as a character as well as a player...

 

Why have you praised his character?  And why be surprised?  If he ruthlessly got away from Liverpool for half his market value, why would he hesitate to do the same to us?

[Superior Acuña]

...I'll be disappointed in him if he goes this summer, as i've always praised him as a character as well as a player...

 

Why have you praised his character?  And why be surprised?  If he ruthlessly got away from Liverpool for half his market value, why would he hesitate to do the same to us?

 

He wanted a new challenge at liverpool and had served them well.  I've always thought he's a good proffesional and would want at least one good season here. 

 

As for people saying get rid of him if he's here for the money/doesnt want to be here - i dont agree.  I believe he will play to the best of his ability regardless.  He'll still want to uphold his reputation, and the better he does here, the better move he'll get.

[Leazes1986]

Would it not just make sense to offer him a new contract? He obviously isn't gonna sign it like but he'd have to make a decision. I'm not gonna fall for the crap he's probably gonna come out and say in a day or two about being commited to Newcastle. He's got 2 years left on his contract. Most clubs make sure their star players are tied down before they get into the last year of their contract. Should offer him an extended contract, with that clause wiped out and we'll see how committed he really is. If he says no then he can fuck right off. He would say no though, i'm almost certain. He doesn't want to be here. If you don't want to be here Michael, then we don't want you here.

[Skirge]

After Fred has gone and called Owen's bluff in public I full expect him to leave!

[STM]

Would it not just make sense to offer him a new contract? He obviously isn't gonna sign it like but he'd have to make a decision. I'm not gonna fall for the crap he's probably gonna come out and say in a day or two about being commited to Newcastle. He's got 2 years left on his contract. Most clubs make sure their star players are tied down before they get into the last year of their contract. Should offer him an extended contract, with that clause wiped out and we'll see how committed he really is. If he says no then he can f*** right off. He would say no though, i'm almost certain. He doesn't want to be here. If you don't want to be here Michael, then we don't want you here.

 

This.

 

Owen's a cracking player but we aint going sit around worrying about replacing him because he has barely played for us to replace him in the first place.

 

I'm not Darren Bents biggest fan but for the 9m talked about he would give us more games and more productivity in games because of it. I say if Owen doesn't want to be here get rid and give the money to Big Sam WHEN he's here.

[Guest johnson293]

Would it not just make sense to offer him a new contract? He obviously isn't gonna sign it like but he'd have to make a decision. I'm not gonna fall for the crap he's probably gonna come out and say in a day or two about being commited to Newcastle. He's got 2 years left on his contract. Most clubs make sure their star players are tied down before they get into the last year of their contract. Should offer him an extended contract, with that clause wiped out and we'll see how committed he really is. If he says no then he can f*** right off. He would say no though, i'm almost certain. He doesn't want to be here. If you don't want to be here Michael, then we don't want you here.

 

Totally agree with the above - one way to end all this speculation about clauses, and for him to show commitment (in the short-term at least) would be to offer him a contract extension, without any dubious clauses, or at least clauses that dont lose us a load of cash if/when he leaves.

 

If he refuses to sign an extension, then sell him - it will then be clear he doesn't want to be here, regardless of how guilty he claims to be about his 16 months out injured.

 

MJ

[Dragon55544]

If he did leave he'd have to be willing to take a big drop in wages. I just cant see any of the top 4 coming in for him, Unless you play to his strengths Owen aint all that good and i cant see the top 4 clubs buying Owen then having a team built around him.