Is the end nigh for Owen?

[Red Mist]

Magnificent Michael will retire as Ordinary Owen but not before one more free-transfer flight of fancy

 

These are the last words Michael Owen spoke as an England player: 'In terms of what he (Fabio Capello) is trying to do, you had better ask him. There are enough reasons to want to win for your country other than a new manager, but it is certainly another ingredient.'

That was inside the Stade de France, shortly after a clearly irritated Owen came off the substitute's bench, when he replaced Wayne Rooney at half-time, in a half-baked friendly against the French.

In 45 minutes he had made Zero Impact.

Tomorrow, March 26, marks the first anniversary of his 89th and perhaps last appearance for England, a full calendar year since this 28-year-old striker was abandoned by Fabio Capello following a 1-0 friendly defeat.

 

At first he was squeezed out of squads by players with a full Barclays Premier League season under their belts: Jermain Defoe, Alan Smith, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Peter Crouch Emile Heskey.

 

Fair enough.

 

Now he is simply not under consideration. Not even ahead of Carlton Cole as England prepare for a friendly against Slovakia at Wembley on Saturday and a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine the following Wednesday.

 

It is heading the same way with his club side Newcastle, where the evidence suggests that Owen is no longer a premium brand, no longer capable of scoring the goals that once helped Liverpool to win five trophies in a remarkable 12 month spell under Gerard Houllier.

 

He was dropped from the Newcastle team to play Arsenal at St James' Park last Saturday, humiliated by coaches Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood as the team predictably slipped into the relegation zone.

 

The word is that legacy injuries to Owen's neck and to his back means that he cannot run properly, certainly not at full capacity or in full flight.

 

He will never be the same player. Those darting runs, the days when he could skip past Jose Chamot and Roberto Ayala at the World Cup in 1998 are a thing of the past.

 

He knows that. So does Capello.

 

His popularity with his team-mates is also on the wane. There has been a cooling off in recent weeks, with some of Newcastle's players distancing themselves from a player who could still be key to their survival hopes.

 

In the four years he has spent earning £125,000 a week at St James's Park he has never quite embraced the Geordie Nation, despite the remarkable reception at St James' Park when he signed from Real Madrid for £16m in 2005.

 

Instead he flies into the training ground most days in his helicopter direct from his Manor House racing stables in Cheshire, back at home before his wife Louise is even back from the gallops.

 

That yard is his passion, with millions of pounds invested in the thoroughbreds at the 160 acre farm that Owen hopes will one day compete with the great owners such as JP McManus and John Magnier.

 

His reluctance to set up home in the north-east has been a source of frustration to his team-mates for some time, coming to a head when Owen returned to the Newcastle team from his latest injury for the 1-1 draw at Hull on March 14.

 

Instead of riding the team bus back to Newcastle with his team-mates, Owen returned to Cheshire with Nicky Butt.

 

There are mutterings of discontent among the players that the striker, once the most sought-after forward in world football, can come and go as he pleases, a free-spirit at a club in freefall.

 

Despite captaining Newcastle in the past, he has little affinity with the area or its people, never buying into the Toon culture that served others, such as Kevin Keegan, so well in the past.

 

Instead he will leave on a free transfer this summer, attempting to persuade Manchester City that his body can withstand 38 games in the Premier League and another ten or twenty or more in the Europa League, FA Cup and Carling Cup.

 

Signs are that City are not interested, despite the best efforts of his agent to procure a move to an up-an-coming club. His supporters still champion his cause and they have every rightl to after an international career that has included 40 goals in 89 appearances.

 

He very nearly rescued England in the Euro 2008 qualifiers when he scored goals in Tallinn against Estonia (3-0), Israel at Wembley (3-0) and Russia (3-0).

 

Sadly, he missed the 3-2 defeat at Wembley against Croatia in November 2007 through injury (again), something that a succession of England coaches have become increasingly frustrated with since he made his debut against Chile in 1998.

 

Between the ages of 17 and 25, when he returned from an aborted spell at Real Madrid, he played at the very highest level.

 

Owen can look back on those eight years with immense pride, eight years at the very pinnacle of a demanding sport. It is more than most.

 

He joined the greats in 2001 when he won the prestigious Ballon D'Or, becoming the European footballer of the year, engraving his name on to a trophy that also includes Marco van Basten, Roberto Baggio and Zinedine Zidane, the best of all.

 

That elite group of players all went out at the top of their profession.

 

Sadly for Owen he will never have that choice, no matter which new manager he has to impress.

ASH WEDNESDAY: Magnificent Michael will retire as Ordinary Owen | Mail Online

 

Seems as if there will be a sad ending to the Owen tale. From being the most wanted player in the world to not even being fancied by a relegation threatened Newcastle. Poor fool, think how different things would have been had he not left us.

At least he made a lot of money from his career. Bet that comforts him...

[WaltonRed]

I'd take him back tomorrow.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

He isn't helping himself by flying in and out of training and not interacting with the rest of the squad on match days, but that should be pinned on the Newcastle Board who agreed to it. If he had only held out maybe things would have been different for him.

[Woo]

For all his missed games this season, he's still got 14 goals.

[INTORRESTING]

i dont think we have seen the last of him yet

would take him on a free, gerrard and owen is a great partnership.

He is a little shit but beggars cant be choosers and we need to spend money on wingers

[Tyler Durden]

To be honest im made up, i was always one of those people who would back him when people gave him shit, but since the time when he was going to return from Madrid and shit himself opting for newcastle instead it was clear where his loyalties were, himself and England.

Wonder if he wakes up every night wishing he had stayed or came back when he had the chance, i hope so and hope its the single biggest regret in his life.

[RedKnight]

Newcastle are hardly going to offer him a new contract when there's a possibility they may be relegated. They'll want him to take a huge pay cut and so have probably decided there'd be no point.

[WaltonRed]

If he agreed to a wage cut and that he wouldnt be first choice but he'd still get games then i'd snap him up.

 

Come home Michael.

[Tyler Durden]

Newcastle are hardly going to offer him a new contract when there's a possibility they may be relegated. They'll want him to take a huge pay cut and so have probably decided there'd be no point.

 

Apparently they have put no provisions in place for if they do get relegated.

[Glen C]

I'd take him back on a free. Good player to have on the bench(when fit obviously). As long a he accepted a wage reduction.

[RedKnight]

Apparently they have put no provisions in place for if they do get relegated.

 

Sounds like something they'd do.

[JohnnyH]

To be honest im made up, i was always one of those people who would back him when people gave him shit, but since the time when he was going to return from Madrid and shit himself opting for newcastle instead it was clear where his loyalties were, himself and England. Wonder if he wakes up every night wishing he had stayed or came back when he had the chance, i hope so and hope its the single biggest regret in his life.

 

I do find it hillarious that people think that Owen wanting whats best for himself first and foremost is something to beat him with. As if Carra or Gerrard or Torres, or any other footballer is going to put the game or a club ahead of their own welfare.

[hamstrung]

I think the article is right - he's broken.

[JangoSolo]

For all his missed games this season, he's still got 14 goals.

 

Isn't it 6 or is BBC wildly out of date?

 

I'd still have him back - salary and medical permitting

 

EDIT - Wikipedia has it down as 10 in total! oh well, who knows

[Woo]

Isn't it 6 or is BBC wildly out of date?

 

I'd still have him back - salary and medical permitting

 

Michael Owen Profile, Statistics, News, Game Log - Newcastle United, English Premier League - ESPN Soccernet

 

Oh shit hang on, that counts the 4 goals he got last season in the Euro 2008 Qualifiers for England. What an idiot I look like now.

 

He's got 10 for Newcastle this season.

[Carra_is_legend]

I think the article is right - he's broken.

 

I think so too. Although I would be tempted to get him on a free, give him a 1 year contract for around £100k/week. I think he would take that and considering he won't be the first choice, he can step in when Torres needs a break.

 

Coming back to us would give him a huge lift in my opinion.

 

He won't play more than 20 games in a season - I think his body could cope with that and I'm sure he will score 10-12 goals in those 20 games.

[Unrighteous]

Heh... He'll go to Everton and join the most injury prone strike force in history.

[Rex Banner]

I don't get why people want him back, yes he's on a free but he's guaranteed to be injured for some period more likely longer than shorter, he's lost his best asset which is pace and he would be absolutely useless in the formation we play now. Haven't we learnt the lesson from Keane about changing a proven formation and I don't think he would be good for team morale.

[El Rojo]

I don't get why people want him back, yes he's on a free but he's guaranteed to be injured for some period more likely longer than shorter, he's lost his best asset which is pace and he would be absolutely useless in the formation we play now. Haven't we learnt the lesson from Keane about changing a proven formation and I don't think he would be good for team morale.

 

Whatever about his pace, he's still an excellent goalscorer when he gets chances.

 

I can't see Rafa wanting him regardless though.

[Woo]

Has anyone noticed (and I'm not using this as a pro to bring Owen back) how Newcastle seem to constantly have injury problems? Even players who go there who never really struggle with injuries beforehand seem to be crocked. It's more than a coincidence now as it's been happening for seasons. Must be something to do with the training or the physios/doctors there being below standard surely.

[Tyler Durden]

I do find it hillarious that people think that Owen wanting whats best for himself first and foremost is something to beat him with. As if Carra or Gerrard or Torres, or any other footballer is going to put the game or a club ahead of their own welfare.

 

Would that be the same Gerrard who never went to Chelsea despite the clear financial benefits to HIMSELF and HIS then title aspirations? Think that pretty much shows your point to be shite. Gerrard put Liverpool before him wanting to win the league and the money, Torres took a pay cut to come to this club when he could have got alot more elsewhere at the time, these are the differences between them and Owen. He only give a fuck about his england place and how much cash he got from that newcastle move. So yes it is something to beat him with.

[Tyler Durden]

I think so too. Although I would be tempted to get him on a free, give him a 1 year contract for around £100k/week. I think he would take that and considering he won't be the first choice, he can step in when Torres needs a break.

 

Coming back to us would give him a huge lift in my opinion.

 

He won't play more than 20 games in a season - I think his body could cope with that and I'm sure he will score 10-12 goals in those 20 games.

 

Pay him £5.2 million in wages to be a bit part player? If anything he should be grateful to get a pay as you play deal

[PaulMcC]

I'd have him on a free if he was willing to be a sub and take wages of a squad player. Pay him about as much as Arbeloa. Or pay as you play deal.

[Scott_M]

I think so too. Although I would be tempted to get him on a free, give him a 1 year contract for around £100k/week.

 

For somebody who is only going to play

 

Pay as you play / score surely.

[Cath]

I don't get why people want him back, yes he's on a free but he's guaranteed to be injured for some period more likely longer than shorter, he's lost his best asset which is pace and he would be absolutely useless in the formation we play now. Haven't we learnt the lesson from Keane about changing a proven formation and I don't think he would be good for team morale.

 

Agree with Rex here. Just don't get the Owen love him. Watching him as a youngster was a privilege. Superb player with blistering turn of pace. But that player has long since gone. If he'd never played for us and someone suggested us buying him most would be dead against. Heart ruling head time.