Owen to United

[RedKnight]

So United are willing to take the gamble on Owen but we aren't, even though our striking situation is every bit as dire as theirs? I hope we have someone else lined up for as Owen would've been win-win for us. English, free and he'd probably take a huge wage cut to come back here.

[The 5th Benitel]

Am i the only one who thinks this is quite a good sign? None of the top teams were interested in Owen and i seriously doubt the mancs would have been if they hadn't just lost their best forward along with a quality reserve and had also seen their top targets snapped up by other clubs. It's no good having £80m if the players you want to spend it on are going elsewhere.

 

Owen has been washed up for years but i think this shows Taggert is worried that he wont have enough decent forwards cos he keeps losing out on his targets. If Ribery goes to Madrid i really cant think of another top class attacker he could plausibly bring in so he could spend as much of that money as he wants, he'll still struggle to improve on what he had last year.

[odris]

He is having a medical as we speak, hope he breaks his foot walking out the medical room.

[HurdyGurdyMan]

I hope that Harold Shipman takes the medical!

[ToxtethTerror]

Am i the only one who thinks this is quite a good sign? None of the top teams were interested in Owen and i seriously doubt the mancs would have been if they hadn't just lost their best forward along with a quality reserve and had also seen their top targets snapped up by other clubs. It's no good having £80m if the players you want to spend it on are going elsewhere.

 

Owen has been washed up for years but i think this shows Taggert is worried that he wont have enough decent forwards cos he keeps losing out on his targets. If Ribery goes to Madrid i really cant think of another top class attacker he could plausibly bring in so he could spend as much of that money as he wants, he'll still struggle to improve on what he had last year.

 

Have you seen his stats for the last 2 seasons? Is that washed up?

[Jose Jones]

I know you're like the Crown Prince of the Ostrich Mentality on here ("If we bury our heads in the sand, maybe it's not happening!") but grow the fuck up.

 

I am merely pointing out that for the manager of our biggest rivals, this represents a low risk (ie cheap) signing that has potentially big rewards.

 

If you think pointing that out, or indeed, pointing out that Slur is a past master at this kind of thing constitutes "sucking cock", then nothing I write can remove those heavily-tinted specs from your nose.

 

I have to admit that yeah, you are a more adult fan than me Mr D as I am pretty much unable to empathise with anything Ferguson does in this situation, without feeling a bit of a mental gag reflex.

[diego]

He has turned down the Mancs in the past, just ask Carra. He also turned them down aged 15.

 

He didn't turn them down at 15. He applied to them first. Ferguson was not prepared to meet his father's demands.

 

He didn't turn Man Utd down when he left Real Madrid. They were his first choice, Arsenal his second. They both said they were not interested. (Consult the press at the time).

 

LFC was interested because Parry believed it would be popular with the supporters. Parry was at the height of his powers and Rafa only here one year and without the control he has now. Under pressure from Parry, Rafa agreed to consider Owen as long as there was no net cost to LFC (as long as the transfer fee was no higher than RM had paid LFC one year before). When Rafa met with him he made clear that Owen would not be offered the "guaranteed" starting place he had had before under Houllier and that Rafa's first-team would not be organised around Owen strenghths and weaknesses - which was the major cause of LFC failing record and boring kick-and-rush style for the previous few years (apart from an FA Cup and the League Cup). Rafa also advised him that if he refused to buckle under pressure from Real Madrid they would release him for a lower fee.

 

Owen's marketing team used the meeting with LFC to leverage a higher fee and wages from Newcastle.

 

Carragher is not an independent or authoritative source of information. He is a hanger-on to the Owen camp. He benefited from crumbs from Owen's commercial deals. He uncritically repeats Owen's PR. His book was written by Bascombe who's information about the club's inner workings are highly suspect.

 

For the record here is what Owen said on 10th may 2004, three months before signing for Real Madrid on the grounds that it "was the best team in the world".

 

“We will sort something out amicably next summer,” said Owen. “I won’t just up and leave on a Bosman. I have the rest of this season and all next still left on my existing contract but talks have already started on a new one. Inevitably, they are complex though and don’t get done in just a week. But I certainly see myself at Liverpool next year. Why not? I’m not in football for the money. And that is largely what it means when players sit out their contracts and go for free.”

[silverlining]

Owen was a truly brillaint player for Liverpool, as his 158 goals in less than 300 games amply illustrates, but there's no doubt that his heyday appears to have long since passed.

 

That said, if he stays fit, there's equally no doubt that he'll score goals, and seeing him do it in a United shirt would be a terrible sight to behold.

 

One would hope that his affection for the club would automatically preclude him going to United (could anyone see Gerrard, Fowler or Carra ever considering it? No, they wouldn't), but that doesn't appear to be the case, sadly.

 

However, if all he has on the table is a contract offer from Hull, and one from Manchester United, it doesn't take a genius to work out which anyone with any footballing ambition would take up.

[Code]

Unless we sign David Villa, its a disgrace if we let Owen slip through our fingers for him to end up with the mancs.

 

As I have shown earlier, after the injury he got in the World Cup which sidelined him for a year he has played around 30 PL games each season, not many players will get more PL games than that for us anyway so to his his injuries as something to beat him with just dont add up.

[Thants]

His only overwhelming success is Torres mate, The End.

 

And Kuyt and Crouch. But no, no other striker is the best striker in the world.

Bellamy didnt work and Morientes was a bit of a disaster. We've yet to see if Ngog will make it and Voronin was ok as a free.

 

Quit being a drama queen.

 

EDIT: Wahay here comes the negative Code. It's about time. I think I'll leave the forum for a day.

[Guest simon]

He will go there and fail. Truthfully though i cant see him passing the medical. I just cant believe what it has come to someone i considered as nearly a legend going to the Scum he must have it real bad i kinda feel sorry for the guy. He joins the Mancs then he's a cunt in my eyes.

[JMARKH]

I hope that Harold Shipman takes the medical!

 

Ha ha is right, repped!

[Josef Svejk]

Arriving for his medical, displaying his usual level of intelligence:

 

[Whelan]

Unless we sign David Villa, its a disgrace if we let Owen slip through our fingers for him to end up with the mancs.

 

As I have shown earlier, after the injury he got in the World Cup which sidelined him for a year he has played around 30 PL games each season, not many players will get more PL games than that for us anyway so to his his injuries as something to beat him with just dont add up.

 

Your ability to offer up 'opinions' as fact, never ceases to amaze me!

[MacDeGoal]

In some way I feel sorry for the little twat. But I can`t say I wish him any luck though..

[Andy M]

We already have a mountain to climb to overcome The Scum, that a previous son of LFC would choose to aim to try to make that harder leaves a sour taste.

 

He won't receive my backing after this.

[The 5th Benitel]

Have you seen his stats for the last 2 seasons? Is that washed up?

 

In four years at Newcastle, Michael Owen started 65 games and scored 30 goals. He is reported to have cost the relegated club an eye-watering £41m in fees and wages. (Various)

 

30 goals in 4 seasons is close to washed up especially when you consider the amount spent and therefore the amount of effort that will have been put into getting him fit and playing.

 

I'm also loving the people who are saying he'd have 'taken a massive pay cut to come and play for us'. How do you know and at what point in his career has he even hinted that he'd be prepared to do that?

[El Rojo]

Unless we sign David Villa, its a disgrace if we let Owen slip through our fingers for him to end up with the mancs.

 

As I have shown earlier, after the injury he got in the World Cup which sidelined him for a year he has played around 30 PL games each season, not many players will get more PL games than that for us anyway so to his his injuries as something to beat him with just dont add up.

 

Exactly. Most professional sports people have limited appeal. Michael Owen scores in a wide range of categories and offers huge commercial benefits to whoever he plays for.

 

- Fit and healthy

- Clean and fresh

- Charismatic

- First Class

- Good looking

- Articulate

- Successful

- Global

- Technical

- Young

- Enthusiastic

- Instinctive

- Dynamic

- Stylish

- Aspirational

- Committed

- Respected

- Cool

- Sincere

- Devoted

- Resilient

[navbasi]

What's Rafa done wrong now?

 

With Parry gone, "we" need someone to blame... Even if it's for not trying to sign a striker that fcuked us over twice who makes Darren Anderton look like the fittest player on the plant.

 

A message to Michael -

 

"You know why you never felt appreciated in the same way as Robbie Fowler - I think you might have just answered your own question as to why."

[silverlining]

 

I'm also loving the people who are saying he'd have 'taken a massive pay cut to come and play for us'. How do you know and at what point in his career has he even hinted that he'd be prepared to do that?

 

 

He'll be taking one to go to United, and thassafact.

[The 5th Benitel]

Unless we sign David Villa, its a disgrace if we let Owen slip through our fingers for him to end up with the mancs.

 

As I have shown earlier, after the injury he got in the World Cup which sidelined him for a year he has played around 30 PL games each season, not many players will get more PL games than that for us anyway so to his his injuries as something to beat him with just dont add up.

 

 

He gets injured for a good while, has a few comeback games, scores a few and then gets injured again. That pattern has repeated itself throughout his career and the older he's got the longer he's been laid off for. It'll happen again in the future so unless he's on a pay as you play surely the wages are better spent elsewhere? I just think the mancs are getting worried they'll have no cover at all the way the transfer market is going so they're prepared to pay over the odds for someone who might only get a run out in 1 out of 5 games.

[navbasi]

We already have a mountain to climb to overcome The Scum, that a previous son of LFC would choose to aim to try to make that harder leaves a sour taste.

 

He won't receive my backing after this.

 

Even more reason (if it was needed) that Gerrard and Carra get a Premiership winners medal ahead of Owen.

 

He won't receive my backing after this as well.

[The 5th Benitel]

He'll be taking one to go to United, and thassafact.

 

It might go down from the ludicrous amount he was on at Newcastle but people are talking as if he'd be on buttons which he clearly wont. He wouldn't be a top earner but he'll be up there.

[Josef Svejk]

 

vs.

 

[WaltonRed]

i feel sick and I never thought I would.

 

He'll score shit loads for them, dont be fooled, the lad is far from finished.

 

JUDAS