With it looking increasingly likely that Michael Owen will be a Manchester United player by the end of the day, take a little time to relive his decision to join Newcastle over Liverpool, after he was linked with us in 2005.
June 19th 2005 – United linked with Michael Owen after it appears he will be returning to the Premiership from Real Madrid.
June 24th 2005 – United deny the rumours
“I admire Casillas but he is not in the plans of Manchester United,” said Queiroz. “Owen does not interest us either.”
August 1st 2005 – Bryan Robson all for it
“I don’t know if there’s any truth in the rumours going about,” Robson said. “For me, Owen is a top player and what he’ll take to any team is a great ratio of goals per games that he plays in. He’s a top-class player and he’ll always score goals.” Will United fans mind his Liverpool roots? “I don’t think they’ll look at that at all,” he continued. “Many United fans want to see top-class players playing for United. If Owen goes, it’s just another top-class talent within their squad.”
August 3rd 2005 – Sven all for it
“You know you are buying a lot of goals because he has always scored goals and always will,” said Sven. “So whatever happens if he comes to England or stays in Spain he will be important for England. It does not really matter where he plays but if I could wish it, it would be good to see him and Rooney together and that would of course benefit England. I can’t deny that.”
August 8th 2005 – Deny it all
“We have had no contact with Real Madrid over Michael Owen,” stated Manchester United communications director Phil Townsend.
August 8th 2005 – Fergie not a happy bunny
“I’m not answering that,” said the United boss when he was asked at a press conference if he holds an interest in the former Liverpool hit-man. “I’ll tell you why. I’ve seen the nonsense you have written all year. There is no way I would give you a helping hand in that respect. I am not going to make any comment whatsoever. You need to ask Real Madrid that really as I’m sitting in Manchester.”
August 11th 2005 – Cricket coach John Buchanan reveals Fergie chat
“He talked a little bit about Michael Owen and he doesn’t really see his style of play fitting in with Man United,” Buchanan said. “That’s one of the reasons they’re not going for him.”
August 13th 2005 – Benitez interest
“I am aware that Michael would like to come back,” said Benitez. “I don’t know if we can do something because we are waiting for a good offer for Milan Baros. But he is a good player and I like him. I never had any problems with him. He is a nice boy, a good professional and a very good player.”
August 14th 2005 – Still nothing from Ferguson
Are we interested in Owen? “No comment,” he told Channel 4.
August 24th 2005 – Owen wants Liverpool return
“I met the Real Madrid president before last night’s friendly at the Bernabeu and we discussed my future,” said Owen. “I said that my ideal situation was to start the season in the Real Madrid team and if not I would prefer to return to Liverpool. The president understood and said he would try to help me achieve this. If the transfer cannot be finalised in time I have agreed to go to Newcastle United but only on a one-year loan. I need to be playing regularly in a World Cup year.”
August 29th 2005 – Owen in talks with Liverpool and Newcastle
August 30th 2005 – Owen joins Newcastle
August 31st 2005 – Owen hails easy decision
“It was 1.30 in the early hours of yesterday that I finally decided that I was joining Newcastle,” Owen said. “Although there had been a lot of agonising, and a lot of telephone calls, it was an easy decision in the end. People will point out that, only a week or so ago, I listed Newcastle as the last of my options but circumstances change very quickly, as I have discovered. I felt that to return to Madrid would be the wrong decision. I want to play regularly and, if I am honest, part of me missed the passion of The Premiership. I was uncertain that a Liverpool bid would be accepted in time and I wanted to play for a club who really wanted me. David Moyes rang to see if there was a chance of getting me to Goodison Park and to wish me luck if not. I think he must have known I used to follow them as a boy. I have a lot of good memories of scoring goals at St James’ Park including a hat-trick on my first visit with Liverpool. I was clapped off by the home fans that afternoon and I hope I can give them plenty more reasons to cheer me.”
Whilst I enjoy the thought of Liverpool fans hurting at the prospect of their former hero (which he was for so many of them) playing for United, you can’t help but ignore that what he is doing is wrong. It is wrong to come from the Liverpool youth team, play for the team for years, then later join Manchester United.
Will he win us over? I honestly just can’t see it happening. I really dislike the fella and the fact that he wants to play for us, oddly, makes me dislike him even more. I can understand the appeal obviously, given his other option is Hull for crying out loud, but there’s just something so dirty about it. Can you imagine David Beckham leaving Real Madrid for Liverpool? Can you imagine how we’d feel about him if he had? Of course we can take pleasure in knowing how cut up some of them are going to be over this, but the whole thing still doesn’t sit right with me.
It’s not just the Liverpool connection though but the man’s priorities. Earning a lot of money and doing well for England are his biggest concerns. He doesn’t appear to be too arsed who he’s playing for as long as he earns a lot of dosh and is fit for when England come knocking. He will see joining United as the perfect opportunity to get back in the England team ahead of the World Cup and that will mean far more to him than anything United-related. So, chances are, if he stays fit, we’ll get a good year out of him. He’ll be out to impress. But he’ll be out to impress for all the wrong reasons. But does that matter? My head is spinning.
We have to trust the manager.
Don’t forget the RoM free shirt summer competition!
Man Utd News 24/7
trust the manager
get behind the player
listen to Bryan Robson
Micheal owen does not have a Rainbow Background.
I Will not start thinking of a chant and start seeing that the old micheal owen that I used to loath with a black heart. If I don’t see AT LEAST 12 Goals to his name.
If not
Fuck off
Go away
be gone
May the force be with you.
ive just heard on a radio station news talk here in ireland that he’ll be offered a 1 season rolling contract for 20grand a week and if he’s injuried he’ll get 20 grand for a week for the first 2 weeks of his injury and nothing there after
thats not a money thing
gotta hate tiny tears
1st impressions count then
When berbatov came I knew we made a great signing
But owen..
owen is somewhat diffrent
My instincts say something
but when fergie comes into the game everything changes
All in all i just want madrid to win fuck all and us winning it all!
gotta hate tiny tears
thank you for SPLENDID news
I can rest my mind now that it’s not for the money.
I dont think it’s that bad a deal guys. If its on a pay as you play deal like reported then what does it matter? He is only going to be a stop gap because there isn’t anyone avaialble. We dont want people like Luis Fabiano, and most people are against Aguero as he’s and Argie – he is shit hot though.
Imagine if he scores a winner against the Dippers at the Kop end – the prospect of that alone makes it worthwhile surely?! LOL!
Also, he hasnt been mentioned at all really, but we’re crying out for someone in midfield to get goals, anyone got any thoughts on Tim Cahill? I think he’s a great player, proven in the Prem, who would get atleast 15 goals a season for Utd. But i cant remember how old he is and whether he would be worth the money long term as he would probably cost near £20m…
Let give Owen the benefit of the doubt.
If Michael Owen had any self respect at all he would offer his services to Newcastle United for free for a season, to repay them and to help to get them back into the Premier League.
I wash my hands of you, Judas!
Scott, I have commented in your other blog as well, this is a risk which is unique it has not cost to it. Don’t carry his Liverpool baggage after so many years, I doubt it Owen would be carrying it as well. Time to move on. I think this has a Henrik Larsson Version 2 written all over it.
Sir Alex knows best. At least Owen won’t be dreaming of playing for Real Madrid
I don’t care who Michael Owen has played for before. I don’t care what’s he’s said before.
I do care that United are trading down – that we have completely given up the idea that we can attract and retain the type of players players that would get a game with the biggest clubs in Europe.
This close season is a fucking disaster.
fuck owen the dirty dipper. we need to be buying quality not past it injury prone players to replace tevez and ronaldo. what is going on at OT? 80 mil to spend and getting players on a free. we need a goal scoring midfielder to get 10-15 a year and a forward to get 25-30. but who are they? not michael owen anyway the money grapping scouse prick
if its on a game to game basis don’t see what we can lose.the farce at newcastle was bad for every player
Macheda is GOD
its just my report on a news report
but glad you liked it
it does sound very good
if the sign him up for nothing and he goes onthe aisia tour united will make enough money on him over there to pay him the first half of the season
The last line is the one we hyave to follow.Trust SAF.If owen bangs the goals all these grievances will be forgotten.How about Owen Scoring against Liverpool.That wud be fun
http://i708.photobucket.com/albums/ww90/Superman-92-/fergie1.jpg
Owen can’t resist fergie’s POWER
gotta hate tiny tears
Goal debuts ALWAYS put you on the right track!
Look at rooney.
It’s nothing like Beckham going to Liverpool, maybe if he was a City fan then yeah that’s fine, but he’s not, Owen was an Everton fan, I see no harm in him coming to United, Ronaldos heart wasn’t really with us and he played for a move to Madrid and yet we won loads, Owen will probably play for a chance with England, if he wins shed loads, I don’t give two shits, I really want him to be successful simply because he used to be a Liverpool player. I trust Fergie and I have nothing against Owen, if Rafa didn’t accept a bid for Madrid, he’d happily have stayed with Liverpool and signed a contract, he’s no McManaman, I don’t think he’s entirely in it for the money, if he was, i’m sure a few teams would offer him a fortune, more than what we’d offer with many bonuses simply because he’s Owen but no he’s coming to United for his career and to be successful and I imagine he’d be one of the lowest earners in the first team but with lucrative bonuses that may put him on par with the better paid players.
We’ve nothing to lose, if he’s shit, he’s on a crap deal, if he’s mint, we can rip into the bin raiders.
Not a bad signing for Man United’s cricket team, hear he’s a good bat!
Supposed to be a good bookie too!
Tiny minds, obsessed with Liverpool, some of yer
I’m just glad Fergie isn’t
But I’ll piss meself if he fires us to a 4th title running and leaves them looking forward to “their year” again. Could be another Fergie masterstroke. Can’t se much room for failure here. He’ll probably sign another couple of gems like he did with Irwin, Eric, Schmikes, Ronnie, and you’ll be saying why did anyone doubt him. Go and follow Tevez to Citeh.
Who gives a flying fuck if he’s played for Liverpool. Would you say the same thing if in a couple of years time if we signed Torres? No.
“He will see joining United as the perfect opportunity to get back in the England team ahead of the World Cup and that will mean far more to him than anything United-related. So, chances are, if he stays fit, we’ll get a good year out of him. He’ll be out to impress. But he’ll be out to impress for all the wrong reasons. But does that matter? My head is spinning.”
Course he is, that’s pretty obvious, at United he know’s he’ll have the best chance possible to get back in the England setup. In doing so though we know he’ll give his upmost to try and do that.
micheal owenia
micheal owenia
oh way oh way oh way
champonia
We’re hiring Owen to score goals and be backup for Rooney and Berba. If he can do that then I’m happy. He has the ability, he just needs to stay fit.
But there’s something about this that tells me it’s a temporary patch, similar to when we got Henrik Larsson to help us for 3 months. Sir Alex might be waiting for the transfer market to calm down, it’s hugely inflated after Real Madrid’s spending spree.All of a sudden unproven players are rated at 20 mills when we ask about them. I accept the fact the price will always be a little more higher for Man Utd but fuck me, this is getting ridiculous!
I trust Sir Alex 100%, he won those trophies, not me. He loves to prove people wrong and next season he might do that. People think Man Utd are no longer Man Utd just because we sold Ronaldo and didn’t keep Tevez. Oh how much fun it will be seeing Fergie knock those people down…
it does feel bad for football to show that kind of disloyalty, even if it is to liverpool
sod it, hopefully hell score the goal that takes another trophy out of their hands
3 more and weve overtaken their total number of trophies
suck it liverpool
I would rather have him than someone younger and exciting coming in and cutting off the progress of the youngsters. Benzema and the like would have meant lesser space for Danny and Macheda. This way we can look at what Rooney and Berba upfront with a proper winger can do and have the back up of a great finisher, crocked or not. I hope people stop being bloody footie pundits and moral cunts and just trust the boss! He almost always knows what he is doing and if this doesn’t work it won’t cost us much either! Phew!
trust the manager
get behind the player
listen to LADY GAGA…POKER FACE POKER FACE
If its a pay as you play deal, that’s fine by me – we’ve got nothing to lose. Might move to a more structured 442 set up with the departures and arrivals so far – again not a bad thing. I’m sure there’s more player activity being lined up.
It’s fine. If he signs we have another attacking option and a relatively cheap one.
His goals to games ratio has always been good even at madrid and toon. he got injured a lot ot toon – maybe our physios / training / pitch will be help him stay a bit more injury free. If so then he is worth picking up, particularly if there is any kind of pay as you play deal going on
OK, so not the signing we all thought, and on the list of strikers Owen would be down in about 30th place BUT…….
We all know Owen can score goals (if fit) so i don’t think this is such a bad signing. Two things it will do however, it will piss off the Geordies (that’s no bad thing), and if Owen scored the winner against Liverpoo next season that would be priceless LOL
I kinda agree with pypkmsrikanth about Henrik Larsson Version 2 written all over it.
i want this deal done by next saturday
get his name on the back of a jersey
and wear it it the newcastle match on the 11th
15 euro a ticket and 2euro 49cent for the eggs with shearers name on it
he’s in my neck of the woods now
have to trust SAF on this one, but will owen have the heart, the desire, and the pride to wear the utd shirt?
Red Dave Said,
July 3rd, 2009 @12:24
it does feel bad for football to show that kind of disloyalty, even if it is to liverpool
Why is it disloyal? They were the ones who accepted the bid from RM for him, it’s not as if we are buying him directly from Liverpool. He wants to resurrect his career, we need a striker who’s happy to know that he’s not going to start every game., I can’t see what the problem is.
as i said before, and there is no other thing to add to this –
IN FERGIE WE TRUST
how am i ashamed to be one of them who asked SAF to step down when we won nothing in 3years.
and i didnt embarras myself more with Tevez’ “Fergie Sign him up!”
and here i stood believing who ever SAF gonna buy, it will be for the good of Manchester United FC
Owen and Rooney up front for England in South Africa?
Hopefully things go that well
Scott, you cant base opinions or any evidence on what you have trawled through in regards quotes.
How do you come to that conclusion aboyut money and playing for England etc and is it really a bad thing?
Who says his other option is Hull? Paper and media talk? From what ive heard, Own has been heading ot unitd since January.
Utd nearly had Owen in 2005 for a very small fee, the reason he went to Newcastle was down to Woodgates “problem” at Real Madrid and the circumstances Newcastle sold Wodgate under.
Owen will be out to impress as he has to gain his career back on track, if his motivation is playing for England then so be it, as that drive will see hm driven in a Utd shirt and we will seek the rewards.
If he wants more money, then he will get that by playing games for Utd and scoring goals.
Its a risk free move for Utd and will giove time for a player to come in who is wanted. Benzema was first choice, we didnt get him and options are limited. We also need time to groom Wellbeck and Macheda who will only benefit from Owens experience.
Good job you didnt write blogs back in the days of Busby, would he have been slaughtered for his liverpool connections or even Ole Solskjaer for supporting Liverpool and his small fee!
At least he has something in common with the United fans, Hate of rafa.
Well this is a BIG,HUGE,ENORMOUS opportunity for owen to get back in the england squad…
So we have that to our advantage as well.
scraping the barrel here lads hope im wrong still need a midfielder every1 seems 2 think kacar cud be the answer.
why is everyone against owen and for macheda and welbeck, most of yous probly dont even watch the reserves play and are going on 2 performances, i wouldnt have kiko or danny in our starting 11 just yet, take experience over youth right now, and for gods sake welcome our FREE transfer in, owen may have commited himself to liverpool many years ago but so did ronaldo and tevez to us at one stage and look where they are now…
What we all love about SAF is when it comes to the business of keeping United at the top he doesn’t let emotion get in the way. (Not like most of us fans!) I’ve doubted this from time to time with his continued use of Neville, Giggs and Scholes but at the end of the day I don’t think there’s an ounce of emotion in those decisions either.
Owen is also in the business side of footbal now and this is a brilliant move for him. We’re going to have a totally motivated, mature striker signed for nothing and grateful for the chance. (Spose there’s no chance he and Rooney could kiss the badge in front of the Kop after he scores. Sorry, thats my emotions showing!!)
A win /win. Great bit of business. Vintage Fergie!!
In my opinion the perfect young player to complete our transfers and strengthen our midfield is right here in england. Lee Cattermole. Why always look abroad for promising young talent??
As long as it’s a pay as you play deal, we may be doing a good bit of business here – won’t complain if he chips in with 15 goals would we
Also, I think this shows what Fergie’s plan for the team could be – maybe he wanted only a back-up striker to Rooney and Berbatov – not a marquee name like Benzema who would want to start every game. Hopefully, Fergie has his eyes on a goalscoring midfielder, coz I think that is what we now need to add to the squad
im not ecstatic about it, but it looks fairly inevitable now so we must get behind him and support the lad as he seems to be a confidence player… i still think some of the 80m should be invested into the centre of the park woith de rossi and sneijder being my preferred, if unlikely options, a more realistic target could be raphael van der vaart who can play in the centre and also on the left, arguably our two weakest positions in terms of depth…
How on earth can it be a money thing he is signs of for 20k a month? Macheda is getting nearly the same amount. Owen is joining because he has a lot to prove and we need the backup. He’s not a replacement for Ronaldo. Or Tevez. He’s simply a proven goalscorer who when fit has a better goal ratio then anybody at the club currently.
It’s baffling why anyone should be bothered about his arrival. FREE and a low wage contract. Welcome aboard Mickey.
Hope you stay fit and prove all your doubters wrong.
I’m happy with this move and i have a feeling he will score enough goals to vindicate the gaffers decision to sign him.
Happiest man in the world right now = M. Glazier
£80m for Ronny plus wages
£25m saved on Tevez plus wages
In return for a Bosman free Micky Owen on 20K a week
I dont really want him at the club but SAF knows best. I didnt bat an eyelid when we signed Henrik on loan and he was about 35. Perhaps its the fact he’s an ex pool player but I would rather this deal didnt go through. Why sign someone so injury prone? We all laughed our bollox off when Everton signed Saha who conseqently sat out half the season with injury. You can just see it happening with Owen.
The more i think about it the more i can understand the manager’s decision on this one:
1. His goals to game ratio is nearly second to none.
If fit, he’ll guarantee 15 goals a season for us, even if they do come against the lower teams and the cup games. Allowing Rooney and Berb a rest.
2. He has played well with Rooney in the past, and i don’t doubt that he’ll play well with Berb, giving that Owen will be the one to stay up top in the box.
3. Who better to help develop the youngsters in the team.
Owen will provide a great role model for Kiko and Welbeck in terms of knowledge of the game and positioning.
4. The sweetest:- How good will it be at the end of next season when we can proclaim that the only way a Liverpool Ledgend could win a PL medal was by playing with us…
Picture all the Scouse fans crying into their scarfs
Never been a fan of the man but I think that everyone will be saying that it was another Fergie masterstroke by this time next year.
I get the feeling that Michael Owen (secretly) has always really, really ,really wanted to be a Man Utd player. No bad thing in my opinion.
He will probably score a hatful for us if he gets off the mark early in the season taking pressure and the spotlight away and will probably prove very effective for 30 mins off the bench on many occasions, more so than Tevez ever would have and for about 26million quid less.
The more I think about it; what have we got to lose? He was about as cheap a deal as you can get for no sign on whatsoever and results based incentive package. If he earns a fortune it will be because he HAS EARNED IT not because we were contracted to pay him a fortune so that he would grudgingly join us. If he doesnt do it for us well he aint No VERON !
Time will tell but well worth a flutter as he can certainly put em away when in front of goal and he will be in front of goal a lot with Rooney and Berba putting cheeky little balls in to his feet. He will know that this will be his swansong at the top flight and an opportunity he probably thought he would never get. TIME TO REPAY FERGIES FAITH ME THINKS. I THINK HE WILL PAY OFF WITH INTEREST.
I can see Owen getting into double figures for us with the chances we create,if he can score a few goals against the bottom half teams and turn last year’s nervy 1-0 wins into more comfortable 2 or 3-0 wins he’ll be worth it. Against the big teams he’s not likely to start,he’ll be used as a sub if needed,so if he scores there it’s a big bonus.
Last year we only had 4 players reach double figures in all competitions,and 2 of them are now gone. Rooney is the only player left who scored over 10 in the league. If he signs let’s not be cunts and get behind the player when he pulls on the United shirt. Look how much we backed Tevez and he fucked us over.
If he can stay fit he will score goals guarenteed…
He had a 1 in 2 record at Newcastle… so if he can have that record there then imagine that he can get the same at OT with the service we give the forwards… plus he was surrounded by shite at Geordieland.
If you look at the injuries due to the training methods that newcastle had, they had half a squad out at one point… so i wouldnt label him a sicknote yet…
He will want to play all the time at united… coz he will want to prove he can do it at this level.. he will want to try and get back in the world cup squad.. and will want to prove he can do it in the champions league..
I personally want him to bang in an 89th min winner for us at the kop end… now that would make my fuckin year…
Get behind him and give him a chance… as i said if he is fit… he will score goals… i dont doubt that.
@Phildo79
The amount of cash we have from recent transactions has nothing to do with this.What makes Fergie smart and United strong is that we don’t let our riches rule our head. Deals should continue to be done on the basis of what brings greatest value to the club and squad. This is a great bit of business. Spending money just ’cause you’ve got it in your pocket is the road to ruin.
And BTW …. the Glazier’s have to date been fantastic owners of this great club.
Tiny Tears what part of ireland are u from? im a dub but live in scotland.
Great points Anderson8. I think that’s exactly how Fergie plans to use him and what he’ll expect to get out of him.
I can’t believe this is happening….
If we were gonna have a crocked striker on the bench why couldn’t we just keep Saha!
I’m skeptical. Very skeptical. Whatever the state of Owen’s mind or body this sends out mixed signals. At best, this is a gamble. At worst, it looks like desperation. In the current market climate – perception is priceless. If you were a top rate player how would you feel about a club, any club, giving Michael (I love scoring against Man U) Owen a game (let alone a contract!). It’s hardly going to instill confidence in the ethos and/or management of the Club.
I’m dubious about giving this guy the benefit of the doubt. He can’t expect anything from Man U fans. We, however, will expect everything from him: fitness, work rate, speed and goals.
I am hoping my skepticism is ill-founded. But, I doubt it!
If Owen scores against the FSW’s team, it will make it all worthwhile ;>)
I cannot understand all the people jumping on the band wagon saying that he is crocked..
If he passes the medical then he is fit..
If he doesnt pass the medical then he doesnt sign…
So that pretty much fucks off all your arguments about a crock.
For fucks sake, we are talking about a proven goalscorer…
The dippers are gonna fuckin hate this happening..
Just get behind the lads, get behind every player who puts on our shirt.. coz at the end of the day there is enough people that hate us, our players, our club, us fans… so the last thing we need is our own turning on our own..
United dont work like that… and the fans dont work like that so get a fuckin grip…
Liverpool One Said,July 3rd, 2009 @12:09 If Michael Owen had any self respect at all he would offer his services to Newcastle United for free for a season, to repay them and to help to get them back into the Premier League.
I wash my hands of you, Judas!
I wouldnt want him anyway atleast not with the wages he was on
Mad Dog Manc Said,July 3rd, 2009 @12:34 OK, so not the signing we all thought, and on the list of strikers Owen would be down in about 30th place BUT…….
We all know Owen can score goals (if fit) so i don’t think this is such a bad signing. Two things it will do however, it will piss off the Geordies (that’s no bad thing), and if Owen scored the winner against Liverpoo next season that would be priceless LOL
it wont p1ss us off most are happy to see him go
Ermmmmmmmmm Toon Man.. this is Premier League talk in here….. shouldnt you be in http://www.relagatedwankteamsinthechampionshipchat.com
I can’t believe it’s happening either. This is not about Michael Owen being an ex-Liverpool player. Ever since the Ronaldo sale there has been a weird silence from the club about our transfer funds. When you think that we made the offer Tevez wanted only when he made his mind about leaving, you have to wonder how much we really have to spend. So here’s where i am pissed off. Say that the club don’t have money to spend. In these cases, you invest on you youth. You don’t give 30 year old injury prone players a new lease on life. Instead of bringing Campbell, Kiko, Welbeck and even Manucho to the forefront, brush them aside for Owen. It’s dumb.
Bring back RVN asap!
All that matters, Scott (and for anyone else with reservations), is that the man stays fit and scores goals for us. He’s fighting to get into the England squad for what could be his last World Cup.
He’s a professional player and will come in to do a job for us. Why is that such a big deal? I’m sure we’re all relieved of that the Tevez circus is over. So why does Owen have to start kissing the badge to prove something? This signing marks a refreshing change, as far as I’m concerned.
Owen has a lot to prove to United fans, football fans everywhere and Capello. This can only work in our favour. He’ll get his head down and work his bollocks off for us – and hopefully score more goals than Carlos did.
Couldn’t give 2 hoots about his past history or who he used to play for. He’s a different player and person now. If we had to pay for him I’d be cheesed off, but he’s free – so the risk is minimal.
@costas…
On the contrary this could be great for Kiko and Welbeck…They are probably too young to be regulars…A signing like Benzema would have frozen them out completely …but Owen??Not really they are still assured more appearances than last year and we still have an experienced back up tll the kids are ready …(maybe next season or 2012)
1996–2004 Liverpool Games 216 (118) Goals
2004–2005 Real Madrid Games 35 (13) Goals
2005–2009 Newcastle United Games 71 (26) Goals
332 games
157 goals
That aint a bad record for a crock is it??
Especially if you consider that approx 40 of the games at Madrid/Newcastle he came off the bench.. so it aint a bad record if you ask me.
In our terminoligy his career so far gives you a goal ever 2.11 games…
Fuckin ell with Tevez we were lucky to get a goal every 11 games.
keano99
im a tallaght man
i live across the road from the new rovers stadium
@debaser : Saha was on a 50k a week contract and got paid whether he was injured or not. Owen will be on a 20k contract and not get paid if he is injured. There’s a massive difference.
We had to get rid of Saha because he was on a regular contract and we were going for Tevez. Our situation is very different now. We need someone experienced in case Rooney or Berba get injured. I can see our young lads getting plenty of games but they can’t be expected to produce consistently.
At the wages and contract Owens is getting he’s a great deal. I hope he plays well and scores against the dippers. I don’t expect him to become a fan fav, or even stay at the club for more then a year. All we need is more then 5 goals from him and already he will be better then that whingy Argie fucker!
FailsworthDevil Said,July 3rd, 2009 @13:46 Ermmmmmmmmm Toon Man.. this is Premier League talk in here….. shouldnt you be in http://www.relagatedwankteamsinthechampionshipchat.com
all i am saying is that he was shit for us coz we were(are) shit so we are happy to see him go we cant afford to spend 120’000 k a week in the prem or championship on some one who isnt gonna play and take 6 games to get back full match fitness
Toon man…im a wind up merchant was takin the piss…
Owen was surrounded by shite players up at your club, and had 7908 managers in 3 years…
Had probably 94589034859035 owners in that time mate..
The amount of players who were injured up at your place over the last 3 years… which has got to be down to the training methods or medical team is unbelievable..
I personally think Owen was fit for most of last season, but he couldnt be arsed getting involved coz your club was becomming a circus… so he has sat it out, as he knew his contract was up, and wasnt gonna put himself in a position where could get injured and could ruin his move away.
You gotta admit what has happened at St James Park is farcical.. and you cant blame owen for picking up that salary, its Freddie Shepard or whoever it was who gave him that deal when he signed.
He will be on a performance related contract ie, basic salary, then bonus based on games, goals, trophies etc.
Its a no loser to united, as u see my stats about, throughout his career he gets a goal on an average 2.11 games…
If he can stay fit, and achieve that ratio of goals per games, then i will be a very happy man at the end of the season.
@Kshetrajna: Benzema coming in would have definitely demorealised the youngsters, but with Owen we are also taking a risk. Fraizer has already quit waiting to get his chance. If Owen has a good season and stays for a couple more years, what happens to Kiko and Danny then? Lets not forget that when Owen broke through and established himself, he was in Macheda’s age.
I see your point devilton
Just would rather us not add to the bench when we have Manucho, Wellbeck and Macheda to pick up a few games.
Plus this will fuel the anti-glazer brigade saying were hurtin for money.
Ultimately. SAF knows best
As for the crocked comment. We’ve been known to wave medicals before…
If we get 10 games out of him and 5 goals its worth it I suppose
FailsworthDevil Said,July 3rd, 2009 @13:58 Toon man…im a wind up merchant was takin the piss…
Owen was surrounded by shite players up at your club, and had 7908 managers in 3 years…
Had probably 94589034859035 owners in that time mate..
The amount of players who were injured up at your place over the last 3 years… which has got to be down to the training methods or medical team is unbelievable..
I personally think Owen was fit for most of last season, but he couldnt be arsed getting involved coz your club was becomming a circus… so he has sat it out, as he knew his contract was up, and wasnt gonna put himself in a position where could get injured and could ruin his move away.
You gotta admit what has happened at St James Park is farcical.. and you cant blame owen for picking up that salary, its Freddie Shepard or whoever it was who gave him that deal when he signed.
He will be on a performance related contract ie, basic salary, then bonus based on games, goals, trophies etc.
Its a no loser to united, as u see my stats about, throughout his career he gets a goal on an average 2.11 games…
If he can stay fit, and achieve that ratio of goals per games, then i will be a very happy man at the end of the season.
i agree with everything you just said we are a joke club hopefully the takeover will be completed soon and we can get some stability about the injuries its amazing how many we get not just this year but for the last decade realy
i dont blame owen for picking up the wages but i am a little peed that we saw so little of him after paying 16 mil
@costas:I understand what you are saying,But now with Tevez and Ronaldo both gone..surely the youngsters are going to get more chance than last season even with Owen…The thing is these days we cannot afford to take too many risks(well the owen signing is one but) imagine if both Rooney and Berba were injured prior to a Champions league Quarter os semi final..what happens then??We just cannot take that risk can we?Macheda is 17 now…by the time he is 19(2 more seasons) he will have had enough experience to be a regular and Owen will be 31 then so its an ideal situation.
The guy is injury prone and past it. More to the point hes shit. How can people on this site try and justify michael owen as a good signing.
@Mannyutd
Here are reasons to say its a good transfer
1:Its a free transfer
2:its a pay as you play.So no danger of us paying him if he is constantly injured.
3:he is the kind of direct striker we have lacked.
4:proven goal scoring record even with a shit team like newcastle
but most importantly
5:SAF thinks its good…so i dont see how you can say it isnt it?
Apart from his cruciate knee injury (9 months which is a quick turnaround on that type of injury), Owen has only missed 10 weeks of his career through injury, which aint bad in 12 years.
(i aint including minor knocks in that).
There’s no downside to this deal at all. It makes perfect sense. I think back to all the games we just shaded a win, despite making buckets of chances, and we were crying out for someone to stick it in the goal. That’s what Owen does. We need that sort of player and we’ve been missing it.
I’ll get to like him once he starts scoring. I’ll start to love him if he pokes one past LFC. Bring it on!
I actually think he is a good signing. Proven at this level, 1 in 2 goalscorer blah blah. I think he is a temp thing for Fergie, that the transfer market is so messed up at the moment (and dominated by Madrid) that he is being signed for a season or 2 until someone decent comes along for us to buy.
I was speaking to a friend a few weeks ago just after United agreed the 80m for Ronaldo and just as it was looking likely that Tevez would go to City or Chelsea, he (my friend) thought why dont United sign Beckham and Owen, they could fill those places for a season or 2 just to buy United some time in finding the right replacements without throwing stupid money around in an inflated transfer market. The more I think about it the more I’d like to see Beckham back if just for 1 season and I could see Owen trying really hard for us this season with the world cup so close.
exclusive pics of his medical here
http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/oo255/leelfc90/MICHAELOWEN.jpg
Knowing RAT MUNCHERS world wide are up in arms is worth £50k per week alone.
The none preffered choice but IF he stays injury free at the end of the season it would have been a master stroke by SAF. Like Larson.
If anyone can get the best out of him it is SAF.
In SAF we Trust.
B E L I E V E
As plenty of people have said there’s no downside to the deal. 1 Question: How would the nay-sayers feel about him if he’s scores the winning goal in the CL final against the dippers next may?????
Something else i am wondering about. What does Owen think about this move? Will he be content with the role Carlos Tevez played last year? Or will he think that he owns the place and he should be starting ahead of Berbatov? We certainly don’t need another moaner.
Mannyutd – Like the name. I know I asked you this outside the main train station in Rome, but any chance ye’ll reform in the near future?
For me he’s a good signing since we need an experience striker. kiko and welbeck can learn from him. SAF has given him the chance to fight for next year world cup. we as supporter must get behind our manager. in SAF we trust.
I really don’t think Owen would expect to start every game,so that won’t be a problem.
I dont think he will be expecting to start every match…If he is agreeing to a reduced pay with a pay as you play deal , then i am sure he knows his place in the pecking order
@ Kshetrajna
You seem to be the only guy on here making any sense today.
Agree with you 100%. Great comment regarding Benzema and Welbeck/Macheda.
The majority of Liverpool fans I have ever met already thought he was a self-serving tosspot – from walking out originally without giving Rafa a chance, to choosing the money at Newcastle instead of a return. In short, he was dead to them long ago.
Although some defintely still would’ve quite liked to see him back, I expect most will probably be pissing themselves at the prospect of him signing for United.
would like to see the mad turk Arda Turan in a utd shirt, what do you think?
costa there is no way that a player who was dropped by a team going,and went, down when they needed goals and was linked with hull or a move to greece would think he should be the top man at manchester united, he knows his role and i think many fans know his role and i think he’ll fit that role perfectly
the more i think about it themore it makes sence
@Supersonicwarrior : Thank you…i visit the Blog quite regularly …but dont post often as most of my views match with others anyway…
To my point of view, i think Yoann Gourcuff could bring more success the team if we sign him. He would feel many gaps for us. Plz someone should tell AFS.
its a shocker alright. liverpool’s once golden child in old trafford. blimey.
and to think we were pissed with that cunt Heinze wanting to join the dippers
Owen passes with flying colours.
I think the wizard has pulled off a master stroke here. If he stays fit i think he’ll score goals all day long for us. I really do. Also i dont think he’s bothered about the money at all because he’s taking a 50% pay cut to come to us. And lets not forget he’s comin on a fuckin free!!
We all questioned sheringham when he came and he did ok didnt he?!
As GHTT said in an earlier post, the more i think about this, the more it makes sense. I feel that the gaffer rarely gets it wrong when it comes to making the right choices for our football club and i’ll never doubt or question the great man. In fergie we trust and i for 1 am looking forward to seeing owen in a united shirt and also praying to the heavens he stays fit long enough to prove all the doubting thomas’s totally wrong! Allied to the fact that the dippers are up in arms over it makes it all the better!
To the “ooh but he’s a Liverpool player” brigade. Here’s a question for you. IF TORRES WAS OFFERED FOR FREE TO UNITED OR AT LETS SAY £10M, WOULD YOU GO FOR HIM? If the answer is YES, shut up about the Owen transfer then and if your answer is NO, you’re a LIAR.
OTRed, take it easy there, we’re all entitled to our opinions as you are yours, so dont tell any of us to ‘shut up’ or call us ‘liars’.
The Liverpool issue isnt as easy to accept for some of us as it clearly is for the majority on here. How you can abuse the scousers into the ground and despise them all (which 99% of us do), and then turn around and accept them with open arms cause it makes financial sense is a bit beyond me. Dont get on a high horse cause a few on here happen to see things from a different perspective. Look how few players have played with both clubs down through the years and you’ll see theres a bit more to it, and its not a black and white issue.
Given the ambivance toward Owen from some quarters, I hardly like to mention this, but I will. What shirt numbers do we have vacant? And what would suit a striker of Owen’s pedigre?
@Northstand: I’m not getting on any high horse, but the fact is that if Torres was available even after playing for Liverpool and declaring his love for them, many hear would beg Fergie to buy him. Heck even just 2 weeks ago when we were ridiculously linked with him, some already started wishing ti was true, so how’s that different with Owen? A little bit of hypocrisy me thinks..
imagine e look on dippers if owen were to lift the trophy for e 19th time. Once hailed a saint, now a devil that’ll haunt them forever.
imagine those dippers who named their sons Owen!!!!
hahahah
@North Stand,Tier 3,Back Row Said
Contrary to what you say, “How you can abuse the scousers into the ground and despise them all (which 99% of us do)” I don’t think we do this. We have more class than them. We spend our time cheering our team rather than abusing the opposition
@Tonka Norris
Easy, give him Tevez’s shirt, that will also help him know his place better
OTRed, I cant comment on others, I can only tell it how I see it. The Liverpool thing is a big part of the issue I have, the other side is he’s a crock on a free transfer and not someone Id like to see limping into Old Trafford on match day. Theres enough players out there without going for Owen. The lack of genuine interest in Owen from other clubs isnt a bad yardstick to gauge him off – no one is looking for him.
If he signs, Id hope he does well for us, Im just saying in a perfect world I wouldnt want to see him set foot inside the door or wear the United red that we pride ourselves on.
I agree, in Fergie we trust, and Im not saying that if he signs he wont be a success (so if it does work out I dont want someone on here trying to ram my words down my throat). IF he stays fit, he could do ok, but my gut feeling on this deal is that I just dont like it and Id rather not see it happen.
As for Torres, he’s quality, no doubt, but I wouldnt want to see him at Old Trafford, it just wouldnt be right. Same as Rooney or Vidic going to Anfield.
imagine this, michael owen scores the winner against the murderers at anfield . we re gettin him for fuck-all. he will get us goals. i dont see what the problem is ,yes he is a cunt, but like someone else said he ll soon be our cunt . and don t dare kiss our badge until you score infront of the kop.you little cunt. IN FERGIE WE TRUST.
Maybe this is me being optimistic, but i think with the medical staff, and the world class fitness coaching we have at United i think this could be a worthwhile gamble, especially if the reports about his contract are correct (If he’s injured he doesnt get paid). I can see him bagging a few next season, i just dont want this to mean that rooney will get pushed back out to the wing because we all know that he performs better as an out and out striker.
IMO i would rather have signed a holding midfielder as we’re a bit short on options in that department what with Hargreaves being injured and Possebon going out on loan so i wouldnt be suprised if Fergie already has someone lined up to fill the gap.
micheal owen will be lucky if he is fit enough for the bench. us united fans want answers how we lose our best player and not willing to pay a premium for the best players to get to replace ronaldo, and instead get a washed up has been who is using united to get in the england side. they try to get players for lower prices instead of just getting them quickly, the united board fcked up with ronaldinho transfer and the only reason we got ronaldo was because no one snapped him up earlier. and it took fergie to sign him in august a week after the comunity shield when we played sporting in a friendly. he was not going to sign rooney in 2004 because he felt he could get him on a free transfer in 2005, fergie could have got carrick for 3 million in 2004 could have got hargreaves on a free in 2005. the reality is uniteds negotians on how they get players is a total joke and not smart enough to get them cheaper. they seal beckham for 25 million instead of getting atleast 45 million for him, let van nistlerooy go on a cheap. and the only good transfer they have done in terms of cash recieved was ronaldo.
Marq, you must be the 1% so. Yeah, that sounds pretty what you wrote, not quite right though. Stand on the terraces when we play the scousers at Old Trafford and just listen. United and Liverpool hate each other, thats the way it is.
re. OTRED. quote shut up about the Owen transfer. check yourself son. whats the point of all this if utd fans cant have their say. and i will tell you what the difference is Torres is world class right now. and would be a hugh take from our closest rivals. But the point is dont tell people to shut up
Owen will be highly motivated to prove people wrong and to impress Fabio Capello to get into the England team.
I hope to see United play more as a team rather than like last season, play as a bunch of individuals.
I also hope that Owen produces such performances that lead us to retain our Premier League title and regain the Champions League trophy at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Wouldn’t it something if we played Barca in the semis then Madrid in the final and beat them to win the ECL trophy for the 4th time? Owen scoring
the decisive goals and Rooney having a mesmerising game where he finally shows the world he IS the man. Whilst our defence and midfield work well to nullify the likes of Ronaldo, Benzema, Kaka, Raul et all.
Well one can only dream!
as long as he doesn’t take #7.
the signing of ashley young would be a good one.
he might just be as good as ronny, but without as many tricks.
It would be difficult for the supporters to accept him in the beginning but I’m convinced that a few goals down the road, we would appreciate the move.
My only concern is his fitness. Hopefully he doesn’t stay in the company of the other Owen that much.
In this day & age, I really don’t think one can be thinking about loyalty to the club. Footballers are mercenaries now & as long as they do their job, it is fine with me.
OohAahCantona – Ashley Young is nowhere near as good as Ronnie, not even close mate.
Great signing! We should forget the way he celebrated those goals against us and him finishing Ronny Johnsen’s career. It’s good for United & it’s brilliant for England!