Jamie Carragher reckons had it not been for Michael Owen’s decision to join Manchester United, the fans’ former hero would have been treated well. He reckons that Liverpool fans are usually ‘brilliant’ for their former players but it appears as though Ferguson’s biggest fan has a very short term memory.
When Owen returned to Anfield in 2005, not playing for any rival of Liverpool, he was given a dreadful time by the fans.
“I am disappointed with that, he should be a legend here for all the goals he has scored for Liverpool in the past,” said Steven Gerrard after the game. “He deserves a standing ovation for the goals he has scored.”
The Guardian, December 27th 2005
Michael Owen retreated ashen faced to Tyneside last night with the jeers of those who once adored him haunting his thoughts and defeat chilling his soul. If the England striker had hoped to be welcomed back, a prodigal son back in familiar surroundings, then this was a humiliating rejection; those on the Kop have clearly not forgiven him his departure for Madrid 16 months ago.
The home fans were merciless, the smattering of boos which accompanied his name when it was delivered over the Tannoy pre-match escalating to a full-scale eruption when he received possession for the first time.
This match report doesn’t quite fit in with how Carragher believes his fans treat former players.
“It was a bit of a surprise,” said Carragher, of Owen’s move to United. “Not because I had any doubts about Michael’s ability but it was just so out of the blue and it happened so quickly. One minute you are wondering where he will end up and the next he is at Old Trafford. Our fans are usually brilliant with former players but he might get a cool reception. That won’t bother him though. I can understand the fans point of view, he used to play for us and now he is at our big rivals so of course there will be some reaction. That’s football and Michael will know that. At the same time, Michael has got his own career to think about. He wants to play Champions League football and get back into the World Cup squad. The move gives him that opportunity. It will upset some fans but that’s football. He is a mate of mine so I suppose I have to wish him well but only to a certain extent.”
Man Utd News 24/7
Actually the reasoning he gives as to why Owen joined United .They did not give him a hard time because he joined newcastle but because of the circumstances in which he lefr the dippers for Real
They are gonna regret not signing him this year as he will lead us to the title.Sunday was just the first step towards it.
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/michael-owens-damning-statement-from-2004/
lol scott to be fair to carragher he said “usually brilliant” thus distancing himself of such articles…you named only one example – if you can find a few more than i would see your point
CROoney
Michel Owen is a big example.what more do you want?? he helped them win so may trophies and games single handedly.Neither did he join anyone of their direct rivals so back in 2005 he should have been treated with more respect.
Hands up if you think Owen will score at Anfield infront of the Kop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*waving hand in the air.
KJ – I’m definitely putting money on that! 96th minute? We’re usually good with former players, but anyone with me when I say Hughes has burnt his bridges? Guy hasn’t got a fucking clue who made him. Sparkless, I’m afraid you’re a bitter now and it’s showing. No chance of succeeding Fergie now…
aig – again – he said “usually”
@CROoney
Usually.when you boo a person who was a legend for your club.that means the fans have a very short memory.the likes of fowler and hamann who returned after that were never as big icons as Owen was so iguess he deserved more respect.
fowler wasn’t as big as owen ? hmmmm – i’d argue with that….
I’m hoping when the Anfield match comes around end-Oct, Michael Owen is fit and raring to go. He can do a great assist like he did for Welback last night or he can take a threaded pass from Giggs and score. It will read Owen 1 – the Dippers 0 & will be a slap in the face & a twist of the nose for the big fat Spanish waiter.
CROoney
when fowler was at city none of the newspapers used to carry articles about him.Owen has always been in the spotlight sice hsi debut as 17 year old.Hopw many games did fowler win single handedly for the dippers.owen won them the Uefa cup in 2001 and next year the league cup against arsenal and that too single handedly.How many goals has foeler scored for england.8 how many has owen scored 40.that says a lot about who is a bigger icon
The dippers fans never really took to Owen, Fowler was a much bigger icon than owen to those shitty fans, Hence why the called him God,
@john
i am talking from thye neutral point of view.how could they forget all that owen did for them? tomorrow if Ronaldo goes to spurs(i know that wont happen) and then returns to OT will you boo him.i certainly wont because i know what he did for the club. This even though we consider Rooney to be a bigger icon than Ronaldo.we have always seen things that way.
Owen scoring the winning goal at Anfield in front of the Kop – PRICELESS
why are you comapring fowler’s england career with owen – folwer will always stay “God” for them…folwer is definitely a legend of the club
after what owen did to shitty..im pretty sure he’ll get booed..
its become like a trend nowadays..dont think the players are bothered about it..
CROoney
i saw liverpool since 1999 and they were a one man show till 2004 and that man was Michael Owen. he won them many trophies on his own and left thc lub when he should not have.but he did not join everton or United he joined real.so when he returns a year later do you forget all that he has done for you,all the trophies he has won for you? forget the comparision between fowler and owen.even if owen would have got an average reception it was understandable,but he was booed mercilessly. why didnt they boo stevie me when he openly flirted with chelsea in 2005? .the bottomline is that the dippers fans have very short memories.
and the cunt fowler says that he would never have joined United.you can say whatever you like but if i would have been in Owens position i would have done what he did.he wants to resurrect his career and he took the correct step.the dippers could have signed him.he is million miles beetr than that piece of shit voronin
Please let’s not start gloating over a goal Michael Owen hasn’t yet scored in front of the Kop. He’s made a great start and his assist last night was class, but nothing’s been won yet. Let’s not keep hyping him up and piling on the pressure for Anfield.
I wore my united jersey with Owen on the back on Monday just as chance would have it that was the clothes the misses dropped into the hospital the day before hand , a freekin doctor seen it and said to me ” don’t tell me ya have that 2 faced wanker on your back” yeah those Liverpool fans love the guy
Robbie Fowler will always be more of a legend to the dippers because the fans can relate to him…..He’s filthy vermin. Michael Owen isn’t.
aig – you went too far mate – i’m not saying owen ‘s done anything wrong – i’m not saying he’s worse than fowler – i’m just saying that this case was taken out of concept – and no – owen didn’t win anything singlehandedly – just as gerrard or torres didn’t—lol in fact liverpool haven’t won anything with torres… owen’s teriffic player – i’ve always arted him but fowler to them is what i dunno roy keane or eric cantona was for us – a king . a god….i hate that cunt but it’s what it is
@ smithy99
LMFAO!!
CROOney
i jsut hate carragher coming out and praising his own team and fans when they have won nothing over the years.he says they are the comeback kings, now he says their fans are so good when they jeered a legend like owen.i saw the UEFA cup final in 2001 and owen was the only player in red who was up for it.
I still can’t get over seeing Gary Neville hugging Owen at the end of the game.
But anyway, we all know Carragher is barking mad, he can’t play football anymore so he’s trying to endear himself to the Loserpool fans by saying how class they are. Even he probably knows he’s lying, the supporters at Quietfield barley go for the players they have now, other than Stevie Me and Ms. Fernando Torres.
iirc, when Owen left Anfield, his explanation was that he was leaving so he could win things. That hurt pool fans for obvious reasons, so his treatment isn’t really a surprise. 5 years later, they’ve still not won the league and with Xabi jumping ship (to Real, ironically), it’s probably not going to happen this year either.
aig – i hate liverpool and everything about them – it’s not just because of the rivalrly but somehow over the years they’ve become very repulsive to me- they would be even if i wasn’t man united fan – even if i was a fan of let’s say villareal or so – they’re disgusting, lucky, privileged, and the perfect symbol when someone mentions liverpool is steven the cunt – i can’t stand that retard faced hypocrite – but their fans make more noise and i fell are more creative than our fans – all i hear when we’re playing over the tv are united, united chants which i find really boring …. we should look up to turks and argies or even balkan fans – those are really noise creative fans
Jamie Redknapp says Ryan giggs is thye best player he has played against.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1215153/JAMIE-REDKNAPP-Age-barrier-golden-Ryan-Giggs.html
I’d like to think Ronaldo wouldn’t get a hostile reception should we play real madrid this season or next.
Tevez on the other hand got what he deserved. So glad he overcame his fitness struggles to make the game.
aig – I have to say that I would consider Fowler the bigger icon for the dippers. They call him “God”.
king eric.
hi.that is fine but why boo owen?? he won a lot with liverpool and was so prolific for them.atleast he should have got a neutral reception, why so much against him
CROoney – The dippers fans are more creative? Bollocks pal, have you heard our away support and the dozens of songs ?
CROoney
are you mental united sing hundreds of chants
and that s not a lie
my daughter knows about 160 and there is loads more that i cant teach because of the silly words
united away support is crazy
lol We are way more creative than Liverpool,Chelsea or Arsenal,we have chants for almost every player.
Giggs
Neville
Scholes
Vida
Park
Carrick
Berba
That’s what I got in 30 seconds of thinking.
boogeyman
how was your exam.with ghtt and emily there we dont have dont have to worry about the chants.no one can beat us.
Yeah,it went pretty well.Thanks for the wishes mate.Thanks to Giles as well.
The scousers will owen terrible stick at anfield & i don’t think he’ll expect anything else. I heard an interview with keano who was saying he wanted to manager liverpool, chelsea, utd or arsenal one day. If Keano came back to Old Trafford as manager of liverpool he would get hammered by the crowd and rightly so!!
Crooney seem to know much about Liverfool…are you sure you are not gerrad fan CRooney?>?
We don’t even know if Owen will come on at Anfield, but we, and more importantly, Owen himself knows that he will get negative treatment from the scouser support. Whatever they did to him for Newcastle will probably be nothing compared to the reception he will get stepping onto that field in a United shirt.
Knowing this, he can prepare himself for it, keep a level head on the field and will hopefully drive him to perform well or score a goal to shut them up (so they can have a proper reason to hate him). I’m sure Fergie and the coaching staff will prepare him for it too.
However, I don’t expect him to do an Adebayor if he scores – we’ll let Neville handle those duties!
There are only 2 players that returned to Anfield and got a bit of stick.
The first was Kevin Keegan and the second as you know was and will be Michael Owen.
However that said Owen only got stick from a percentage of the crowd, up until he joined you lot there were a number of Liverpool fans who would still support Owen (myself being one of them).
The way in which he took the club for a ride during his final 18 months and dicked around over his contract, together with his insitence that he was ‘England’s Michael Owen’ first and ‘Liverpool’s Michael Owen’ second did anger a lot of people.
Unfortunately for Michael Owen (and it is pretty sad really), his decision to join Man Utd will result in him becoming the single most hated former Liverpool player ever and rightly so.
But does HE give a shit? Probably not (which ironically is part of the reason why he fell out of favour in the first place).
“Unfortunately for Michael Owen (and it is pretty sad really), his decision to join Man Utd will result in him becoming the single most hated former Liverpool player ever and rightly so.”
Surely he isn’t as unpopular as the dole inspector?
liverfool one
when michael has a title to add to his f.a cup league cup etc, then stevie me and jamie mightnt take to him as they do now…19 years and counting YSB
It’s a bit pathetic to start hating a player because he took an amazing opportunity to continue his career.
Loserfool wouldn’t take a chance on him and sign him on the free, so what, he shouldn’t have signed for United?
Gary Neville has made comments about there is nothing wrong with players getting paid a lot of money. These are professionals and literally are the best in the world at what they do. The fact that Owen signed on the incentive laden contract shows that his first goal is to be a winner and have a chance for playing in the WC one more time.
It isn’t a case of him actively trying to go to one of Losers hate rivals, I don’t think it even occurred to him as surprised as he was when SAF came calling. Bit full of yourselves if you think a human being shouldn’t take up a chance simply out of loyalty when the club wasn’t going to return the favor.
I hope he is booed by the Loser lot, I hope he scores for us, maybe even 2-3 that day but, most importantly he helps us win.
@ Shimo
“It’s a bit pathetic to start hating a player because he took an amazing opportunity to continue his career”
No you’re right, that would explain Carlos Tevez’s wonderful homecoming reception from you lot last week.
C’mon lad, get real eh?
Shimo
your 100% right its not like phil nev going 2 leagues below to join leeds here
its a guy who looked like his football days where finished got a chance to join manchester united the year before a world cup that england are in
its a wonderful oppertunity for him
like it was with hughes going to city as a manager
mark hughes has become a knob by been bitter and not showing much loyality to manchester united or sir alex in how he talks
but Micheal owen the madrid player newcastle player or the united player has never had a bad word to say about liverpool
simo
100% right
Liverpool One
how is leaving manchester united champions of england champions of the world 2 champions league finals in 2 years league cup holding fa cup semi finals to go to a lesser team an amazing opportunity to continue his career,
they guy said sir alex treated him with respect http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5135853,00.html and he loves the united fans and wouldnt go to liverpool out of loyality to united fans.
then he signed for city “out of loyality for united fans” and didnt go to liverpool because you where either cheap enough or smart enough to not pay over the odds for the guy, then he kept on sayin sir alex disrespected him for a year.
he’s a lier and your team is lucky ya didnt get him
liverpoolone???? what the fuck you doin on ere~? isnt there websites for livershit? unreal this like
all ex lpool players get good receptions? i can recall them booing coolymore ( no bad thing actually!) and clough got some hammer when he went back there.
1. Owen is class. He’s a great professional. He is not even thinking about Anfield reception on comeback. He’s had it before and has moved on. He’ll be himself. Don’t forget his squad number. 7 !!! 2. Pardon Sparky. It’s difficult for ex united players,now managers to face their former employers.the media expects much. They are always thinking we’ll be favoured. He’s got to be hard on us cos whether believe it or not he’s managing a ‘no longer small’ club. Could be fired if regarded as soft coach. Pardon him. 3. Owen will win league with us, and others like him will join us for next season. Which player would you love to join us?
1. Owen is class. He’s a great professional. He is not even thinking about Anfield reception on comeback. He’s had it before and has moved on. He’ll be himself. Don’t forget his squad number. 7 !!! 2. Pardon Sparky. It’s difficult for ex united players,now managers to face their former employers.the media expects much. They are always thinking we’ll be favoured. He’s got to be hard on us cos whether believe it or not he’s managing a ‘no longer small’ club. Could be fired if regarded as soft coach. Pardon him. 3. Owen will win league with us, and others like him will join us for next season. Which player would you love to join us?
King Eric – then it’s either a problem of TV microphones or maybe because only stretford end signs all the songs coz on the TV it always looks rather quiet
come on lads, you will never hear benitez saying that sometimes anfield has the atmosphere of the theatre – and fergie openely criticised our crowd for being too laid back
ffs – am i the only one here who remembers it
btw – the away supporters are class – when i was at white hart lane i was stunned by the amount of noise they created throughout the match…
btw – it wasn’t even close to CRO supporters outsinging wembley crowd on their last visit :p
CROoney – Yeah I do remember SAF saying.
I can assure you that the atmosphere inside OT on Sunday was Superb as was the Barca semi-final and Roma. The East Stand make a decent noise and the North Stand try to. The atmosphere at Anfield is shit mate. May be good on Euro nights when they are on TV!
Datnana – Citeh ARE a small club. They may have owners who are rich but they are still small.
shitty n wastelands are so small they,re not even on the map, theres only one team in manchester and were the reds, fuck the blue scum, remind me of chelsea at beginnin but no way we guna let em av 2 league titles, NO FUCKIN WAY. 4 in a row for us!
King Eric – i’ll have to trust you on that one
you lucky bastard, you can go on any match – i’m still cherishing that one time i got to see our lads play ( the rsult was 0-0 but it was worth it ) – i dream of returning almost every day – i’m a fuckin’ freak
i paid 120 pounds for ticket but i didn’t care
btw – i don’t watch only other teams while playing in europe – i watch EPL too and i’m most impressed with portsmouth fans – it’s maybe because of the small stadium but it sounds great on the TV
You’d have thought our site would’ve been deluged with Liverpool fans wailing away like banshees again.
About how Leeds United were robbed last Tuesday by a terrible offside decision late on; and how Mascherano should’ve been sent off.
Strange, eh? And not a hint of either in the Echo report on the game.
Datnana Said,
September 25th, 2009 @11:41
1. Owen is class. He’s a great professional. He is not even thinking about Anfield reception on comeback. He’s had it before and has moved on. He’ll be himself. Don’t forget his squad number. 7 !!! 2. Pardon Sparky. It’s difficult for ex united players,now managers to face their former employers.the media expects much. They are always thinking we’ll be favoured. He’s got to be hard on us cos whether believe it or not he’s managing a ‘no longer small’ club. Could be fired if regarded as soft coach. Pardon him. 3. Owen will win league with us, and others like him will join us for next season. Which player would you love to join us?
Datnana Said,
September 25th, 2009 @11:42
1. Owen is class. He’s a great professional. He is not even thinking about Anfield reception on comeback. He’s had it before and has moved on. He’ll be himself. Don’t forget his squad number. 7 !!! 2. Pardon Sparky. It’s difficult for ex united players,now managers to face their former employers.the media expects much. They are always thinking we’ll be favoured. He’s got to be hard on us cos whether believe it or not he’s managing a ‘no longer small’ club. Could be fired if regarded as soft coach. Pardon him. 3. Owen will win league with us, and others like him will join us for next season. Which player would you love to join us?
You can say that again.
CROoney – “I am a fuckin freak”. You said it pal!
I know what you mean by Pompey fans but the ground is so small even city fans would sound loud. Their constant banging of drums gets annoying as well. Strange but since Harry left and their form has gone out the window they don’t get anything like the number inside Fratton park like they used to do. Fair weather fans?