Michael Owen retires

[localny]

Yes what a great player and we would have owed him some debt of thanks had he not run down his contract where we ended up only getting 8m for him when he would have gone for 20m. We missed out on having the money to replace him with a decent striker immediately. Unforgivable.

I always wonder what he thought the following may when we took home the CL.

Thanks Michael - but great players also show great loyalty.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

I think the truth will out now, and I suspect the biting his lip thing will involve Rafa pushing him to the out door and Real Madrid, it will also reveal how he wanted to come back at that secret meeting and Rafa again stuck his oar in.
I have always believed Rafa wanted Morientes at Owen's expense and the change in Reals presidency at that time git in the way of Morientes joining earlier than he eventually did.
You all now know hopefully now what a ruthless schemer Rafa was.
Owen was never running his contract down as is the common belief, he knew Ged was going to be off following his health issues and wanted to see who was coming in.
Some of you suggest Owen never felt fitted, I don't accept that.
What I do know is that a great professional, and fantastic servant , nd footballer, that dragged us through as much as Gerrard ever has, was never shown anywhere near the love that a supremely gifted goalscorer from Toxteth but a questionable professional was. That was because he came from a neat middle-class background more than anything.
Signing for united was a big mistake, even for his sympathisers to get over, and just played into the hands of those that wanted to dislike him, because they think he did the dirty on Liverpool some years before.
I can't wait for it to all come out. The RCDNW brigade will be in denial of course.

regards

 

[localny]

Ah Vlad, that's a little too conspiratorial n'est ce pas. Not like you. It'd be out by now, if it was the case. I'd be shocked if the "Owen runs down contract to get cut price deal" thing ever gets challenged.

 

[Sunny]

I think the truth will out now, and I suspect the biting his lip thing will involve Rafa pushing him to the out door and Real Madrid, it will also reveal how he wanted to come back at that secret meeting and Rafa again stuck his oar in.
I have always believed Rafa wanted Morientes at Owen's expense and the change in Reals presidency at that time git in the way of Morientes joining earlier than he eventually did.
You all now know hopefully now what a ruthless schemer Rafa was.
Owen was never running his contract down as is the common belief, he knew Ged was going to be off following his health issues and wanted to see who was coming in.
Some of you suggest Owen never felt fitted, I don't accept that.
What I do know is that a great professional, and fantastic servant , nd footballer, that dragged us through as much as Gerrard ever has, was never shown anywhere near the love that a supremely gifted goalscorer from Toxteth but a questionable professional was. That was because he came from a neat middle-class background more than anything.
Signing for united was a big mistake, even for his sympathisers to get over, and just played into the hands of those that wanted to dislike him, because they think he did the dirty on Liverpool some years before.
I can't wait for it to all come out. The RCDNW brigade will be in denial of course.

regards

I disagree with some of that Vlad. I really don't think he fitted at all. At the time for us he was a great player there's no denying that and he was a true professional in his application to the game. He never clicked with the fans though did he? It's nothing to do with the middle class background as I can remember though. The reasons I remember are he never came out and declared any form of love for the club and he did talk a fair bit about wanting to play abroad one day as if he was preparing us foolish fans for the fact he would move on one day. This is before the time most of us as fans had accepted we'd become a Tier 2 club. Those are the things that prevented fans taking to him. I don't think anyone really gave a shit his parents were moderately wealthy. On the Rafa thing - I don't know - your hypothesis could be true it may not be. I still believe Owen thought he was bigger than Liverpool and let his contract run down purposely. There was nothig in any of his behaviour or langauage then that makes me think otherwise. In a way, yes he was the consumate professional - he trained well, had the right attitude but also never attached any emotion to his game or any club he played for. I guess he was consistent with that across clubs but that just reinforces the fact to me the most important thing to Michael Owen was Michael Owen which is his right fair enough. He was simply a present day version of that other mercenary - Gary Lineker. Great players but both have received very little fan affection over the years.

As for the burn out thing - I think he may have a point. I think he did play too much too young - it's something I've said about him and Fowler. Who knows for sure though ? With any player it can simply take one bad injury and you could get that in any game.

 

[Judge Jules]

Even if Vlad's right, Owen's beef (*if* he had just cause for one, which I dispute - why shouldn't a manager move him on if that manager, rightly or wrongly, wants to replace him?) was with Rafa. There was neither need nor excuse for the way he dissed the club more than once after joining that other lot down the road. Owen wanted everything on his terms, namely the freedom not only to leave but also to come back when it suited him, and he had a little hissy fit when we wouldn't play along. In my book he forfeited his right to my support when he did that.

 

[jimmy]

He was terrific for us, but running down his contract was a cunt's trick as far as I was concerned, and I wished him no fortune from that point on. I wasn't even that bothered when he joined Man Utd because it seemed very much in keeping.

Looking back on that video of his best goals for us, I can't help thinking that he threw away his own career. I know he had severe injuries, and that was probably out of his own control, but he could have been loved by fans. Now he's got journalists saying 'we should look back fondly at his career' whereas everyone else is kind of shrugging their shoulders, because it's so long ago since Owen was actually any good.

I still remember those months of "will he or won't he sign a new contract?"
For me too the way he left us ended all interest I had in him. I loved him when he was playing and scoring for us, but the way he ended his Anfield career he became nothing for me. I was never bothered by his digs at us after we rejected his come and get me plea. I think his time on the bench in Madrid made him realize the mistake he did leaving us, and once we didn't take him back he's become a frustrated man.

 

[737Max]

Didn't he also change agents, Tony Stephens or something. Then said agent went on leave for about a yr whilst Owen's contract ran down. Great player for us but will always be overshadowed by other players. Also didn't like how England was more a priority for him rather than his club. Even worse is now we'll have to put up with this boring cunt on match of the day. Remote controls all over the country will see their mute button in action on Saturdsy nights from 10.30pm

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

I remember back then he'd be reported as saying that the club and him were very close to agreeing a new contract. It was maybe on more than one occasion too.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11669_2218878,00.html

The 21-year-old admitted he wanted the situation resolved as soon as possible as he did not want it to drag on.

"We've had two positive meetings and a deal is very close," Owen told the club's official website. "We're having one more meeting and I think it will be done by the end of next week.

"I want to sign as soon as possible and I don't want it to drag on. I think the next meeting will complete it. I don't anticipate any problems."

 

[Jack D Rips]

Keep those quotes handy. He might need to be shown them at the end of the season

 

[Richey]

I think that report was a few years earlier wasn't it? It may have been referring to his previous contract, which he obviously did sign.

He was 25 when he left, not 21.

 

[Jack D Rips]

Dump those quotes

 

[Richey]

Dump those quotes

Haha.

 

[Rafiagra]

We did overplay him.

I'm quite sure that if he'd never done his hamstring in, he'd have been our best ever striker (although would have been close with Fowler had he stayed fit) and England's best ever forward.

He was incredible when he had that pace.

Even without it, he could still finish but was nowhere near the same player.

At their respective peaks, Owen shat on Torres from a high height. If only we'd have kept Fowler and Owen free from injury. We should have ruled the world.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

Ah Vlad, that's a little too conspiratorial n'est ce pas. Not like you. It'd be out by now, if it was the case. I'd be shocked if the "Owen runs down contract to get cut price deal" thing ever gets challenged.

Well we might see soon

 

[Vlads Quiff]

I disagree with some of that Vlad. I really don't think he fitted at all. At the time for us he was a great player there's no denying that and he was a true professional in his application to the game. He never clicked with the fans though did he? It's nothing to do with the middle class background as I can remember though. The reasons I remember are he never came out and declared any form of love for the club and he did talk a fair bit about wanting to play abroad one day as if he was preparing us foolish fans for the fact he would move on one day. This is before the time most of us as fans had accepted we'd become a Tier 2 club. Those are the things that prevented fans taking to him. I don't think anyone really gave a shit his parents were moderately wealthy. On the Rafa thing - I don't know - your hypothesis could be true it may not be. I still believe Owen thought he was bigger than Liverpool and let his contract run down purposely. There was nothig in any of his behaviour or langauage then that makes me think otherwise. In a way, yes he was the consumate professional - he trained well, had the right attitude but also never attached any emotion to his game or any club he played for. I guess he was consistent with that across clubs but that just reinforces the fact to me the most important thing to Michael Owen was Michael Owen which is his right fair enough. He was simply a present day version of that other mercenary - Gary Lineker. Great players but both have received very little fan affection over the years.

As for the burn out thing - I think he may have a point. I think he did play too much too young - it's something I've said about him and Fowler. Who knows for sure though ? With any player it can simply take one bad injury and you could get that in any game.

We will have to agree to disagree Sunny old lad, he didn't come out with any less than anyone else about his affection for the club, I just feel that was a given. I mixed with a very wide range of people, from lots of different backgrounds , particularly around the Owen years, and I know why a lot of ordinary scousers didn't like him as much as Fowler, and it wasn't anything to do with football or failing to prostrate himself in front of the Shankly Gates professing his undying love.

Regards

 

[Vlads Quiff]

Even if Vlad's right, Owen's beef (*if* he had just cause for one, which I dispute - why shouldn't a manager move him on if that manager, rightly or wrongly, wants to replace him?) was with Rafa. There was neither need nor excuse for the way he dissed the club more than once after joining that other lot down the road. Owen wanted everything on his terms, namely the freedom not only to leave but also to come back when it suited him, and he had a little hissy fit when we wouldn't play along. In my book he forfeited his right to my support when he did that.

Remind me what he said JJ.

Regards

 

[Richey]

Well we might see soon

We might indeed, but that will still be only one side out it, and I rather suspect that anyone who is now inclined to hate Owen wouldn't believe him anyway, so he might as well not bother.

Personally I am in agreement broadly with you in that I suspect Benitez didn't really want Owen anyway, but the charge that Owen ran his contract down is a difficult one to deny really.

 

[Piedro]

Controversial Vlad. I like it!

 

[Molbystwin]

One of the most exciting young players i'd ever seen, his pace early in his career made him a phenomenon. A very good career blighted by injury and the fact that he wasn't really bothered.

 

[localny]

Well we might see soon

hmm, I guess we will. Can't believe he left when he was 25, and it's 8 years ago. Jeepers.

Like you I feel he was given different treatment... because he was not your average working class footballer. In the same vein that Le Saux was treated as he was a thinker, or a gardener. I always respected him, until the cut price move. I honestly don't begrudge him going to United, as it was late in his career, and we didn't want him. Ironic, that if he stayed, maybe he would have own the CL. Or who knows, maybe we wouldn't.

 

[Richey]

One of the most exciting young players i'd ever seen, his pace early in his career made him a phenomenon. A very good career blighted by injury and the fact that he wasn't really bothered.

How do you mean he wasn't bothered? He certainly seemed extremely bothered and focused about his career, which is one of the things that made some fans dislike him.

The injuries did harm his career hugely, along with a few pretty bad decisions, the main one being going to Madrid when it was obvious to most people that he wouldn't get a look in and the other being signing for Newcastle. He was pretty much finished at that point as a top player.

 

[Sunny]

We will have to agree to disagree Sunny old lad, he didn't come out with any less than anyone else about his affection for the club, I just feel that was a given. I mixed with a very wide range of people, from lots of different backgrounds , particularly around the Owen years, and I know why a lot of ordinary scousers didn't like him as much as Fowler, and it wasn't anything to do with football or failing to prostrate himself in front of the Shankly Gates professing his undying love.

Regards

Then yes we'll have to disagree - his middle class background had nothing to do with it and he was always banging on about playing abroad some day. He got his wish, shame it didn't work out. . As for the Rafa conspiracy stuff - let's wait and see what comes out - although I highly doubt any information at all will come out

 

[Sunny]

The true source of the anti-Owen sentiment can be traced back as far as St Etienne and the 1998 World Cup. Initially Liverpool fans were full of pride that "one of ours" could score one of the great World Cup goals, as he did for England's against Argentina. After returning to the club, however, it was soon evident that the nation's newest sensation was drunk on national adoration. From St Etienne on, he was England's Michael Owen and never Liverpool's.

Suddenly every post-game interview was dominated with references to an upcoming England game, no matter how important the one he had just played in for Liverpool was or how meaningless the England fixture. Owen would routinely rush himself back from injury to prove his fitness ahead of a pointless England friendly. He took considerably longer to return to Liverpool's first team when there was no forthcoming international match.

It soon became abundantly clear that Owen's major career goal was to eclipse Bobby Charlton's international goalscoring record of 49. He clearly thought this would cement his reputation as England's greatest-ever forward. Hindsight has shown him to be misguided. As Robbie Keane has since demonstrated with the Republic of Ireland, you don't need to be world class to reach a half-century of international goals. A willingness to turn up for games against San Marino, Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein will suffice.

Owen's obsession with England only explains part of the ill feeling. There is also the question of his personality. First came his covert attempts to oust crowd favourite Robbie Fowler by telling every interviewer he much preferred playing alongside non-scoring battering-ram Emile Heskey. His reasoning, one suspects, was that Fowler was both more popular with the fans and also a better all-round footballer.

When Liverpool sold Fowler to Leeds, Owen became the undisputed king of the club. And boy did he know it. Not content with influencing personnel and playing style, he procrastinated over signing a new contract, allowing it to run down to the point where Real Madrid were able to buy him for £8 million – a scandalous fee for a recent recipient of the European Player of the Year award. The fact that Owen had explicitly promised not to allow this scenario to occur made his actions all the more galling.

Any lingering doubts about where ambition and money came in the Owen pecking order were extinguished upon his return to English football. He chose to play for Newcastle United, a circus show at the time, over newly crowned European champions Liverpool. Unable to match Newcastle's wages, all Liverpool could offer was the chance to play Champions League football with a new manager. They went on to win that season's FA Cup, reach another European Cup final the following season and play Champions League football in every year of Rafa Benitez's reign, unlike Newcastle.

Herein lies the one saving grace of Owen – the amount of schadenfreude he affords Liverpool fans. His career has never reached the peaks it did at Anfield. While he was on the bench at the Bernabéu, Liverpool were busy winning the greatest prize in club football. Contrary to Owen's clearly held belief, it turned out he wasn't bigger than the club after all.

 

[Judge Jules]

Remind me what he said JJ.

Regards

It was what he didn't say, old chum, referring more than once in interviews to the great clubs he'd played for in his career and somehow managing to miss us out each time. When somebody's as PR-conscious as Owen, that's not going to have been accidental.

 

[Judge Jules]

We did overplay him.

I'm quite sure that if he'd never done his hamstring in, he'd have been our best ever striker (although would have been close with Fowler had he stayed fit) and England's best ever forward.

He was incredible when he had that pace.

Even without it, he could still finish but was nowhere near the same player.

At their respective peaks, Owen shat on Torres from a high height. If only we'd have kept Fowler and Owen free from injury. We should have ruled the world.

Sorry, mate, but that's bull. They showed over and over that they weren't a natural combo at all.

I don't agree with the Torres comparison either. For all Owen's excellence he never quite scared the living sh!te out of defences the way Torres did at his best.

 

[Spionkop69]

There's some things to agree with there - the England stuff - but there's what I thibnk are some shocking agenda-driven comments there. Covert attempts to usurp Fowler?? Fuck off, that's conspiratorial, unfounded bollocks. Fowler was doing a good job of usurping himself with his off the field refuelling and antics.

Chose to play for Newcastle? The cards were held by Real Madrid. We matched the asking price and the Geordies offered £5m more. So Owen had a choice, stay at Madrid and rot or play for the Geordies and try and revitalise his career. What did we expect? If we offered the same as the Geordies and he chose to go there then fine, but frankly to say he chose the Geordies over us is disingenuous.

I'm not disagreeing that Owen was all about him in terms of his England persona and that used to fuck me right off, to the point, where I used to scream at the TV screen "remember who pays your fucking wages" but he performed for us from a young boy to 25 yrs old. Carried us in fact for a number of years as a goalscorer, but all some do is say things like "he never scored 20 league goals in a season for us". Who fucking was? Heskey??

I'd be interested to hear the view on whether he allowed his contract to run down or not especially after some of the "promises" made in the media. But I'm wondering, has a former player been demonised so much considering he gave us 8 years top flight service during most of which he was one of the best in the world? I'm not sure there is.

 

[the count]

The true source of the anti-Owen sentiment can be traced back as far as St Etienne and the 1998 World Cup. Initially Liverpool fans were full of pride that "one of ours" could score one of the great World Cup goals, as he did for England's against Argentina. After returning to the club, however, it was soon evident that the nation's newest sensation was drunk on national adoration. From St Etienne on, he was England's Michael Owen and never Liverpool's.

Suddenly every post-game interview was dominated with references to an upcoming England game, no matter how important the one he had just played in for Liverpool was or how meaningless the England fixture. Owen would routinely rush himself back from injury to prove his fitness ahead of a pointless England friendly. He took considerably longer to return to Liverpool's first team when there was no forthcoming international match.

It soon became abundantly clear that Owen's major career goal was to eclipse Bobby Charlton's international goalscoring record of 49. He clearly thought this would cement his reputation as England's greatest-ever forward. Hindsight has shown him to be misguided. As Robbie Keane has since demonstrated with the Republic of Ireland, you don't need to be world class to reach a half-century of international goals. A willingness to turn up for games against San Marino, Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein will suffice.

Owen's obsession with England only explains part of the ill feeling. There is also the question of his personality. First came his covert attempts to oust crowd favourite Robbie Fowler by telling every interviewer he much preferred playing alongside non-scoring battering-ram Emile Heskey. His reasoning, one suspects, was that Fowler was both more popular with the fans and also a better all-round footballer.

When Liverpool sold Fowler to Leeds, Owen became the undisputed king of the club. And boy did he know it. Not content with influencing personnel and playing style, he procrastinated over signing a new contract, allowing it to run down to the point where Real Madrid were able to buy him for £8 million – a scandalous fee for a recent recipient of the European Player of the Year award. The fact that Owen had explicitly promised not to allow this scenario to occur made his actions all the more galling.

Any lingering doubts about where ambition and money came in the Owen pecking order were extinguished upon his return to English football. He chose to play for Newcastle United, a circus show at the time, over newly crowned European champions Liverpool. Unable to match Newcastle's wages, all Liverpool could offer was the chance to play Champions League football with a new manager. They went on to win that season's FA Cup, reach another European Cup final the following season and play Champions League football in every year of Rafa Benitez's reign, unlike Newcastle.

Herein lies the one saving grace of Owen – the amount of schadenfreude he affords Liverpool fans. His career has never reached the peaks it did at Anfield. While he was on the bench at the Bernabéu, Liverpool were busy winning the greatest prize in club football. Contrary to Owen's clearly held belief, it turned out he wasn't bigger than the club after all.​

​

Ouch.
Was this written by Ross?

 

[Spionkop69]

The true source of the anti-Owen sentiment can be traced back as far as St Etienne and the 1998 World Cup. Initially Liverpool fans were full of pride that "one of ours" could score one of the great World Cup goals, as he did for England's against Argentina. After returning to the club, however, it was soon evident that the nation's newest sensation was drunk on national adoration. From St Etienne on, he was England's Michael Owen and never Liverpool's.​

​

Suddenly every post-game interview was dominated with references to an upcoming England game, no matter how important the one he had just played in for Liverpool was or how meaningless the England fixture. Owen would routinely rush himself back from injury to prove his fitness ahead of a pointless England friendly. He took considerably longer to return to Liverpool's first team when there was no forthcoming international match.​

​

It soon became abundantly clear that Owen's major career goal was to eclipse Bobby Charlton's international goalscoring record of 49. He clearly thought this would cement his reputation as England's greatest-ever forward. Hindsight has shown him to be misguided. As Robbie Keane has since demonstrated with the Republic of Ireland, you don't need to be world class to reach a half-century of international goals. A willingness to turn up for games against San Marino, Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein will suffice.​

​

Owen's obsession with England only explains part of the ill feeling. There is also the question of his personality. First came his covert attempts to oust crowd favourite Robbie Fowler by telling every interviewer he much preferred playing alongside non-scoring battering-ram Emile Heskey. His reasoning, one suspects, was that Fowler was both more popular with the fans and also a better all-round footballer. ​

​

When Liverpool sold Fowler to Leeds, Owen became the undisputed king of the club. And boy did he know it. Not content with influencing personnel and playing style, he procrastinated over signing a new contract, allowing it to run down to the point where Real Madrid were able to buy him for £8 million – a scandalous fee for a recent recipient of the European Player of the Year award. The fact that Owen had explicitly promised not to allow this scenario to occur made his actions all the more galling. ​

​

Any lingering doubts about where ambition and money came in the Owen pecking order were extinguished upon his return to English football. He chose to play for Newcastle United, a circus show at the time, over newly crowned European champions Liverpool. Unable to match Newcastle's wages, all Liverpool could offer was the chance to play Champions League football with a new manager. They went on to win that season's FA Cup, reach another European Cup final the following season and play Champions League football in every year of Rafa Benitez's reign, unlike Newcastle.​

​

Herein lies the one saving grace of Owen – the amount of schadenfreude he affords Liverpool fans. His career has never reached the peaks it did at Anfield. While he was on the bench at the Bernabéu, Liverpool were busy winning the greatest prize in club football. Contrary to Owen's clearly held belief, it turned out he wasn't bigger than the club after all.​

Ouch.
Was this written by Ross?

You know what, it is that agenda driven, stating opinion as fact, that yeah, Ross could be the author.

 

[Judge Jules]

There's some things to agree with there - the England stuff - but there's what I thibnk are some shocking agenda-driven comments there. Covert attempts to usurp Fowler?? Fuck off, that's conspiratorial, unfounded bollocks. Fowler was doing a good job of usurping himself with his off the field refuelling and antics.

Chose to play for Newcastle? The cards were held by Real Madrid. We matched the asking price and the Geordies offered £5m more. So Owen had a choice, stay at Madrid and rot or play for the Geordies and try and revitalise his career. What did we expect? If we offered the same as the Geordies and he chose to go there then fine, but frankly to say he chose the Geordies over us is disingenuous.

I'm not disagreeing that Owen was all about him in terms of his England persona and that used to fuck me right off, to the point, where I used to scream at the TV screen "remember who pays your fucking wages" but he performed for us from a young boy to 25 yrs old. Carried us in fact for a number of years as a goalscorer, but all some do is say things like "he never scored 20 league goals in a season for us". Who fucking was? Heskey??

I'd be interested to hear the view on whether he allowed his contract to run down or not especially after some of the "promises" made in the media. But I'm wondering, has a former player been demonised so much considering he gave us 8 years top flight service during most of which he was one of the best in the world? I'm not sure there is.

While I also wouldn't say that Owen simply "chose to play for Newcastle", I reckon you let him off a bit lightly yourself, because I don't agree that Real held all the cards. They wanted to sell, and Owen could have dug his heels in at that point and said "I go to Liverpool or I go nowhere". A number of us, of whom I was one, wondered at the time why he didn't do that if he was so mad keen on coming back to LFC.

 

[Spionkop69]

While I also wouldn't say that Owen simply "chose to play for Newcastle", I reckon you let him off a bit lightly yourself, because I don't agree that Real held all the cards. They wanted to sell, and Owen could have dug his heels in at that point and said "I go to Liverpool or I go nowhere". A number of us, of whom I was one, wondered at the time why he didn't do that if he was so mad keen on coming back to LFC.

So what was the risk factor? If he dug his heels in then Real could have just said fine and let him rot on the bench. At the stage of the career he was at, why would anyone expect him to risk that? Football has long since ceased to be about loyalty to a club no matter how much we want it to be.