Shock Horror! Owen goes to Man United!
The news that one Michael James Owen, once of this parish, will now be pulling on the red shirt of Manchester United is not likely to go down too well in the Red half (or is that two-thirds?) of this city.
It seems that the press are once again greeting a Sir Alex Ferguson signing as another stroke of genius, a shrewd move, a cunning plan.
In truth, the news that Mr.Owen had signed for United was greeted in our house with the same gasps of astonishment as the fact that bears do in fact answer nature's call in the woods and that snuff has rocketed up another penny a ton.
It's been said often enough that while he was at Liverpool, Owen never really got the same affection and support as he possibly should have done. Only recently we were discussing this and a mate suggested that the likes of Robbie Fowler would get rapturous applause for merely putting his socks on, whilst Owen could score a hat-trick and it not move the crowd in the same way.
When he returned to Anfield with Newcastle he was greeted, if that is the right word, with both applause from some sections of the crowd but also boos and derision from a fairly high percentage of the rest. My own response was as neutral as it is now.
I neither cheered his return nor derided it and that stems from the fact that even when he was at Liverpool, I like many other fans thought that his priorities in life were, 1.Michael Owen, 2. England and 3. Michael Owen and England.
The order could vary somewhat depending on whether an international week was coming around.
That is a shame because Owen scored a lot of goals for us and I still maintain one of my best memories watching Liverpool was in 2001. His goals against Arsenal at Cardiff in the FA Cup final to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat were historic, we went on to complete the Treble that year and I can still see the second goal in my mind's eye, I was right in line with Owen's shot and saw it beat Seaman's hand.
As the ball entered the net, I and thousands of other Liverpool fans in the Millennium stadium that day leapt into the air. We only came down again after the final whistle in Dortmund on the following Wednesday.
Great days, great memories and we all thank Michael for that.
Likewise, in Cardiff again in the League Cup final against his new love, Manchester United. Him breaking away and receiving the pass from Didi Hamann then burying the ball in the United net, the victory sealed. Joy was unrefined.
I am sure that there are elements of this move to United that involve Michael somehow getting his own back for the stick he got when he returned to Anfield. Also, I am sure that in the dark recesses of Sir Alex's mind there are scenario's that involve Michael Owen firing the goals that deliver Championship number nineteen to United as a sort of final coup de grace for our own proud record.
If that's the case, then bring it on. When Owen left the club in the lurch to go to Real Madrid, our season ended in triumph in Istanbul.
Let's see what May 2010 brings shall we?
All in all a move not greeted with huge astonishment to be honest.
We wait to see who will laugh last.
Wonder if he'll kiss the badge?
Silly me.
He's a footballer. Of course he will.
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i see the cracks appearing this is great news, what about darren anderton and keiran dyer? hahaha
I agree with everything you say about Owen. It was often reported that Owen felt he didn't get the same sort of adulation that Fowler got. Today's events show exactly why he didn't - Robbie Fowler would never in a million years have signed for ManU.
Owen snubbed Rafa twice, the second time when he came back from Madrid was because he wanted guaranteed 1st team football ahead of the forthcoming World Cup in Germany - his England career always seemed more important than Liverpool.
As you say, he gave us a lot of happy memories, but you always got the impression that the most important thing to him was Michael Owen PLC.
I agree with everything you say about Owen. It was often reported that Owen felt he didn't get the same sort of adulation that Fowler got. Today's events show exactly why he didn't - Robbie Fowler would never in a million years have signed for ManU.
Owen snubbed Rafa twice, the second time when he came back from Madrid was because he wanted guaranteed 1st team football ahead of the forthcoming World Cup in Germany - his England career always seemed more important than Liverpool.
As you say, he gave us a lot of happy memories, but you always got the impression that the most important thing to him was Michael Owen PLC.
I was just thinking about Owen's career and i cannot help but laugh. I mean think about the bif picture, how sad it all really is.
When he was at LFC, with all the hatred in the world for the filthy mancs, manU were the superpower at the time and he had to live with that for years. He could not win the prem or the CL, even though there were other obvious high points in his career at the time.
Then he leaves for greener pastures at Madrid and plays his best in the limited opportunities that he was given and he is STILL surplus to requirements after only one season, while LFC, in the mean time, are lifting the most coveted trophy in the world of Football.
Then off he goes to Newcastle where he spent several lackluster years sitting around with the medical staff with the lowest point of his career to cap it off; being cast out of any of Capello's plans for the England squad and being relegated with the magpies.
The really interesting part, however, is that he will now be playing for Manchester United when Liverpool are turning into the dominant force of English football and he will most likely have to suffer the same fate at Manc United as he did during all those years at Liverpool. A full circle collapse of one of the best goalscorers England has ever seen.
Once a red ... Always a Manc !
300 million debts and climbing.
More holes than Benitez's zonal marking system!
In Moyes We Trust
And in Benitez we trust to sort out the Norwegians
Nice to see the comment from Mark Reid - In Moyes We Trust?
We trust we'll never win anything
We trust we'll keep deluding ourselves we are the people's club ( if Moyes loves the people so much - why does he still live in Preston? )
We trust we will remain Bitter Blues
We trust we'll blame everything on Liverpool
Question: How many evertonians does it take to change a light bulb?
Answer: None. They all just sit in the dark and blame Liverpool.
If you're going to give it out like throwing socks onto the pitch ...
Something that obviously got imported from Norway...
And then you better be prepared to have the real FACTS pointed out... And not Rafa delusional FACTS.
You lot are skint. A 43million pre tax loss! Great business that.FACT
LOL MarkReid, trust a Bluenose to go on about 'facts' and then get his facts wrong when he tries to quote one!
Kop Holdings, a company set up and owned by Hicks and Gillett, lost 43m. Liverpool FC, that would be the club you guys are so bitter about, made an overall PROFIT of £10m.
To suggest we're skint shows you know less than nothing about business but hey, that's hardly surprising! Try getting your head round this FACT you love so much....
How come we're skint (aka brassic, broke, got no money, etc) yet we have already bought a £17m player this close season? Hardly possible for a club who is skint but then of course we aren't.... FACT!
Bring it on indeed. Yet more motivation if we needed it that this needs to be our season.
If only our midfielders weren't cowards and would stay and fight with us.
http://www.makeusdream.com/2009/07/03/owen-now-can-we-forget-about-him/
"How come we're skint (aka brassic, broke, got no money, etc) yet we have already bought a £17m player this close season"
You borrowed it against future sales of players. i.e. you're having to liquidate assets - if that is what you can call them?
Kop Holdings IS Kopites PLC.
No getting away from the fact - after tax you lot lost £58million GBP.
Dress it up however you want. You're skint. Benitez can whine about it all he wants. Won't change the fact he's the perfect man for the job.
What are you glory hunters going to do when you fail to win anything again?
Jump ship.
Ha, ha, Mark Reid...you bluenoses really have nothing better to do with the chip (chip shop probably) on your shoulder. Everton will always be in the shadows of Liverpool. Enjoy the Europa League and an FA Cup final appearance every 10 or so years, you couldn't even win that!
Love the new Everton kit by the way, pass me the puke bag!