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Owen's Times Column


Barney
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Want to know how I celebrated my first goal in a year? Well, when I walked off the pitch in Tallinn I was told that I was required for a drugs test. There was no way I was going to be “performing” for a good half-hour, so I had to get showered in a cubicle while an official watched me.

 

I wasn’t joining in any backslapping in the dressing-room and I wouldn’t have been making a big deal out of getting back on the scoresheet in any case. I read somewhere that I celebrated the goal against Estonia as though it was nothing special, that I was just back doing my job as if I’d never been away. And that’s how it felt to me.

 

I scored a goal – a pleasing one, given that it’s been a while – but it is not as if I felt this massive rush of relief. I didn’t need to find the back of the net to make me think: “Wow, I’m back.” I’ve been proving that to myself every day in the months since I started my rehab. Is he ever coming back? Will he ever be as good? Those were debates for other people.

 

It was lodged right in the back of my mind that I was close to passing Gary Lineker’s record of 22 competitive goals for England, although I had to be reminded of it after the game. It is another nice milestone to pass because Gary was an idol of mine as a kid.

 

It was great just being in the England set-up again. There had been all this talk of gloom and doom postAndorra, but it wasn’t like that at all on my return. The fans were right behind us from the B game against Albania a couple of weeks ago and there was a real buzz about the squad before and after the match against Brazil last Friday.

 

No one is going to get carried away on the back of that draw at Wembley and a win over Estonia, but coming into the set-up for the first time since last summer’s World Cup, it was reassuring to see the sense of purpose among players and staff.

 

It has been a bumpy year, but no one will convince me that, at full strength, this squad is anything other than extremely capable. We’ve not often played to our potential, but the knowledge that we can do much better is what keeps us all motivated.

 

Some people will point to the players and say that they are the same ones who underachieved at the World Cup finals, but I think everyone knows that we could have done better in Germany. Truly outstanding club players do not always bring that same quality to bear for their country, but Steve McClaren and the coaches are working very hard to make it click.

 

The manager has shown that he is adaptable by bringing David Beckham back into the squad and, despite a lot of critics saying that it could never work, I think he got Stevie Gerrard and Frank Lampard dovetailing very effectively against Brazil and Estonia.

 

David has returned just as you knew he would – with the same impeccable delivery. I could have staked my life on his cross reaching me at the far post against Estonia and, whether he is playing in Spain or America, you know that he won’t lose the ability to strike perfect passes and set-pieces.

 

Qualification is in our hands and we’ll resume in the autumn with optimism. Four out of our five remaining games are at Wembley and the lads loved the place when we played against Brazil. The pitch was much better than I’d been led to believe and the atmosphere was fantastic. We feel at home already.

 

Now it is holiday time, but I’ll be keeping an eye on what is unfolding at Newcastle United. It is a period of change, from the boardroom to the dressing-room, but everything points to renewed ambition.

 

On the back of my goal, I will head off in good spirits and that’s probably good news for the folk around me because I am not always the most relaxing of companions. I need to stay busy, although that’s not a problem now I’ve got children. We’ll have a good break and before I know it I’ll be back and looking to make up for lost time. There were no mad celebrations from me on Wednesday because I know that goal will be one of many.

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/col...icle1901462.ece

 

 

 

:D

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It seems Ashley's vision for Newcastle United is all about pushing the NUFC brand, to achieve this the club will require some marquee players at the club, love him or loath him Owen falls in that bracket, if he does leave expect names of similar prestige.

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I wish the horrible little twat would fuck off tbh. Now that things are looking up, we've got the money and ambition to replace him, probably with a less injury prone player, we can just tell him to fuck off.

 

Now, even if he stays, I wouldn't be 100% convinced that he wants to be here. Letting him fuck us about like this fucking stinks of desperation, he did this to Liverpool too, and they did the right thing and got shot of the little prick. He wants to consider himself lucky that he's wanted as part of our new era with his appalling injury record here, otherwise somebody really needs to kick the drawffacedcunthead out.

Edited by MrMiyagi
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I wish the horrible little twat would fuck off tbh. Now that things are looking up, we've got the money and ambition to replace him, probably with a less injury prone player, we can just tell him to fuck off.

 

Now, even if he stays, I wouldn't be 100% convinced that he wants to be here. Letting him fuck us about like this fucking stinks of desperation, he did this to Liverpool too, and they did the right thing and got shot of the little prick. He wants to consider himself lucky that he's wanted as part of our era with his appalling injury record here, otherwise somebody really needs to kick the drawffacedcunthead out.

 

;):razz:;)

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I wish the horrible little twat would fuck off tbh. Now that things are looking up, we've got the money and ambition to replace him, probably with a less injury prone player, we can just tell him to fuck off.

 

Now, even if he stays, I wouldn't be 100% convinced that he wants to be here. Letting him fuck us about like this fucking stinks of desperation, he did this to Liverpool too, and they did the right thing and got shot of the little prick. He wants to consider himself lucky that he's wanted as part of our new era with his appalling injury record here, otherwise somebody really needs to kick the drawffacedcunthead out.

 

I know we've got Luque to replace him ;)

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I wish the horrible little twat would fuck off tbh. Now that things are looking up, we've got the money and ambition to replace him, probably with a less injury prone player, we can just tell him to fuck off.

 

Now, even if he stays, I wouldn't be 100% convinced that he wants to be here. Letting him fuck us about like this fucking stinks of desperation, he did this to Liverpool too, and they did the right thing and got shot of the little prick. He wants to consider himself lucky that he's wanted as part of our new era with his appalling injury record here, otherwise somebody really needs to kick the drawffacedcunthead out.

 

I know we've got Luque to replace him ;)

 

Eh? I only ever said Luque wasn't greedy, never did I talk him up as a player

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I wish the horrible little twat would fuck off tbh. Now that things are looking up, we've got the money and ambition to replace him, probably with a less injury prone player, we can just tell him to fuck off.

 

Now, even if he stays, I wouldn't be 100% convinced that he wants to be here. Letting him fuck us about like this fucking stinks of desperation, he did this to Liverpool too, and they did the right thing and got shot of the little prick. He wants to consider himself lucky that he's wanted as part of our new era with his appalling injury record here, otherwise somebody really needs to kick the drawffacedcunthead out.

 

I know we've got Luque to replace him :razz:

 

Eh? I only ever said Luque wasn't greedy, never did I talk him up as a player

;)

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He should really end the speculation and committ himself to the club. He owes us a full season. No-one could have blamed him for leaving if Roeder was still in charge, but if he doesn't start next season with us, I'll be really disappointed.

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i hope he stays, i think he will because like everyone else he can see things are changing for the good here

I want him to fuck off, the clubs he leaves behind tend to do quite well once he's left.

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Two lines ffs. ;)

 

To be fair to him, his column was written for a national newspaper the day after he'd played his first competitive game for England in 12 months and he'd managed to score as well.

 

If it was a column in the Chronicle, I could understand your frustrations, but many people around the country are going to be more interested in him talking about the England game rather than his visions for NUFC.

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i hope he stays, i think he will because like everyone else he can see things are changing for the good here

I want him to fuck off, the clubs he leaves behind tend to do quite well once he's left.

 

He's only left 2 clubs and IMO, Real Madrid have gone backwards from where they were when he joined them.

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Guest alex

i hope he stays, i think he will because like everyone else he can see things are changing for the good here

I want him to fuck off, the clubs he leaves behind tend to do quite well once he's left.

 

He's only left 2 clubs and IMO, Real Madrid have gone backwards from where they were when he joined them.

Real could win La Liga this weekend for the first time since Beckham went there.

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i hope he stays, i think he will because like everyone else he can see things are changing for the good here

I want him to fuck off, the clubs he leaves behind tend to do quite well once he's left.

 

He's only left 2 clubs and IMO, Real Madrid have gone backwards from where they were when he joined them.

Real could win La Liga this weekend for the first time since Beckham went there.

 

Aye, I don't really understand how that is going backwards.

 

*oh and I couldn't care less if he fucks off either*

Edited by Scottish Mag
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not really. i dont think they're anywhere near as good as the side he joined in 2004.

 

And they were outclassed in 2005-06 (first season he wasn't playing for them).

 

Liverpool's upturn in fortunes has been down to Benitez IMO, NOT the loss of Michael Owen.

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Guest alex

You may be right on paper at least mate. Also, Barcelona aren't quite as good as they've been in recent seasons. Form-wise anyway. Real Madrid really look like a team at present though rather than a bunch of individuals.

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not really. i dont think they're anywhere near as good as the side he joined in 2004.

 

And they were outclassed in 2005-06 (first season he wasn't playing for them).

 

Liverpool's upturn in fortunes has been down to Benitez IMO, NOT the loss of Michael Owen.

Look it maybe coincidence Craig but it's not the point - I'm merely making it easier to not feel bad about him fucking off to another club because history has it "when he leaves a club they do better!"

(By the way there was no time frame mentioned so that blows your arguement completely out of the water, so neeeer!) ;)

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