Asprilla 96 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...ight-fancy.html Ordinary Owen but not before one more free-transfer flight of fancy Last updated at 2:10 AM on 25th March 2009 These are the last words Michael Owen spoke as an England player: 'In terms of what he (Fabio Capello) is trying to do, you had better ask him. There are enough reasons to want to win for your country other than a new manager, but it is certainly another ingredient.' That was inside the Stade de France, shortly after a clearly irritated Owen came off the substitute's bench, when he replaced Wayne Rooney at half-time, in a half-baked friendly against the French. In 45 minutes he had made Zero Impact. Tomorrow, March 26, marks the first anniversary of his 89th and perhaps last appearance for England, a full calendar year since this 28-year-old striker was abandoned by Fabio Capello following a 1-0 friendly defeat. At first he was squeezed out of squads by players with a full Barclays Premier League season under their belts: Jermain Defoe, Alan Smith, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Peter Crouch Emile Heskey. Fair enough. Now he is simply not under consideration. Not even ahead of Carlton Cole as England prepare for a friendly against Slovakia at Wembley on Saturday and a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine the following Wednesday. It is heading the same way with his club side Newcastle, where the evidence suggests that Owen is no longer a premium brand, no longer capable of scoring the goals that once helped Liverpool to win five trophies in a remarkable 12 month spell under Gerard Houllier. He was dropped from the Newcastle team to play Arsenal at St James' Park last Saturday, humiliated by coaches Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood as the team predictably slipped into the relegation zone. Bench duty: Michael Owen (back, left) watches Newcastle toil against Arsenal from the sidelines The word is that legacy injuries to Owen's neck and to his back means that he cannot run properly, certainly not at full capacity or in full flight. He will never be the same player. Those darting runs, the days when he could skip past Jose Chamot and Roberto Ayala at the World Cup in 1998 are a thing of the past. He knows that. So does Capello. His popularity with his team-mates is also on the wane. There has been a cooling off in recent weeks, with some of Newcastle's players distancing themselves from a player who could still be key to their survival hopes. In the four years he has spent earning £125,000 a week at St James's Park he has never quite embraced the Geordie Nation, despite the remarkable reception at St James' Park when he signed from Real Madrid for £16m in 2005. Instead he flies into the training ground most days in his helicopter direct from his Manor House racing stables in Cheshire, back at home before his wife Louise is even back from the gallops. That yard is his passion, with millions of pounds invested in the thoroughbreds at the 160 acre farm that Owen hopes will one day compete with the great owners such as JP McManus and John Magnier. Glory days: Liverpool's Michael Owen (centre) bursts between the Newcastle defence during the FA Cup fourth round tie in 2004 His reluctance to set up home in the north-east has been a source of frustration to his team-mates for some time, coming to a head when Owen returned to the Newcastle team from his latest injury for the 1-1 draw at Hull on March 14. Instead of riding the team bus back to Newcastle with his team-mates, Owen returned to Cheshire with Nicky Butt. There are mutterings of discontent among the players that the striker, once the most sought-after forward in world football, can come and go as he pleases, a free-spirit at a club in freefall. Despite captaining Newcastle in the past, he has little affinity with the area or its people, never buying into the Toon culture that served others, such as Kevin Keegan, so well in the past. Instead he will leave on a free transfer this summer, attempting to persuade Manchester City that his body can withstand 38 games in the Premier League and another ten or twenty or more in the Europa League, FA Cup and Carling Cup. Signs are that City are not interested, despite the best efforts of his agent to procure a move to an up-an-coming club. His supporters still champion his cause and they have every rightl to after an international career that has included 40 goals in 89 appearances. He very nearly rescued England in the Euro 2008 qualifiers when he scored goals in Tallinn against Estonia (3-0), Israel at Wembley (3-0) and Russia (3-0). Sadly, he missed the 3-2 defeat at Wembley against Croatia in November 2007 through injury (again), something that a succession of England coaches have become increasingly frustrated with since he made his debut against Chile in 1998. Formerly the Real deal: Owen celebrates his strike for Madrid against Dynamo Kiev Between the ages of 17 and 25, when he returned from an aborted spell at Real Madrid, he played at the very highest level. Owen can look back on those eight years with immense pride, eight years at the very pinnacle of a demanding sport. It is more than most. He joined the greats in 2001 when he won the prestigious Ballon D'Or, becoming the European footballer of the year, engraving his name on to a trophy that also includes Marco van Basten, Roberto Baggio and Zinedine Zidane, the best of all. That elite group of players all went out at the top of their profession. Sadly for Owen he will never have that choice, no matter which new manager he has to impress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_prso9 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 A busted flush I think is the expression. I've never liked the guy, and always thought he USED (added emphasis) Newcastle to get away from Spain. His constant injury-return-regain match fitness-injury cycle has upset the team no end and I would rather have had a fit journeyman play every week than Owen mooching around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyshinton 59 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Agree with everything. Where's Alex 1 2 3 4 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyshinton 59 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 the will power it took to not reply first to this i've posted don't worry alex will be here shortly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazarus 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 If owen can stay fit and if he gets the service during games he will always score goals. he hasnt had either during his time here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 17986 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't know that about his living arrangements. Symbolic that he is not and never has been committed to the club imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasepud 59 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 an unfit michael owen or fully fit Shola, no competition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't know that about his living arrangements. Symbolic that he is not and never has been committed to the club imo. I think he spoke about this in that sky 1 programme at the start of the season. iirc, he stays in the city midweek for training, and heads home to Cheshire(or wherever) after matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 8920 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't know that about his living arrangements. Symbolic that he is not and never has been committed to the club imo. He looked more than committed in the majority of games he played for Newcastle tbh. I couldn't care less about his living arrangements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitman 2188 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Sadly I don't think he'll be missed when he inevitably goes at the end of the season. It's a real shame but he's never earned his money imo. He put England ahead of us (as he had every right to do) and we paid the price for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 17986 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't know that about his living arrangements. Symbolic that he is not and never has been committed to the club imo. He looked more than committed in the majority of games he played for Newcastle tbh. I couldn't care less about his living arrangements. The article suggests his living arrangements have had a negative impact on his relationship with his team mates, and I can see why. His commitment on the pitch isn't in doubt, but I'd expect him to promote the club and city more off the pitch as well. I had the same issue with Gullit living in Amsterdam. Sorry, but frankly I find it insulting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't know that about his living arrangements. Symbolic that he is not and never has been committed to the club imo. He looked more than committed in the majority of games he played for Newcastle tbh. I couldn't care less about his living arrangements. The article suggests his living arrangements have had a negative impact on his relationship with his team mates, and I can see why. His commitment on the pitch isn't in doubt, but I'd expect him to promote the club and city more off the pitch as well. I had the same issue with Gullit living in Amsterdam. Sorry, but frankly I find it insulting. I doubt the article has much, if any, hint of truth in it tbh. Not a quote to be seen, not even from the infamous club insider... Promoting the city off the pitch? Like Dyer, Bramble, N'Zogbia, Carroll, Bellamy etc, etc? Out getting pissed in the Bigg Market? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 8920 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 (edited) I didn't know that about his living arrangements. Symbolic that he is not and never has been committed to the club imo. He looked more than committed in the majority of games he played for Newcastle tbh. I couldn't care less about his living arrangements. The article suggests his living arrangements have had a negative impact on his relationship with his team mates, and I can see why. His commitment on the pitch isn't in doubt, but I'd expect him to promote the club and city more off the pitch as well. I had the same issue with Gullit living in Amsterdam. Sorry, but frankly I find it insulting. His team mates are probably offended that Owen doesn't go clubbing with them and making himself look like a tit. The lifestyle of most players looks way more unprofessional to me than Owen's. Commuting with a helicopter (although Owen has more than once said this is a myth) is in the end maybe a bit extravagant but not worse than arriving after an hours drive in your bloody humvee. Though Owen might have a bad handwriting as well. Seriously I can't understand all the fuzz and stick Owen gets. Edited March 25, 2009 by Isegrim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyff 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I can't wait til the fucker goes tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I can't wait til the fucker goes tbh. I bet he feels the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 70 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't know that about his living arrangements. Symbolic that he is not and never has been committed to the club imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fop 1 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 If owen can stay fit and if he gets the service during games he will always score goals. he hasnt had either during his time here. That's the thing, stick Owen in a team that's playing well and has attacking option and he's still a big threat (look as his goal record here for that in fact ). Stick Owen in a run around with no end product hoofball team and largely you may as well not have him. That's not to say Owen is what it once was, he isn't, but using him like Keegan did could have been great for us, with the right team around him and the right manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ketsbaia 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 We'll not see a player as good as him for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duo 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 We'll not see a player as good as him for a long time. When fit he's the best player we've got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally 0 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 We'll not see a player as good as him for a long time. Aye, when we sign Nigel Quashie and Marcus Bent next season we'll certainly see the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinofbeans 87 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Give a player that scores goals no service and what do you get. a player that gets depressed with his surroundings. years of injuries on a body that can't take it anymore have taken their toll. never worth his wages by the way. but the best player we have. not for long i fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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