Liverpool FC Forum

[LFC2007]

he could at least have signed a new contract

why??

and missed his chance

He could have signed a new contract and decided to leave in any of the following transfer windows, who's to say that opportunity wouldn't have come around again?

Henry had a chance to leave last year, but he took it this year.

there was no guarentee that such a chance would come round again

Such is life

[weringo]

Owen wanted to go to Real Madrid and it was just bad timing from LFC's point of view that he did so with one year left on his contract. I think it's selfish if any fan thinks that he owed us any more than he's already given to us, players have careers to think about as well. He's given more to this club in the last 10 years than anyone bar maybe Gerrard.

[redtrader74]

Stop this all hail Owen talk, he fecked us over

159 goals in 8 years, clearly fecked us over :s

we should have thanked him for every thing he had gave for this club when he left not moaned about the fee

Everyone here cheered Owen when he was our player, nobody ignores what he did, and the goals he scored, and most agree that on purely football terms someone of his class for £9m would be a steal.

The unavoidable truth is that he was into his last 18 months, a very dangerous postion to be in financially. Whether that was Houllier/Parrys fault i very much doubt, they would have clearly wanted to tie him down to a long term contract, it would be the logical thing to do.

Frankly it was in Owens interest to not sign a new contract, the longer he left it ,the more desperate LFC would be, so the more he could get from us, if he left, the cheaper he was the more his agent could squeeze from Madrid in signing on fees and salary. Good moves on his part, but for those of us who supported him, adulated him, well we were left with a bitter taste, this was the European footballer of the year (prev. year), 24 years old and sold for £8m plus the price of a used condom, or Nunez if you like. Thats why some of us have been P!ssed off by him.
Not him leaving, but the fact that he cost us millions, now compare to Henry, who at the age of 30(in about 5 weeks)got his club £16m (He signed a deal last summer).

All that aside I would take him back, on football grounds if thats all we could afford, i didn't really want him back initially but he is proven and will always score, and we are crying out for goals. I suspect his wage demands might be too high, reportedly in excess of £100k, might put the nose of some players out of joint.

[account deleted by request]

He signed for Madrid for less than Liverpool offered him so he didn't leave for more money. When he left Madrid, we were his first choice even though Newcastle were offering him silly money. If he came back now he would come back on less money than hes on at Newcastle. I dont think money is Owen's prime motivation .

[LFC2007]

Madrid had just bought 2 new strikers (Hardly a sign of their faith in him ) Sven had repeatedly told him that unless he was playing regularly it would be difficult to pick him.

If Liverpool had wanted to, they could have kept Owen in the hope that a successful season would have encouraged him to re-sign. At worst they would have lost £8million, they lost £4million on Morientes anyway.  Maybe if Rafa was more affable manager and had made the right noises Owen might have stopped. Who knows ? Gerrard got the impression he wasn't wanted as well, so maybe there was a communication problem, or maybe Owen just wanted to try his luck elsewhere.

Madrid in my opinion where just doing what they did with McManaman, get a player for next to nothing (Mcmanamans case nothing) and then sell them 12 months later for a fat profit. (They offered McManaman back to liverpool after 12 months) So if Owen had signed a new contract, Madrid would probably not have been interested in him anyway.

He made no secret of the fact he wanted to come back to Liverpool and that signing for Newcastle was a clear second choice.

What did Owen owe Rafa - nothing, so why should he make things easier by staying?

It was Parry and Houllier who let Owen's contract run down after saying they would never let it happen again. So who's fault was it? If Owen had wanted he could have said he was going to see out his contract and left for nothing in 12 months.

If Owen's as thick to believe Sven telling him he needs to be playing regularly in order to play in the world cup then I despair, Theo fecking Walcott got in the squad, what experience did he have?

Bollox all experience.

Even Sven admitted in an interview that we didn't have 5 good strikers in this country, the likelihood of Owen going to the world cup was a given, not remotely in question.


Madrid bought two strikers, Morientes left, Robinho was very young and Baptista plays in a deeper role to Owen - he's not a striker.

You don't go to Madrid without realising that there is absolutely no guarantee whatsoever that you will play regularly, even he should have foreseen that with Raul, Ronaldo and Morientes in the squad he had a big task of displacing them - especially given the favouritism towards the "galacticos" displayed during Beckham's first season there.




Affable? Get real, since when has affability ever been important when deciding who stays or goes? Football is ruthless, a gingernut biscuit and a cup of tea by the fire counts for nothing.


Owen owed Rafa the courtesy of at least making a concrete decision early on, not delaying until we played AK Graz in a UCL qualifier. A new manager with no Experience in England who needs his key players, he needs to know as early as possible what the deal is. Owen fecked him about with is decision. Owen could have signed a new deal, it was offered, he fecked about.


Going to Newcastle just topped it off, the icing on the cake. His very reason for leaving was to further his career, yet one year later he was being paraded in St James' Park and hailed as the new Shearer. He could have fought his corner at Madrid, he could have risen to the challenge - if it didn't work out then the next season he could have moved on, but no he went for the safe option of going to Newcastle, a team who win bugger all and under the management of Souness. Is that the step up he was craving after he left us?

[account deleted by request]

since when has affability ever been important when deciding who stays or goes? Football is ruthless,

So Owen was ruthless where's your problem then?

[LFC2007]

since when has affability ever been important when deciding who stays or goes? Football is ruthless,

So Owen was ruthless where's your problem then?

I was referring to your jibe about how Benitez should have been more "affable", not the delayed decision by Owen.

Rafa had to be blunt and ruthless, you sign now or you go now. That is what I mean by being ruthless. Football is ruthless, but that doesn't evade the fact that loyalty and decency were not remotely shown by Owen before he left. You can be ruthless, but at least have decency.

[account deleted by request]

Football is ruthless - Owen did what he thought was right for himself. He owed Rafa nothing, he could have sat out the last year of his contract and gone for nothing. Why should he make decisions to suit Liverpool or anyone else? Why should he risk wasting his career for someone else?

Did Rafa feel he owed Fowler anything ? Fowler would have loved to stay, should Rafa have said your not good enough to play but here's another 4 year contract mate we owe you ?

[LFC2007]

Why because when a club has nurtured you from your school days and is the club you love, you expect a level of decency from a player that you would not necessarily get from a foreign player.

You may not distinguish between having a degree of decency and respect towards the club you love when you leave, but look at Henry, he didn't feck about, he's off now. He had the DECENCY.

He owed Rafa the decency of making a decision early on, not fecking around and causing us problems for planning for the future. He needed to know, Owen didn't sign and left it until the last minute, that is not on.

[account deleted by request]

Football is a business, decency has fk all to do with it, or we would never get rid of a player who wants to play for us. If we were decent Fowler would have a new 4 year deal. Fowler loves the club its only decent we keep him on. 

As you say football is ruthless. Owen did what he thought best for himself .

[LFC2007]

The Fowler scenario was different, that was the decision of the manager, he didn't feck about, he was gone. DECENCY is different from being RUTHLESS. DECENCY is about letting your manager know what you are going to do at the earliest opportunity, Owen fecked about with our future and Benitez's planning. We were playing in the UCL qualifier and he still didn't know what was happening, that is not showing DECENCY. Can you not grasp that?

[account deleted by request]

That was Rafa's problem not Owens, if Rafa had wanted he could have said he was keeping Owen and he would have known where he stood. It was Rafa that said sign or be sold not Owen.

Owen had a contract I have no reason to believe he would have broken that contract. If Rafa had wanted he could have held Owen to that contract. Owen didn't demand a transfer, he didn't say I wont play again he didn't say sell me or I will cry.

[66-1112520797]

Frankly it was in Owens interest to not sign a new contract, the longer he left it ,the more desperate LFC would be, so the more he could get from us, if he left, the cheaper he was the more his agent could squeeze from Madrid in signing on fees and salary. Good moves on his part, but for those of us who supported him, adulated him, well we were left with a bitter taste, this was the European footballer of the year (prev. year), 24 years old and sold for £8m plus the price of a used condom, or Nunez if you like. Thats why some of us have been P!ssed off by him.
Not him leaving, but the fact that he cost us millions, now compare to Henry, who at the age of 30(in about 5 weeks)got his club £16m (He signed a deal last summer).

Exactly.

It just goes to show you that just because your from foreign shores you cannot be loyal to an English club. I admire Henry as a player and a person more than I will ever for Owen. I'd imagine the Arsenal fans will be upset about him leaving, but at the same time respect his decision, I honestly believe what he said to them before he left. I know there is an age difference between the two situations and Henry is more matured and maybe not so easily influenced as Owen was by agents etc.

But with Owen you always get the feeling its 'me me me me me' and England, I think he felt he left a sinking ship and abandoned us when we needed him most, the lad IMO has a bad character. Yes football is a business, but you'd expect a little loyalty somewhere along the lines from a boy who grew up with the club. Like Redtrader74 said, even if he'd signed up a new contract like Henry did and gave back more in terms of finance. I dont recall him realy ever saying farewell to the fans, he just upped and left.

As a footballer nobody can doubt his abitlity, but he'll never be the same player he was with us in his earlier years. But yet still can do the business when fit, his injuries would concern me even though 8 million seems a steel, which it is for a fit Owen. I'd have reservations in signing him because of his injuries and if I'm honest because he's a selfish kunt of a person too. I'd cut off my nose to spite my face in this instance, of course though the fact he's another sicknote now doesnt help.

[LFC2007]

Owen knew where we stood, you sign a new contract now or you leave now. No fecking about, Rafa was clear, his contract ran out the next summer, he needed to know. It's not Rafa who decides if he stays or not, it's Rafa who would have kept him since we had no recognisable striker, it was Owen who was in clear control and he exploited the situation to his own ends.

Owen wanted to leave, where are you missing it? He wanted to move to further his career - he's said that. We could have held him against his wishes, what scenario would that have created for their future relationship? If we p!ssed him off by not allowing him to leave he may just have left on a Bosman.

[account deleted by request]

If he had signed a new contract he probably wouldnt have got his dream move to Madrid, and why shouldn't he desert a sinking ship? What loyalty had Liverpool shown Fowler? Shoved him out the door without a seconds thought when it suited Houllier.

I think its pathetic to expect these people to turn down the chance of a lifetime because they owe something to the club, yet the club can turn round and force people out for no good reason.

Football is a business not a charity, if someone offered you a dream job earning pots of money, would you turn it down because you owed loyalty to your boss, even though you were unhappy there? Bollox

Owen did nothing wrong, he played by the rules and if Rafa didn't want to gamble that was his problem, not Owens.