Liverpool FC Forum

[2520years]

I don't think anyone should call Owen for the way his career has panned out.  If it was within his control he'd be picked for Real Madrid every week.  That just about goes for everyone I know.  I won't be there for the Newcastle game, but I view him as an old friend that I've missed.

[mighty mo]

Robbie Fowler who could score ten against the Reds and still be chairlifted off at the end.

brilliant and true

totally agree

[JC_81]

Owen cares about 1 thing - himself. 

He buggered off to Madrid when the going got tough and then the whole moving to Newcastle fiasco just showed that he needs to grow a pair of balls.  All he had to do was say no to Newcastle and Real would have sold him to us for less.  Look at Morientes in contrast, other teams offered Real more money for him than us but he said no and they ended up having to sell him to us.

Basically though I didn't want him back in the summer, not only was I against resigning a turncoat but it would have made poor financial sense.

A couple of comments on this thread are a joke.  He carried the team for years?  What Liverpool were you watching?  Gerrard had to an extent been carrying the team until Benitez took over, not Owen.  Owen has Liverpool in his heart?  Bollox.  If he did he'd be playing for us right now.

Do I hope he gets a good reception at Anfield?  I wouldn't boo him as it's not really the Liverpool way, but I wouldn't applaud him either.  Treat him as any other player, just as he will treat us like any other team.

And another thing, I predict that the 'Owen to return to Liverpool' rumours will resurface again next summer.  I'm sure the release clause in his contract exists, Newcastle have been very quiet on that one and Owen hasn't denied it.

[desperado0831]

Owen IS a legend.

He had to carry the team for years. Remeber the FA cup final against Arsenal when Viera p1ssed all over Gerrard and the rest of our midfield and MO popped up twice at the end to steal the trophy.

I have never understood why most LFC fans never felt the same about him as Robbie.

Of course his number one priority is himself, so is everyones. Who puts their employer (even as cool a one as LFC) before themselves - stop talking rubbish.

He plays for newcastle now and has to give them 100%.

I dislike Mcmanaman for saying that his children will be raised as Everton fans- that's terrible.

Owen still cares alot about LFC and if his mates who PLAY for the team are cool then why aren't some of you sad lot. GH was destroying the club and he had a chance to play for the biggest club in the world so good luck to him.

Wish him well (but not this game) and I'd like him to get a great reception - who knows we might see him back!

Agreed.

I think Owen will go back to Liverpool one day,but i dont think it will happen:

1.) if RB is in charge
2.)within the 4 years he has on his newcastle contract.

We don't need him. Yeah, for some people he will be a consistent striker but he's outdated. Don't you think that he worth that 17m for us after he's being sold to RM for 10m or even lesser? It's show time for beanpole at Anfield but not Owen.

[AwiLas]

Mike Owen could be the best striker in England but not in Liverpool, for sure.. As for Stevie Gerrard, he's the best in the eyes of a real Liverpool fans.. And Rob Fowler, he's brilliant and that will never change him..  Let's put Owen and Fowler back in 2006 Liverpool squad.. Who's Chelsea.?. Cheers..

[anfieldadorer]

like it or not, he's LFC legend already

[anfieldadorer]

one more thing; you look stupid with that outfit, mike

[112-1077774096]

football365


Benitez - Owen deal was "impossible"
Friday December 23 2005



Rafael Benitez maintains it was "impossible" for Liverpool to have re-signed Michael Owen in the summer.

The England striker was keen to return to his former club earlier this year but a deal could not be agreed with Real and he ended up moving to Newcastle, his second choice. Benitez has been accused of not trying hard enough to recapture the Chester-born forward, but insists he tried until the last minute to bring him back to Merseyside.

Benitez said: "I have seen what Michael has said. But what is clear is we tried to sign him and he knows we tried to sign him. It is impossible if another club makes a bid of such big money. It is difficult to say we must spend that money on a player that one year before we sold for much less."

He added: "He had a good offer from a good team and he decided to go there. He is a good professional but we had to think about the club, because we already had good strikers and it was almost impossible.

"I was talking with him, we tried to the end but he decided on Newcastle. We cannot change these things.

"The only possibility was for him to say he didn't want to go to Newcastle. But he decided to go there, even up to the last day we tried.

"I had permission from Real Madrid to talk to him and I did. But in the end he decided to go somewhere else. We couldn't do anything."

[The Manhattan Project]

I just don't think Michael Owen will be at Newcastle for very long.

England are not going to win the World Cup because they don't have a manager capable of turning an excellent squad into world beaters.

When Owen comes back after their inevitable second round or quarter final exit, he'll be faced with the prospect of a few more years finishing 10th or 11th in the Prem with NUFC.

No World Cup winners medal, no Champions League football.

Even being optimistic, do Newcastle fans really think Owen will be happy with UEFA Cup football playing against CKSAFC Plovdov of Bulgaria?

[7_Kewell]

But it was difficult for them because they had sold me for £8.5 million

Difficult?  That's putting it mildly! 

The little doesn't mention why he screwed us over his Madrid deal tho, does he?

[Mikz]

Owen IS a legend.

He had to carry the team for years. Remeber the FA cup final against Arsenal when Viera p1ssed all over Gerrard and the rest of our midfield and MO popped up twice at the end to steal the trophy.

I have never understood why most LFC fans never felt the same about him as Robbie.

Of course his number one priority is himself, so is everyones. Who puts their employer (even as cool a one as LFC) before themselves - stop talking rubbish.

He plays for newcastle now and has to give them 100%.

I dislike Mcmanaman for saying that his children will be raised as Everton fans- that's terrible.

Owen still cares alot about LFC and if his mates who PLAY for the team are cool then why aren't some of you sad lot. GH was destroying the club and he had a chance to play for the biggest club in the world so good luck to him.

Wish him well (but not this game) and I'd like him to get a great reception - who knows we might see him back!

spot on Big man!

[liamac]

Owen IS a legend.

He had to carry the team for years. Remeber the FA cup final against Arsenal when Viera p1ssed all over Gerrard and the rest of our midfield and MO popped up twice at the end to steal the trophy.

I have never understood why most LFC fans never felt the same about him as Robbie.

Of course his number one priority is himself, so is everyones. Who puts their employer (even as cool a one as LFC) before themselves - stop talking rubbish.

He plays for newcastle now and has to give them 100%.

I dislike Mcmanaman for saying that his children will be raised as Everton fans- that's terrible.

Owen still cares alot about LFC and if his mates who PLAY for the team are cool then why aren't some of you sad lot. GH was destroying the club and he had a chance to play for the biggest club in the world so good luck to him.

Wish him well (but not this game) and I'd like him to get a great reception - who knows we might see him back!

Agreed.

I think Owen will go back to Liverpool one day,but i dont think it will happen:

1.) if RB is in charge
2.)within the 4 years he has on his newcastle contract.

Sorry mate but i think you are being a little optimistic if you think Owen wont be coming back home , think you better read this article  and then give your view.........




Liverpool are still interested in re-signing Owen, says Benitez
By Andy Hunter
Published: 24 December 2005
The prodigal son is not expected "home" until Boxing Day but Liverpool rolled out the red carpet early for Michael Owen yesterday when their manager, Rafael Benitez, admitted he still harboured hopes of enticing the England international back into the Anfield fold.

Liverpool's interest in their former protégé will come as no surprise to Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd, who needed to offer Real Madrid a club record £16.5m to drive the European champions out of the market for Owen in August and was prepared for renewed speculation on the striker's future at the end of this season. However, Benitez's public admission will advance the uncertainty on Tyneside and, at the very least, provide the Newcastle manager, Graeme Souness, with an unwanted distraction ahead of Monday's meeting between the two clubs on Merseyside.

Benitez was portrayed as an unwilling participant in Liverpool's pursuit of the then Madrid forward this summer, while the impressive strides made by his team since have strengthened the argument that Owen would not suit his tactical approach. Yet the Spaniard yesterday insisted that the 26-year-old would flourish in the system that delivered the Champions' League to Anfield, and that he would welcome the return of the striker who scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool.

The Liverpool manager said: "I explained my ideas to him and he knew that it would have been possible for him to play here. When you go for a player you need to know what characteristics he has and whether you can use him. We knew we could use Michael at Liverpool, he is a player who could play in any team." Benitez was then asked if Owen could return to Anfield in the future. "Sure, why not?" he responded. "He is a good player and good players are always interesting to other clubs."

Owen signed a four-year contract at St James' Park in August after Madrid refused to countenance Liverpool's offer of a one-year loan deal followed by a permanent £8m move next summer, the fee they paid for Owen in the summer of 2004.

However, the deal contains several get-out clauses, including such conditions as Newcastle's final Premiership position, qualification for Europe and a reduced release fee, and Liverpool will develop their interest if a clause is activated at the end of this season.

"There were several reasons why it didn't happen in the summer: the price, the time, the decision of Michael and the fact that we already had good strikers at the club. All of these things together made it impossible to change the situation in such a short space of time," said Benitez, who urged Owen to reject Newcastle outright in August and thereby test Madrid's resolve, only for the striker to decide that he could not afford to take that risk 48 hours before the transfer deadline.

The Liverpool manager added: "We tried until the very end to sign him, but he decided to go to Newcastle because he wanted to play every week. I respected that decision fully, but because Real Madrid had such a big offer on the table it was impossible for us to sign him at that high price."

Owen lives in the north Wales home he purchased as a Liverpool player and commutes to training in the North-east on a daily basis, though his Newcastle strike partner, Alan Shearer, insists his current employers have no reason to doubt his long-term ambitions.

"I'm not selling the club to him any more. I don't think I have to - the tough part was getting him here," said Shearer, who requires just one more goal to equal Jackie Milburn's record of 200 for Newcastle. "We all said that, if we were to get him here, he would take to the football club, the area and the people. I think he's done that. The people have certainly taken to him - not only on the football pitch, but off it as well. They've made him feel very welcome and he's grateful for that. He likes the area, which I think is a big plus."

Souness added: "Michael is an honest man and Liverpool was his first choice, but it wasn't to be and I would like to think that he will want to go back there and show them what they are missing and, hopefully, that will mean goals for us."

The prodigal son is not expected "home" until Boxing Day but Liverpool rolled out the red carpet early for Michael Owen yesterday when their manager, Rafael Benitez, admitted he still harboured hopes of enticing the England international back into the Anfield fold.

Liverpool's interest in their former protégé will come as no surprise to Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd, who needed to offer Real Madrid a club record £16.5m to drive the European champions out of the market for Owen in August and was prepared for renewed speculation on the striker's future at the end of this season. However, Benitez's public admission will advance the uncertainty on Tyneside and, at the very least, provide the Newcastle manager, Graeme Souness, with an unwanted distraction ahead of Monday's meeting between the two clubs on Merseyside.

Benitez was portrayed as an unwilling participant in Liverpool's pursuit of the then Madrid forward this summer, while the impressive strides made by his team since have strengthened the argument that Owen would not suit his tactical approach. Yet the Spaniard yesterday insisted that the 26-year-old would flourish in the system that delivered the Champions' League to Anfield, and that he would welcome the return of the striker who scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool.

The Liverpool manager said: "I explained my ideas to him and he knew that it would have been possible for him to play here. When you go for a player you need to know what characteristics he has and whether you can use him. We knew we could use Michael at Liverpool, he is a player who could play in any team." Benitez was then asked if Owen could return to Anfield in the future. "Sure, why not?" he responded. "He is a good player and good players are always interesting to other clubs."

Owen signed a four-year contract at St James' Park in August after Madrid refused to countenance Liverpool's offer of a one-year loan deal followed by a permanent £8m move next summer, the fee they paid for Owen in the summer of 2004.
However, the deal contains several get-out clauses, including such conditions as Newcastle's final Premiership position, qualification for Europe and a reduced release fee, and Liverpool will develop their interest if a clause is activated at the end of this season.

"There were several reasons why it didn't happen in the summer: the price, the time, the decision of Michael and the fact that we already had good strikers at the club. All of these things together made it impossible to change the situation in such a short space of time," said Benitez, who urged Owen to reject Newcastle outright in August and thereby test Madrid's resolve, only for the striker to decide that he could not afford to take that risk 48 hours before the transfer deadline.

The Liverpool manager added: "We tried until the very end to sign him, but he decided to go to Newcastle because he wanted to play every week. I respected that decision fully, but because Real Madrid had such a big offer on the table it was impossible for us to sign him at that high price."

Owen lives in the north Wales home he purchased as a Liverpool player and commutes to training in the North-east on a daily basis, though his Newcastle strike partner, Alan Shearer, insists his current employers have no reason to doubt his long-term ambitions.

"I'm not selling the club to him any more. I don't think I have to - the tough part was getting him here," said Shearer, who requires just one more goal to equal Jackie Milburn's record of 200 for Newcastle. "We all said that, if we were to get him here, he would take to the football club, the area and the people. I think he's done that. The people have certainly taken to him - not only on the football pitch, but off it as well. They've made him feel very welcome and he's grateful for that. He likes the area, which I think is a big plus."

Souness added: "Michael is an honest man and Liverpool was his first choice, but it wasn't to be and I would like to think that he will want to go back there and show them what they are missing and, hopefully, that will mean goals for us."


I think you will find that fat freddie signed the most expensive loan deal in football history       

[liamac]

Decided not to open a new thread about it as this one is perfectly adequate since its about the  wee sod anyway , tho i bet someone eventually does open a thread saying "Raffa wants Owen back"  or words to that effect

[azriahmad]

Owen had to say this because he simply owes a lot to the Toon Army who gave him a very grand reception when he was signed even though it was very apparent that Owen wanted to come back to Liverpool or the other big three - Arsenal, manure or Chelsea - despite the desparate attempts of Everton and Newcastle.

For their part, the Newcastle fans are a great passionate lot and apart from Liverpool fans, must be one of the greatest bunch of fans, they'd only ever turn on against their managers, rarely against their players.

[redmikey]

don't you just love thet way rafa deals with big issues.. respect senoir very cool customer:blues: