Liverpool FC Forum

by **Red_Rob** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:04 am

A short while ago I would have said I will eat my hat if Owen comes back to Liverpool but Rafa has been evasive on two occasions when questioned about him and did not rule it out.

I feel it wouldn't make sense to let Baros go unless he has a replacement planned as we would only have three first team strikers and could end up in the same predicament as last season. The only other explanation I can think of is he is willing to give Pongolle his chance as back up for Cisse.

I would love to see Owen back as I think he would want to prove something again to us. The problem I see is dealing with Real Madrid and also the extra we would have to fork out on him in comparison to the price we let him go.

by **Gaunt** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:05 am

I think the deal is coming, just Rafa doesn't want the price driven up by getting dragged into a bidding war. Anyone remember the clause in the sale that apparently we have first option on him to buy him.

by **dosserboy** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:19 am

Gaunt wrote:I think the deal is coming, just Rafa doesn't want the price driven up by getting dragged into a bidding war. Anyone remember the clause in the sale that apparently we have first option on him to buy him.

Yep, I remember that one, I can not see any other outcome than MO comming back it just makes so much sense, all round!

by **lfclfclfc** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:39 am

We'll be left with three senior strikers after baros leave. alt has gone to the blackcats. pongo has recovered but will likely play an apprentice role again this season. I can't be sure how true this is, but rafa, according to kopalk, has mentioned the possibility of cisse playing as a right winger, just like carew in valencia, and quote:"It means you can play another striker in the team and he (cisse) can get into the box more." hmm... paving the way for MO? no reason why rafa should be thinking of repositioning cisse in the wake of baros' imminent departure. Surely moro and crouch are not the 20-goal out and out strikers up front!! :Oo:

by **sinema** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:52 am

We should be wary of taking Real's cast-offs. Look at Nunez and Morientes. However, Owen "might" be a different kettle of fish if we could get them to take back Morientes in a part-exchange deal. Would they want him back though? If we're completely honest, we know that he will never make a top Premiership player.

by **Silver** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 1:20 am

Newcastle Newcastle are emerging as dark horses to sign Michael Owen if he makes his expected Premiership return after being frozen out at Real Madrid.
Graeme Souness has admitted the 25-year-old England striker is a player he would like to bring to Tyneside.

Manchester United have been touted as favourites to land Owen, but BBC Sport understands they have not made a move.

Arsenal and Liverpool have ruled out a deal, leaving Newcastle as the only club who want Owen and could pay £11m.

Souness wants to sign four more players and a new striker is his number one priority.

The Magpies have been linked with Fenerbahce's Nicolas Anelka and Middlesbrough's Mark Viduka, as well as Owen.

Boro chief insists Viduka staying

Souness had been keen to land Anelka but he said: "They are all top strikers and the facts speak for themselves.

"They are 20-goals-a-season strikers and they are the types of players we need to be attracting to this club."

Souness has signed midfield duo Scott Parker and Emre during the summer transfer window but is no closer to finding a striker following the departures of Patrick Kluivert and Craig Bellamy.

"We are obviously in need of firepower and if we were to get that type of player in we would have a very good squad," he added.

"We need four more new players and ideally we would have had them in by now but certainly we need to do it sooner rather than later."

Turkish club Fenerbahce have already turned down a Newcastle offer for Anelka, while Owen is reported to want a move to a Champions League club - if he decides to leave Real Madrid.

And Souness has denied he is lining up a swap deal for Viduka, with Nicky Butt going the other way.

"Mark is a player I much admire but I have never spoken to Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren about him," he said.

by **Lando_Griffin** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 2:00 am

Are you lot serious? Pay Real MORE than they paid us!?! And you think that thats good business sense? And the only message it'd send across Europe is that we are mugs.
To suggest Rafa orchestrated MO's transfer is ludicrous. It seems to me you would rather believe poor Micky-wicky was booted out against his will and forced to leave his teddy bear behind, when in fact it was the little pr*ck himself that did it all. He wanted out, and Rafa said something like "fair enough me o'd cocker, shut the door on your way out, theres a good little sparrow." (But he'd have said it in Spanish at the time.) MO will never play for us while Rafa is boss. Not unless Beni gets a knock on the head.

by **A.B.** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:00 am

If we're completely honest, we know that he will never make a top Premiership player.

All judgement on Morientes shouldn't be passed until he gets a full season with us. Baros had a full season and didn't prove himself, Morientes should get the same chance Baros did

by **66-1112520797** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:37 am

barnesrush wrote:we expect the players, especially the british ones, to have the same love for the club that we do but those are unreasonable expectations

Can you please explain why that unreasonable

?

by **66-1112520797** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:59 am

Im not saying they should have the same love for the club as we do, but is it too much to ask for the right attitude.
One year before he left ,it was there for all to see that Owens body language told us his heart wasnt in it anymore.
He thought he would become stale if he stayed at Liverpool so he decided to leave ,fair enough.

In most ways i wish it would of worked out for him abroad.

If Owen was guarenteed first team football at Madrid do you think he would even contemplate a move back to Anfield ?

So if his heart wasnt in it anymore,what makes you think it will be this time around.

by **RED ANT** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 4:05 am

I've heard Rafa questioned twice now on this Owen affair and twice he has refused to say he isn't interested in him. He hasn't said that he is but i think he may well be playing a smart game with this one.

If he didn't want him back he would have just said it wouldn't he?

by **matrix** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 4:20 am

RED ANT wrote:I've heard Rafa questioned twice now on this Owen affair and twice he has refused to say he isn't interested in him. He hasn't said that he is but i think he may well be playing a smart game with this one.

If he didn't want him back he would have just said it wouldn't he?

fair point red ant who knows whats round the corner nothing would surprise me with rafa he keeps everything secret, a rafa quote if you talk about a player the money goes up three million.

by **SouthCoastShankly** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:53 am

With Le Tallec off to Sunderland, Baros being shipped off to anyone who'll take him (within reason) and Morientes proving last night that he can't play with Crouch

Our strike force is clearly not as strong as we once thought. Our only successful partnership has been Cisse-Crouch. Surely now Owen IS an option he would partner Cisse, Crouch and Morientes well.

Bring him back Rafa!

by **Homebooby** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:57 am

posted this y'day on another thread about owen that died the death, seems relevant again:

I think the real key to all of this is the price tag that is being put on his head. Should that price come down a few million, I am sure that there will be more than a few clubs fighting for him. Despite all the injury issues and poor advice he has received/accepted, I think the majority of people would like to have him on their books. I don't think that he is the be all and end all of strikers, but on his day, he'd do a great job for us.

A week is a long time in football and I think that with Owen (and Gerrard to an extent), we are starting to see a backlash towards the SFX manipulation of the media to the benefit of themselves and the players that they represent. It is actually nice to see the top managers all standing together on this one (perhaps it isn't intentionally and assuming the article is correct about Manure), I can't think of another situation with a top player where this has happened. hopefully it is a sign of the way transfers will work in the future. This summer has definitely slowed down and the amount of money flying out of the door for 1 player has dropped like a stone as well. This can only be a good thing.

I myself don't consider myself an expert and I have no sources at the club whatsoever

, but am wondering if we could get him back for what we received last year, then the situation would be different. Ok, Rafa has said that we aren't looking for any strikers, but sometimes options come up that you don't foresee and you have to go for it. With noone claiming any interest in him, Madrid bringing in these new guys, the cost savings of Owens' wage bill could well be enough motivation for Madrid to drop their price.

Does anyone know if we got a full lump sum for Owen, or are we due to be paid more over time? If so, that even eases the pain of bringing him back. Wage wise he is not in such a position to demand as he once was? The shoe is on our foot now and I would love to see him back in the squad.

I always try to look at things from the human angle too. The lad is still v. young and I think took poor advice. Stevie is the same age and almost made the same mistake. The 2 of them are perfect examples of why you shouldn't get too greedy in life and appreciate what you have. Stevie will die a legend in the footsteps of greats such as Shanks, Paisley and Crazy Horse, Owen on the other hand has lost an awful lot. He has the time to gain it all back of course and I am sure that he has learnt a lot by stepping out into another environment. but he must be kicking himself at the same time.

by **tel** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:07 am

There was a very large gap between Owen in his last couple of seasons with us and the top strikers of the clubs we were chasing. Made me sick to compare his all round play, form and goal scoring against Nistelrooy and Henry. He was a league away from them.

There are 2 versions why he left. Mine and the truth.

My version is he left because his agent was pumping him up that he was a European star and could only realise his star potential at a club like Madrid.

The other version is that he left because Rafa made it clear he didnt think he was as good a striker he thought he was and that he wouldnt be building a team around him just to score goals, but expected him to be more involved in build up play and team work, not just selfishly playing off the last defender for 90 minutes.

He may be a 20 goal a season striker, but how many goals a year did Heskey score? Heskey was there just to help Owen score goals, which is an entire waste of playing 2 up front if only one of them scores goals.

Can Owen score 20 goals if the 2nd striker plays deep and well behind him? No he cant.

No Heskey, no 20 goal a season Owen.

Can he hold up play and bring others into the game? No he cant. He has a shocking first touch and he is the worst dribbler of a ball I've seen at Anfield. (Maybe Ray Kennedy was worse but not measurably so)

One dimensional strikers dont fit with continental managers style of play.

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