Tomorrows papers.

[Sydney Vicious]

Now this is a transfer I could see happening. He would jump at the chance to play at Old Trafford...in fact I wouldn't be surprised if he's orchestrating the move right now.

Course he would. He's a selfish, glory hunting little tosser/prick/turncoat/slime/turd/****/judas*.





(*delete as appropriate)

[Sydney Vicious]

Assuming he gets over his injury, he would dominate the scorers chart for the foreseeable future if he went to Utd. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go, loyalty means nothing to him.

At that price, I'd seriously consider having him back.

THAT is precisely why I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire.

[Steve]

EXCLUSIVE

By David Harrison
MANCHESTER UNITED are ready to make a sensational summer move for Michael Owen.

Sir Alex Ferguson has focused his search for a striker on Newcastle's 27-year-old England star, who has a £12million release clause in his contract.

Owen has been out with a serious knee injury since last summer's World Cup finals but scored in a friendly game against Gretna last week.

Pleading

He has been pleading with Toon boss Glenn Roeder for a chance in the first-team and could make his comeback against Chelsea next week.

Ferguson will only launch a bid if he is fully satisfied Owen has recovered from the knee operation.

A well-placed United source told us: "It is no secret that Sir Alex wants another striker and he is bound to be attracted by someone of Owen's pedigree at such a competitive price. Naturally we would have to be certain he has recovered from his injury and that is why his return will be closely monitored.

"Ideally we want to see him in action for several games between now and the end of the season."

United's interest is certain to appeal to Owen, even though he still feels a debt to Newcastle after they paid £16m to sign him from Real Madrid nearly two years ago.

Owen still has his main home in the north-west, near Chester, even though he has a property in the north-east.

He is itching to get back into Premiership action and has also earmarked England's Euro Championship qualifier against Estonia in June for his international return.

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/stor...t/sport1.shtml

You can't believe everything you read in the papers!

[Sydney Vicious]

The **** S*n guy on Jimmy Hill's Sunday Mutual Masturbation Prog said he didn't come back to us because "Liverpool couldn't guarantee him games". WTF?

What's the problem with that? Sorry, unless you're Michael Owen, what's the problem with that? Errr, Michael? The club has now moved on, won the CL without you and the squad is much stronger than it was when you were here. WHY... should we guarantee you games?

[Sydney Vicious]

not even owen would stoop that low. It would be a disgrace to leave Newcastle now.

Yes, but this is Mikey Owen. He has no shame.

[AFII]

AUGUST 31
The truth behind Owen switch

By Chris Bascombe - Liverpool Echo

Michal Owen sat in his north Wales mansion desperately waiting for the Anfield cavalry to arrive yesterday.

Sadly for him, and thousands of Liverpool supporters desperate to see his return, the Reds were already in the process of retreating from the pursuit of his signature.

Instead, their former striker was dragged, kicking and screaming towards a clause-ridden Newcastle contract.

This was not supposed to be the final scene of the summer's most captivating transfer saga.

Even as Newcastle chairman Freddie Shepherd announced Owen's imminent arrival, the Geordies risked serious embarrassment.

With the St James' Park medical team due to arrive at his north Wales home to complete the formalities, Owen was still waiting for the call from the Anfield hierarchy.

When it came around 11am yesterday morning, the conversation between Owen and Rick Parry confirmed his fears. Liverpool had neither the cash, nor the will, to spend more than £12m to buy him back.

Real Madrid said that wasn't enough while Newcastle's £16m offer was on the table. For Liverpool to sign Owen, he had to publicly reject their offer and reiterate he'd only go to Anfield.

Sending an SOS to Anfield was fine, but without a white flag, surrendering any intention to join Newcastle, it was hopeless.

Sadly, this was a concession Owen felt he couldn't take without a definite assurance his ambition to join Liverpool would be realised.

Liverpool are stunned Owen opted for the Newcastle option given his doubts about the move.

They feel had he held his nerve and flatly rejected a switch North East, Madrid's stance may have softened over the next 24 hours.

When faced with a similar situation a week ago, Milan Baros publicly rebuffed any interest from Lyon and joined Aston Villa for a smaller fee.

Fernando Morientes took the same stance last January when in the wake of Liverpool interest, Newcastle offered more.

Liverpool wanted Owen to repeat Baros and Morientes' tactics. If the Geordies thought they were chasing a lost cause, they'd have to withdraw their bid.

The Reds could then continue negotiations with the Spanish giants in a stronger position. For Liverpool to sign Owen, it had to be a one horse race.

For Owen, the risk was too great. Time was running out. He was told by Madrid there was no prospect of a deal with Liverpool and if he didn't go to Newcastle, he'd be on the sidelines until January.

The shadow of the World Cup loomed large. It seems international ambition overrides a burning desire to return to Anfield and the next six months couldn't be sacrificed.

Owen was determined to maintain contact with Newcastle as a back-up option, but by courting their attention he created a fundamental flaw in Rafael Benitez's plan to get him.

After some horrendous advice, he was even pictured meeting Newcastle officials. Hardly the actions of a man trying to send a signal to Real Madrid he didn't fancy moving to St James' Park..

As Owen strolled around a Northumberland estate on Monday night, he was inadvertently knifing his and Liverpool ' s ambitions through the heart.

Having been set a morning deadline to make his decision, he returned to north Wales resigned to moving to Newcastle.

On Tuesday morning, he was having second thoughts and made a series of frantic phone calls to Anfield officials. Unlike the recent Steven Gerrard case, however, there was nothing Liverpool could do to reassure Owen a u-turn would definitely put him back in a red shirt.

They wanted him to reject Newcastle, but this would only trigger the beginning of more negotiating with Madrid.

Benitez's policy throughout the transfer was based partly on brinkmanship, bluff, and also a test of Owen's much publicised desperation to come home.

The Liverpool boss wasn't convinced by the private messages delivered via friends or journalists.

He demanded a statement from Owen, although when it arrived it hardly dripped with enthusiasm.

Owen's advisors elected to show their client as all things to all men, tellingly citing World Cup ambition above any fervent desire to join Liverpool.

Newcastle's £16m was then instantly made public, deflecting attention from Owen's understated 'come and get me plea' to his former employers.

Madrid refused to negotiate with Liverpool unless they matched Newcastle's offer. The loan deal Liverpool wanted was now out of the question.

As long as Owen rejected Newcastle, the Reds were in the driving seat.

Benitez and Parry met Owen on Monday. There was no clause in a Liverpool contract. Personal terms were not an issue. Difficult negotiations with Madrid were.

Owen was told to reject Newcastle. Instead, he and his advisor Tony Stephens headed north.

For all the sense of deflation at losing a player of Owen's calibre to Newcastle, few will argue the Reds should have matched such a ridiculous offer.

Indeed, the only winners in this saga are Madrid. They've earned 100 per cent profit on a player who wouldn't have played for them this year.

Liverpool have shown their status as European champions hasn't given them the financial muscle to outbid lowly Premiership rivals.

Owen has joined a club against his judgment, despite admitting a week ago he wouldn't do so.

As for Newcastle, they've agreed a strange contract which isn't exactly what it says on the label.

In a year's time, Owen can leave St James' Park for a fee somewhere in the region of what Liverpool were prepared to pay.

The Geordies are laughing now, but they might be celebrating the most expensive loan deal in football history.

[AFII]

AUGUST 31
Owen too expensive, says Benitez

BBC Sport Online

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says they kept up their efforts to sign Michael Owen from Real Madrid until the last minute but his price was too high.

When it became clear he could leave, Owen said Liverpool were his first choice but Benitez told the club website he could not justify the cost.

"Madrid only ever talked about £16m. We couldn't spend that much money on a player we sold for £8m," he said.

"We even made phone calls early on Tuesday. In the end it was impossible."

Newcastle ended up paying £17m for the 25-year-old England striker, and Benitez said once it became clear they were willing to pay Madrid's asking price, the club were eager for him to join the Magpies.

"They put a lot of pressure on Michael to go to Newcastle because they wanted the money to sign Sergio Ramos. I hoped Michael would say no and then, maybe, we could do something," he said.

"Whenever I was asked about Owen I had to respect the strikers we have at the club.

"We never planned to sell Djibril Cisse but when Madrid kept on telling us they wanted £16m, it was a problem and we had to look at different possibilities.

"We had clubs interested in Djibril, but we made it clear to them we wanted to keep the player."

[AFII]

Feel free to continue to imagine things up wynne, but keep it from things like Judas.

We got money for him, not as much as we would have got if we had sold him for a year earlier but that was a mistake from our board, a very expensive mistake.

Owen used that to his advantage.

Gerrard used his position to get over £100k/week and Owen used his to get a move to Real.

Players will continue to use the clubs if they think they can gain anything from it.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

He would be foolish to go there and ruin anything he had at Liverpool but on a footballing sense he would chop fergies hand off, no other big 4 would touch him currently

[AFII]

I would not blame him if he signed for the Scum. They are a lot better than Newcastle.

If Rafa don't want him then a move to Scum would be good for his career and that is what a player must think about first.

[Red_Polo]

I would not blame him if he signed for the Scum.

Who the **** else would be to blame?

[Steve]

He would be foolish to go there and ruin anything he had a Liverpool but on a footballing sense he would chop your hand off, now other big 4 would touch him currently

Is that Welsh??

[Steve]

Who the **** else would be to blame?

[AFII]

Who the **** else would be to blame?

No one.

It would be a good move for him. I would hate it if he signed for them but a player must think about his career first.

[Steve]

No one.

It would be a good move for him. I would hate it if he signed for them but a player must think about his England career first.