Spare a thought for Owen

[rezaeos]

Yassou mate. G Man's reply is exactly how I some times feel about Owen. I feel very sorry for him as a human being.

[Rich]

I feel sorry for Owen to a certain extent.

However, Owen didn't have the belief or confidence that Rafa was going to turn our beloved club around. That was his biggest mistake, he should have signed a one year contract extension, seen the progress and then fully commited. Instead he decided to move to a club in turmoil, and has paid an incredibly high price ever since.

[Rich]

Merged two similar threads.....

[Dhav]

Hey buddy. I hope he gets better soon. But he sure did flush his career down the toilet. What really bothers me about Owen was the way he pretended he wanted to come back to LFC but ended up at in Geordie land. He put his personal greed, going to Real, England ambition, going to NUFC, ahead of LFC. I'm amazed at how much support he had at the old site.

Absolutely my friend.

I have no doubt that had Kuyt not declared his intention and desire to sign for us, Newcastle would have come in and outbid us.

If Owen held his nerve and did what Kuyt did, he might have rejoined us. Instead he lost his nerve and jumped into bed with the first slosher that came along for the sake of his England career and playing in the World Cup, which proved his downfall. In this respect he made his bed and deserved what he got.

The second snub to Liverpool means that despite what he ever says or does in the future he should never be brought back because his dedication to us is in question.

Compare to Stevie, who when push came to shove just couldnt leave, or Carra who said he wanted to stay for life.

On the other hand, if you ignore all that emotive stuff and just look impartially at the situation, it is a shame that such a promising career has gone to hell

[Dhav]

I feel sorry for Owen to a certain extent.

However, Owen didn't have the belief or confidence that Rafa was going to turn our beloved club around. That was his biggest mistake, he should have signed a one year contract extension, seen the progress and then fully commited. Instead he decided to move to a club in turmoil, and has paid an incredibly high price ever since.

This for me too is a key point. We brought in a manager who he himself wanted and then he didnt give the guy a chance. I'll be honest, at the time of the contract wrangling I thought he would sign a short term deal to see how things would develop. He didnt. His made a huge misjudgment.

Also shows how little he thought of the club.

[Rich]

He put himself ahead of anybody else - however he was also badly advised.

He didn't go to Madrid with a huge transfer fee hanging over his head - therefore there wasn't the 'need' for the management to play him for non-footballing reasons. He went, did pretty well, managers came and went and he was pushed out of the team. That is what a player should expect at Madrid, where the Coach has probably the final say (Perez, Raul, and other senior players had more say in team selection.)

[Dhav]

Yassou mate. G Man's reply is exactly how I some times feel about Owen. I feel very sorry for him as a human being.

I know what you mean mate. G Man made his views on Owen vey clear on KT, and I agreed with him every time.

He kind of got the comeuppance he deserved but I just think his latest setback is one punishment too many.

[Dhav]

He put himself ahead of anybody else - however he was also badly advised.

He didn't go to Madrid with a huge transfer fee hanging over his head - therefore there wasn't the 'need' for the management to play him for non-footballing reasons. He went, did pretty well, managers came and went and he was pushed out of the team. That is what a player should expect at Madrid, where the Coach has probably the final say (Perez, Raul, and other senior players had more say in team selection.)

With Ronaldo and Raul ahead of him and like you say with the small fee which kind of meant he wasnt a bona fide galactico, at best he was always going to be 3rd choice. But of course, he probably believed different, or was advised different. Any one with half a mind would have realised he wouldnt have got much playing time there.

[G_Man]

I know what you mean mate. G Man made his views on Owen vey clear on KT, and I agreed with him every time.

He kind of got the comeuppance he deserved but I just think his latest setback is one punishment too many.

Who? Me?

[Rich]

I can't see him ever playing for a big club again to be honest - he might struggle through another few years at Newcastle and then call it quits and move into Horse racing or something.

Ultimately he'll have under-achieved, given his talent.

[Red_Polo]

I pity him

He could've been so much more. What a fool

[rubyred]

This for me too is a key point. We brought in a manager who he himself wanted and then he didnt give the guy a chance. I'll be honest, at the time of the contract wrangling I thought he would sign a short term deal to see how things would develop. He didnt. His made a huge misjudgment.

Also shows how little he thought of the club.

This is a major sore point for me. I remember Gerrard and Owen being asked what they thought about Rafa being appointed as manager. Both said how good he was blah, blah, blah. Owen was also bing constantly asked if he was going to sign a new contract, and frequently said that he was.

It seemed just like a few days later (although I can't remember the exact time scale) that he signed for Real Madrid.

It was the biggest mistake Owen made, followed closely by the mistake he made signing for Newcastle.

I think it's a shame because he was a good player for us, but these two moves have ruined his chances of winning trophies, cups or titles. His greed and/or ambition outweighed both his loyalty to LFC and his willingness to wait and see how things worked out under Rafa.

I wonder what he thinks these days when he sees some football pundits saying that Newcastle will be lucky not to be relegated, while we are being tipped as potential Prem title winners.

[G_Man]

I pity him

He could've been so much more. What a fool

[spud_gun]

I wonder what he thinks these days when he sees some football pundits saying that Newcastle will be lucky not to be relegated, while we are being tipped as potential Prem title winners.

Hell f**king mend him!

[Los Rojos]

I have to say I always have sympathy for footballers who actually want to play when they get long term injuries.

Owen did a lot for us while he was here. I have no hard feelings. I think the club have done their best to look like it was all Owens fault with the contract/transfer situation but if you look at the Gerrard situation the next year it becomes clear that our board have not always conducted themselves in a way which makes players happy in negotiations.

That's a fair point about the board. With regards to Owen, he'll never be forgotten for all the good he did for the club (2001 FA Cup final etc.), but unfortunately, he'll never be really respected for the way he left and his obsession with England (even worse for a Welshman).

With regards to legends who have left the club, I'd rather have sympathy for someone like Ray Kennedy who has struggled with illness over recent years, not having made the fortune that the present day footballer make.