Things get distorted here.Gotta look beyond the obvious

A bit disappointed that Michael Owen has opted to sign for Newcastle, and will find it weird seeing him in black and white, I am not heartbroken, angry or indeed

He's a class act. He went abroad to win trophies, and I supported his decision, given it was to Real Madrid, at a time when his career was at a crossroads, and while Liverpool were entering another transitional period. It was the logical time to give it a shot. 'Now or never'.

He ended up winning nothing but a smattering of praise, while the Reds won the biggest prize of them all. Who saw that coming?Now Owen is at Newcastle, a club that thinks itself as important, despite winning next-to-nothing in fifty years. A big club in terms of support, but tiny in terms of achievement.

He will be a big success there, just as Milan Baros will prove a hit at Aston Villa. But in both cases I mean in terms of goals scored, not trophies won.Owen may not have enjoyed life back at Anfield,while Baros might not have done what Rafa required in Red. Both will probably outscore all of our strikers this season, but in sides geared toward feeding them at the expense of others. If those two sides finish mid-table, their goals will be far less meaningful.

Liverpool's interest seemed very conditional, Once Newcastle offered 17 million ponds, there was little chance of the Reds being successful in luring him back
Another of those conditions would have been rotation:In a World Cup year he just wanted to play. He has learned that being a substitute in a great side isn't as much fun as being a regular in any other side if he exist purely and simply for the rush of scoring goals. At Newcastle he is guaranteed to start every week.

It seems he's sacrificed trophies at club level(for the time being) in the hope of winning the biggest one of all with England team.He's also nearing the England goalscoring record, and that's a personal achievement that would mean as
much to him as a league championship medal,Maybe he'll leave Newcastle for a reduced fee in a year's time, and this will turn out to be no more than a glorified 'loan' deal. I can't see him staying there for the long haul, that's for sure.Footballers want to be remembered, to become eternal, and that's as good a way as any.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 at 2:15 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.