01 Mar 2024 08:15:04
Ed001 mate, what's your opinion on Michael Owen when with us, his goal record in the premier league was quite poor with his best season 18 league goals. Was the game just different then and do you think he would reach levels like Haaland if playing today.
{Ed001's Note - it wasn't because the game was different, it was because he missed a hell of a lot of chances. They just got forgotten because he was English so the media only talked about the good things. He was a fantastic player, but he was a very inconsistent finisher. I guess like Nunez in that regard, but with a much lower work ethic.
To be fair to him, he wasn't playing in the best of teams and they were more defensive too. He also did have a fair few injury problems with his hamstrings due to his explosive pace, which didn't help him. No matter the excuses, he simply wasn't a clinical finisher like Fowler, even though the whole team ended up built around him and getting the ball to him in dangerous areas.}
02 Mar 2024 07:17:08
Owen scored 118 goals in 216 games for Liverpool
A goal every two games there or thereabouts
The highest number of league games he played in a season for Liverpool was 35 and in that season he scored 18 goals
Like Ed says though, workrate nowhere near good enough and considering we got rid of other players to essentially build the team around him - would expect more
To be fair, he was like that in local youth club football and playing representative football for his County too
And could never be forgiven for playing for one club in his career….
{Ed001's Note - for me it was worse that he basically told Houllier it was him or Fowler and Ged picked him. Then he went and put in a transfer request anyway. That is unforgivable to make the club get rid of God and then to stick two fingers up to the club and leave on the cheap afterwards. Him going to United meant nothing to me, because he was nothing in my eyes after leaving.}
02 Mar 2024 07:17:17
I'm not owens biggest fan now but when he broke into team he was out of this world for a 17 year old I thought. i think he finished joint top goalscorer in league in his 1st season at 17/ 18. Imagine what he be worth today.
02 Mar 2024 08:08:26
No time for him. Going to united was the icing on the cake. Why any player would ever play for a bitter rival is beyond me. Total disrespect and disregard for the club. Snake!
02 Mar 2024 08:25:16
The United thing meant nothing to me to. I just always felt that England meant more to him than Liverpool did. He never really had the bond with the fans that Fowler did and also leaving for such a small fee due to running his contract down was unforgivable. A lot like McManaman in that respect.
02 Mar 2024 08:39:14
I was going to bring up the McManaman thing also Baz. The fact that both came through the academy and left for free or on the cheap, at the peak of their careers doesn’t sit well with me. Maybe it’s just me, but I think that they owe the club something back, for giving them a chance and the life that they now have. You could argue that McManaman fulfilled his contract, but I there is more to it when you Liverpool man and boy. Give the club something back!
{Ed001's Note - yeah McManaman had plenty of opportunities to sign a deal but was always wanting to leave for the money.}
02 Mar 2024 08:42:40
Owen is a far better footballer than he is a pundit.
But saying that my nan is a far better footballer than he is a pundit.
On a separate note does anyone know who started the calling of Fowler god. Was it fans, team mates or media kind of thing that got that going. I’ve tried researching it but there’s nothing out there.
02 Mar 2024 08:43:07
Exactly right on Owen and people forgetting how many chances he missed which was just as much as Darwin or even Haaland does. Remember when he gave a back-handed compliment to Darwin saying he should not have chipped the GK vs Brentford despite always saying Darwin should improve his composure. And when he does show composure, he slated him for chipping the GK. So essentially cos Darwin did not do what and how King Owen said it should be, it proves he is not a good striker? Literally loves the smell of his own farts, that geezer. What a fraud and a grade A waffler!
And on the Fowler v Owen situation, Owen recently was asked did he think he was better than Fowler and he said something like, "Who did the manager pick all the time? " Seriously, the guy literally thinks he was world class and a better player and finisher overall than Fowler was. There's a reason LFC fans do NOT use the word "Legend" when addressing this fraud.
02 Mar 2024 09:05:37
Owen is just out for himself, always has been. he left in the last few days of the transfer window . for 8 mill [i think] we got no chance to replace him. glad we won the champs league without him. then he expected us to stump nearly double to buy him back . the United bit just sums him up.
02 Mar 2024 09:11:47
I think it depends on how you look at it Oli. I don't see it as a backhanded compliment at all. He seemed to acknowledge that it was a difficult piece of skill and that most strikers would just place it either side if the keeper. That's all really.
02 Mar 2024 09:21:38
JK23 I'm not 100% on this but I once saw an interview with Neil Ruddock who said that Robbie got called God by his team mates as he can do no wrong in the eyes of the fans.
02 Mar 2024 10:38:06
Not looking to big Owen up but he did win the B'alloon D'or when he was playing for Liverpool which is no mean feat. I think I am right in saying he is the only player to win the award while a Liverpool player. Kevin Keegan did win but then he was playing for Hamburg.
As I say not suggesting he should be considered a legend. But he must have been doing something right with Liverpool.
02 Mar 2024 10:49:00
Interesting stat. I have just checked the list of B'alloon D'or winners and yes we have one winner, the same as Blackpool and Inter Miami.
02 Mar 2024 11:41:30
Cheers Baz.
02 Mar 2024 12:50:41
Dracred, thing is that on another day I would have no prob with it esp. since the GK essentially making Darwin's mind up for him by coming out to meet him and essentially daring him to chip it over him, a 6 foot 4 inch GK, I heard. Darwin didn't blink, showed composure (that same thing Owen always criticised him for) and embarrased the GK.
Keep in mind that a lot of people gave Darwin credit even tho, they thought it was an audacious chip and Im fine with that. My prob is that it was Owen who came out of nowhere talking crap about how cos Darwin chipped the GK, "proves" (his words) that he has to adapt his game and blah, blah, blah. That's unnecessary, IMO. Nobody cares what other strikers would have done and most importantly, Darwin is prolly not interested in being like any other striker, let alone Owen who mind you, missed shed loads of chances like Darwin does. That's all, really.
02 Mar 2024 13:14:51
Owen always gets slated by Liverpool fans when he’s discussed, I reckon the United thing absolutely bothers us more than we let on.
Take away all the feelings about how he $hit on the club more than once though, he was a very good player when he broke through, for us and England (I feel the fact he was quite good for England and scoring important goals inflated his ego and his stock amongst football fans everywhere)
His real asset seemed to be his explosive pace and confidence, I’d say he was a good finisher as well to be totally fair, not world class by any means but he was certainly good considering how quick he was usually going, his finishing was appropriate for how he played if that makes sense. You don’t see many players come through at that age and have such an impact and that’s credit to him I suppose.
However injuries soon caught up with him and that effected his pace and then his confidence, pace being such an important part of his game was soon gone and his overall ability wasn’t good enough to adapt, that finishing ability wasn’t quite good enough to compensate either.
I feel he really was something special in his very early days, but injuries robbed him of a truly special career, but I suppose when you rely so heavily on your hamstrings for that pace your never going to make 10-15 years in the game unscathed.
02 Mar 2024 14:54:56
Ah c'mon lads, i know we all hate him but what a fantastic kid to come through. Shared the golden boot on his first season at the age of 17/ 18.Would be Mbappe money to buy him now. One in two was very respectable back then and a B'allon D'or winner so let's not fool ourselves he was a bad player because we don't like him. He was our main forward AND Englands for years. Ed001 i think it was compared his finishing with Nunez, sorry but i know who i'd rather a big chance fall to and its not Darwin. Also played in the most defensive counter attacking set up Lfc teams in history.
02 Mar 2024 14:56:32
I disagree Mikey, Rafa joined Everton who for me are more of a rival than United as I know far more everton fans than I do united. But I still love the man. Owen ran his contract down but carried on saying even after he left that he was willing to sign a new one. As I said my big problem with him was he seemed to value his international career more than playing for Liverpool, wasn't as good as Robbie but still seemed to be first pick then practically begged to come back a year after he messed us around. I think he scored 1 goal for United which was after about an hour of injury time and if I remember rightly his options were them or Stoke so I can't blame him for choosing them. Good player yes but not in my top 10 liverpool strikers.
02 Mar 2024 15:30:01
McManaman leaving the way he did was just wrong he lost a lot of respect from a lot of people for that. But judging by his performances for BT and TNT it is quite clear the guy is a duck egg. Hard to believe Fowler is such good friends with him they seem like total opposites.
03 Mar 2024 00:17:32
Owen had the potential to be very, very good indeed but never quite made it, as he seem to focus on the financial side of things. Never met the bloke so can’t really comment but, watching him interviewed and being an ‘expert summariser’ I don’t think he has a likeable personality.
03 Mar 2024 12:23:33
Think he had 40 England goals by the age of 26?if i remember correctly. the injury at Newcastle killed him, after he had make a very good return to English football by the way. Doubt even think the likes of Kane, Linekar or Rooney (three of Englands best of the last 40 years) had that amount of International goals by that age so to say he didn't quite make it seems mental to me, Michael Owen would be thought of by anyone in the game as a top top player. Harder to impress this site though i know?.