ManU didn't stay down for long. Rooney gets his 100th goal for the club while Owen gets his first.
Showing posts with label Michael Owen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Owen. Show all posts
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Michael Owen Debut Notches 1st Goal As A Red Devil
Michael Owen made an immediate impact in his Manchester United debut Saturday, coming off the bench to score with five minutes left in a 3-2 victory over a Malaysian all-star squad in the team’s Asian tour opener.
The striker, who joined Man United on a free transfer from Newcastle, scored after the Premier League champions surrendered a two-goal lead to Malaysian XI before a crowd of 85,000.
Owen pounced on a loose ball after Darron Gibson’s pass to Ryan Giggs was blocked by goalkeeper Mohamad Farizal Marlias. Owen replaced Wayne Rooney in the 61st minute.
“Michael is different to the other strikers we have here,” manager Alex Ferguson said. “He’s always searching for that space in and around the box, and he reacted really well to take his goal.”
Rooney put United ahead in the eighth minute and set up a goal in the 27th minute with a cross to Nani. as the half ended, Mohamad Amri Yahyah chipped a 25-yard shot over United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Malaysia tied it in the 52nd, with Amri beating substitute goalie Ben Foster.
Man United plays Malaysian XI again Monday in Kuala Lumpur after its trip to Indonesia was canceled because of Friday’s bombing of the Jakarta hotel where the team was to stay. The team will depart Wednesday for the next leg of the Asia tour in Seoul and then head to China.
The striker, who joined Man United on a free transfer from Newcastle, scored after the Premier League champions surrendered a two-goal lead to Malaysian XI before a crowd of 85,000.
Owen pounced on a loose ball after Darron Gibson’s pass to Ryan Giggs was blocked by goalkeeper Mohamad Farizal Marlias. Owen replaced Wayne Rooney in the 61st minute.
“Michael is different to the other strikers we have here,” manager Alex Ferguson said. “He’s always searching for that space in and around the box, and he reacted really well to take his goal.”
Rooney put United ahead in the eighth minute and set up a goal in the 27th minute with a cross to Nani. as the half ended, Mohamad Amri Yahyah chipped a 25-yard shot over United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Malaysia tied it in the 52nd, with Amri beating substitute goalie Ben Foster.
Man United plays Malaysian XI again Monday in Kuala Lumpur after its trip to Indonesia was canceled because of Friday’s bombing of the Jakarta hotel where the team was to stay. The team will depart Wednesday for the next leg of the Asia tour in Seoul and then head to China.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Fergie, C. Ron, and Owen
Words cannot describe this take on the transfer of Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Owen to ManU. Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Ouch, That's Gotta Hurt!
Oh how the mighty have fallen! Along with summer transfers, normally comes a spike in shirt sales of the new player...unless you're Michael Owen. Apparently, no one in Mancunia wants to sport the jersey of a former scouser. Can you really blame them? The recycled Mexican kit is not up to Old Trafford standards, even if the player might be.
"Hey Mike! I know a few Americans that will buy your jersey if you follow Becks to MLS."
As a little bonus for you, here is the first interview of Michael Owen as a ManU striker.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Owen in Red again... With Manchester United.
Michael Owen joined English champion Manchester United on Friday, a striking reversal of fortune for an injury-plagued forward who has been dropped from the national team by manager Fabio Capello.
The 29-year-old, who has 40 goals in 89 international appearances, signed a two-year contract. The former Liverpool and Real Madrid player was a free agent after his contract expired Tuesday at relegated Newcastle.
“I never though it in my wildest dreams really. When I got the call from the manager to come and meet him, it was a shock,” Owen said. “I know there will be a few people saying the manager shouldn’t have bought me.”
Owen’s agent had been so concerned about finding him a new club that he sent a 32-page brochure to teams around Europe trumpeting his enduring qualities and rebutting fitness fears.
United has watched Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez depart since losing the Champions League final to Barcelona.
“Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goal-scoring record at the highest level, and that has never been in question,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish.”
Owen underwent stringent medical examinations on his troublesome right knee before the contract was signed.
“I’m sure a club like this can re-ignite my career,” Owen said. “I do not feel that I am injury prone.”
He scored 10 goals in 32 matches last season at Newcastle, which finished 18th at 7-18-13, and had 30 goals in 79 games since joining the club in 2005.
The 29-year-old, who has 40 goals in 89 international appearances, signed a two-year contract. The former Liverpool and Real Madrid player was a free agent after his contract expired Tuesday at relegated Newcastle.
“I never though it in my wildest dreams really. When I got the call from the manager to come and meet him, it was a shock,” Owen said. “I know there will be a few people saying the manager shouldn’t have bought me.”
Owen’s agent had been so concerned about finding him a new club that he sent a 32-page brochure to teams around Europe trumpeting his enduring qualities and rebutting fitness fears.
United has watched Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez depart since losing the Champions League final to Barcelona.
“Michael is a world-class forward with a proven goal-scoring record at the highest level, and that has never been in question,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish.”
Owen underwent stringent medical examinations on his troublesome right knee before the contract was signed.
“I’m sure a club like this can re-ignite my career,” Owen said. “I do not feel that I am injury prone.”
He scored 10 goals in 32 matches last season at Newcastle, which finished 18th at 7-18-13, and had 30 goals in 79 games since joining the club in 2005.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Owen to Old Trafford??
Michael Owen is on the verge of an astonishing move to Manchester United to supply some of the goals that have been lost in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez leaving Old Trafford. Owen, recently linked with Stoke City and Hull City and written off in many quarters as a has-been, was holding talks with the Premier League champions and will complete one of the most unexpected transfers of the summer if he passes a stringent medical examination.
That is expected to take place today when, if everything goes according to plan, United hope to announce they are willing to take on a striker whose career had seemed to be in an irreversible tailspin. Owen is a free agent after coming to the end of his contract at Newcastle United and his stock has fallen so much over a dismal season that, until now, he has been linked only with clubs in the lower half of the Premier League table.
Owen even faced the ignominy this week of the Blackburn Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, saying he would not try to sign him because the former Liverpool and Real Madrid player could not be guaranteed to play 30 games a season. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, appears to be untroubled by the forward's various injury problems and is keen to reunite him with Wayne Rooney, his former strike partner for the England national team until Fabio Capello decided that Owen was no longer worthy of a place in the squad. Everton have been monitoring Owen's potential availability but were informed that they had effectively been gazumped.
The transfer is likely to prompt a mixed reaction among United supporters given Owen's past with Liverpool and, more pertinently, the fact that he has become recognised as a player on the wane.
Owen scored 30 times in 65 starts for Newcastle, but he cost them £41m in total when putting together his wages and his transfer fee, and was dropped by the club's interim manager, Alan Shearer, during the run-in to their relegation. He has not scored since January and, as his reputation has plummeted, his representatives appeared to have had so little confidence in finding a major club that would be willing to sign him they produced a 32-page brochure to persuade prospective buyers that he was worth a punt.
Ferguson is unlikely to have needed a glossy supplement, however, to know all about Owen's ability, having closely followed his career since the player was at school. Liverpool got in ahead of United after Ferguson could not arrange a deal with the player's father, Terry, and sources close to the Old Trafford manager have indicated that he has always regarded Owen as one that got away.
Even so, it represents a significant gamble on the part of Ferguson given the way Owen, at 29, has become more synonymous with injuries and high wages than the goals that once made him one of the more feared strikers in European football. There have also been misgivings about Owen's commitment to his professional life, with the Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, recently questioning whether the player was spending too much time indulging his love of horse racing.
None of these concerns appears to have registered with Ferguson, though, as he contemplates rebuilding his frontline in the aftermath of Ronaldo's £80m transfer to Real Madrid and the Manchester City-bound Tevez severing his ties with Old Trafford. Karim Benzema, the France international striker, has moved to Real Madrid and United have ruled out other attackers such as Samuel Eto'o and Franck Ribéry because of a long-term decision not to sign players aged 26 or older for large fees because of the way their potential sell-on transfer values would then drop.
United are so determined to keep to this rule that Dimitar Berbatov, who was 27 when he signed from Tottenham for £30m last September, has been described as the "last of his kind", but Owen's situation, as a free agent, means these restrictions do not apply. He is clearly intent on showing that he can still play at the highest level judging by his comments last week. "I've got skin thicker than 99.9% of the population and I have got used to it," he said. "I'll come back. I'll play well and score goals once more." Few could have imagined him doing so in a Manchester United shirt.
That is expected to take place today when, if everything goes according to plan, United hope to announce they are willing to take on a striker whose career had seemed to be in an irreversible tailspin. Owen is a free agent after coming to the end of his contract at Newcastle United and his stock has fallen so much over a dismal season that, until now, he has been linked only with clubs in the lower half of the Premier League table.
Owen even faced the ignominy this week of the Blackburn Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce, saying he would not try to sign him because the former Liverpool and Real Madrid player could not be guaranteed to play 30 games a season. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, appears to be untroubled by the forward's various injury problems and is keen to reunite him with Wayne Rooney, his former strike partner for the England national team until Fabio Capello decided that Owen was no longer worthy of a place in the squad. Everton have been monitoring Owen's potential availability but were informed that they had effectively been gazumped.
The transfer is likely to prompt a mixed reaction among United supporters given Owen's past with Liverpool and, more pertinently, the fact that he has become recognised as a player on the wane.
Owen scored 30 times in 65 starts for Newcastle, but he cost them £41m in total when putting together his wages and his transfer fee, and was dropped by the club's interim manager, Alan Shearer, during the run-in to their relegation. He has not scored since January and, as his reputation has plummeted, his representatives appeared to have had so little confidence in finding a major club that would be willing to sign him they produced a 32-page brochure to persuade prospective buyers that he was worth a punt.
Ferguson is unlikely to have needed a glossy supplement, however, to know all about Owen's ability, having closely followed his career since the player was at school. Liverpool got in ahead of United after Ferguson could not arrange a deal with the player's father, Terry, and sources close to the Old Trafford manager have indicated that he has always regarded Owen as one that got away.
Even so, it represents a significant gamble on the part of Ferguson given the way Owen, at 29, has become more synonymous with injuries and high wages than the goals that once made him one of the more feared strikers in European football. There have also been misgivings about Owen's commitment to his professional life, with the Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, recently questioning whether the player was spending too much time indulging his love of horse racing.
None of these concerns appears to have registered with Ferguson, though, as he contemplates rebuilding his frontline in the aftermath of Ronaldo's £80m transfer to Real Madrid and the Manchester City-bound Tevez severing his ties with Old Trafford. Karim Benzema, the France international striker, has moved to Real Madrid and United have ruled out other attackers such as Samuel Eto'o and Franck Ribéry because of a long-term decision not to sign players aged 26 or older for large fees because of the way their potential sell-on transfer values would then drop.
United are so determined to keep to this rule that Dimitar Berbatov, who was 27 when he signed from Tottenham for £30m last September, has been described as the "last of his kind", but Owen's situation, as a free agent, means these restrictions do not apply. He is clearly intent on showing that he can still play at the highest level judging by his comments last week. "I've got skin thicker than 99.9% of the population and I have got used to it," he said. "I'll come back. I'll play well and score goals once more." Few could have imagined him doing so in a Manchester United shirt.
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