Sorry but the club is responsible for contracts not the manager. Derek throwing Keegans name in there is a bit laughable to be honest. I wouldn't trust the slimy toad. So that's just more smoke being throwing in the air. He was right to have a go though because ofthe money earned whilst here.
Whereas I probably differ from a lot of people on Owen, I think his Twitter comments were wholly inappropriate given the money he earnt whilst here. He should have just kept his own council. At the end of day Freddie Shepherd is responsible for the Owen debacle. He was injury prone before we signed him, then we whinge about it? We whinge about him trying to get fit for England when we'd all do the same? Even the clueless Souness told Shepherd not to sign Owen but he wanted to be the fans hero by getting the very best. That's all well and good if you can get him on the pitch. We got exactly what I expected out of Owen. He has never been the kind of striker to bust a gut running after dead losses. He has always disappeared in games and just popped up when it mattered. He underperformed in the last year here due to the fans cranking up the pressure when it became clear we were in trouble. That's natural on the fans part. Fans always look for scapegoats when things go tits up, he should have dealt with it better.
The key points with Owen for are: 1. He does not set the transfer or wages. We decide them. We decided to pay way over the odds so our chairman could feel like a hero. 2. Injuries - Exactly what did people expect. He'd had problems completing a significant number of games since he broke through at Liverpool. At his last club before joining us, Real, the physio said it was difficult to patch him to get him on the pitch 3. England - Howay man. It's the pinnacle. If you've played any level of football, that is the dream. 4. Lack of effort - You can't become a different player overnight just because the team is struggling, you are what you are. Again we knew this. 5. Environment - Is anyone going to seriously suggest that the club at the time created a great footballing envrionment? We chopped and changed bad managers, signed poor players on silly wages, and generally became a laughing stock. 6. Loyalty - Maybe a little. Did anyone want him to stay and really think he'd turn down going to Man U to stay.
I know my take will upset some but there you go. Throw your tomatoes!
