There is starting to be good competition for places at the Newcastle club, and that will only increase with news yesterday, that Mark Viduka is back in training again, from his Achilles problems.
But another worry which is lurking in the background, is how exactly do we keep Michael Owen at the club.
Michael Owen – difficult situation at Newcastle
Even club captain Michael Owen is unlikely to start today against Wigan Athletic, because of the good form being shown by both Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi.
Because Michael has just come back, we don’t think Fabio Capello will include him in the England squad for the game in Berlin, Germany, next Wednesday evening.
Chris Hughton talked about the squad yesterday, during his press conference for the Wigan game today:
“All we can do is hope we have the best players available at any given time. Anything more than that is out of our control.”
“Michael could not have done any more than he has on the training pitch. He was back from injury a few weeks ago and he has put himself in a better position to be involved in the team. It’s up to us.”
“I accommodated both Oba and Michael and we played with the both of them last season. What Joe will do is pick a team for each given game.”
Of course there are lots of rumors about Owen, and there’ll be even more as the January transfer window approaches. Various clubs, such as Chelsea and Aston Villa, are said to be interested in taking Michael Owen in January, or in the summer, when he will be a free agent.
He would be a great loss to the club, and we have a sneaking suspicion that Michael would be more than willing to stay on Tyneside, if only the club can get itself sorted out, and make him a good offer.
But if Ashley cannot get a buyer by January, things could remain uncertain through the summer at least.
Chris continued:
“Aston Villa interest is new to me. It’s the norm now. It will be one club today, another tomorrow and there will always be talk of your best players interesting other clubs.”
“That’s one thing you always have to deal with.”
Joe Kinnear, Chris and the rest of our coaching staff are dealing with a lot of things right now, and they have done an excellent job, all of them.
But Mike Ashley needs to sort things out, so we can at least offer Michael new terms to stay at Newcastle United.
But if Mike cannot sell the club soon, it’s hard to see how he can do that. 🙁
What a way to run a football club.
42 comments so far
Cyprus-Toon
Nov 15, 2008 at 9:57 AM
Comment #1I see Viduka is now getting fit just in time to be shown the door in January.. lol
As for Owen, I’m neither bothered if he stays or goes, either way we won’t have to pay his rediculas wages for him sitting on the bench!!
ELFER
Nov 15, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Comment #2I must admit, that there is in my view a better chance we can keep owen than martins!!
why? Well, I read the interview in the magazine and I must admit it scares me…no words about that he loves the club he plays for. He’s saying more about friends who live in manchester and london (arsenal) than he says that he is in love with our famous club. I think there’s a chance we loose him. 🙁
Owen might feel he has to give something back to this club and proove himself.
What do you think? And your opinion on this, ED?
Hazza
Nov 15, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Comment #3Get rid of Viduka and Owen and bring in Defoe and Goran Pandev.
AO
Nov 15, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Comment #4I think you should sit him down with a good hypnotist who could convince him that newcastle is a team going in the right direction and he has a real chance of winning trophies. I know these hypnotists arent miracle workers but one helped me give up fags.
Will
Nov 15, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Comment #5Credit to the current coaching staff, thanks for keeping you heads down!
Bakerman
Nov 15, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Comment #6ELFER, I disagree. Martins, despite knowing what a downturn we’re in looks like he thoroughly enjoys it at Newcastle, he loves the fans who he knows adore him – and he wants to be a legend here. Furthermore, I think he’s on a long-term contract – and right now the bigger teams aren’t exactly tearing down our doors looking for him. No, I think Martins will stay (I certainly hope he does because to me, he & Jonas are our most valuable players).
Shot Bru!
Nov 15, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Comment #7Elfer
i think the current board can’t wait to offload Owen, if they’re still in charge by Jan i reckon that’s exactly what they’ll do. Owen probably isn’t gonna start today either which is unbelievable he is our best goalscorer and player. The first name on the teamsheet should be Owen, every other team involved in this seasons relegation battle would do the same.
Cheeseburgerhead
Nov 15, 2008 at 10:47 AM
Comment #8Give him a new contact on the same money he’s on now, that would keep him. Yeah.
Yeah!
hitman
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Comment #9AO,i see your still on form,what is it with you and us geordies,did ya mam get gang banged off a bunch of geordie lads,is that why you resent us,its true all southern boilers love the geordies.
hitman
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:04 AM
Comment #10lads does anyone really care if owen goes,i dont
steve
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Comment #11I wouldn’t be surprised to see martins want to go, if he’s ambitious he’ll want to go to one of the big four in prem or one of the top teams in europe, however I get the feeling a lot of managers see martins as a luxury player who doesn’t add a lot to the team, certainly his improvement from first season has been limited.
Only problem is that we’ll get nothing for Owen so Ashley might decide to sell Martins to anyone who offers 15 million, he coulds then pocket 10 million and use the rest to give owen a contract (new owners will end up picking up tab)
listie
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Comment #12AO – didn’t realise you used to bat for the other side!
“but one helped me give up fags”
Keith
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Comment #13i would like owen to stay , prefareable on less money , but it wouldnt break my heart if he left, he is a great player and all but a massive drain on resources on the club
ObaFan2
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Comment #14AO “but one helped me give up fags”
Difficult to believe as I’m sure you still enjoy the odd fag or two!
mistryman
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Comment #15lol good one listie 😀
daveyboy
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Comment #16If he goes, he goes!
It’ll only be to a club daft enough to pay his ridiculous wages for a striker that can’t get in our 1st 11 in anycase so that speaks volumes at the minute!
He is a decent player when fit but how often have we said that over the last few yrs now?
Maybe its time to start a fresh for him and for the toon?
We could give either the kids a chance or as you have rightly said with the way shola and martins are playing its going to be hard to even get back in there or break in the 1st team in any case so we really need to look at better than what we have, and looking at it owen isn’t up there anymore, or so it would seem????
Either way what will be will be and I’m not that bothered I’d he stays or goes, but one thing is for sure he does owe the toon a lot for what and how they have stood by him in injurys etc
hitman
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Comment #17ive heard AO mams does tricks in soho….
selly no skill
Nov 15, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Comment #18speaks volumes that owen cannot break into the england squad.he is living off his early reputation and should not on the past 2 seasons form warrant his wages.we offered him a contract of the same money 2-3 months ago and he said thanks for the offer i will look at it.we cant do any more than that.he owes us big time.
kevin Nichol
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:05 PM
Comment #19ED…….FOR F@CKS SAKE…WHY CANT YOU PUT A BLOCK ON THIS HORRIBLE LITTLE C@NT AO FROM BLOGGING ON HERE????
OPINIONS FROM FANS OF OTHER CLUBS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME; BUT THIS PRICK COMES ON HERE TO DO NOTING OTHER THAN BAD MOUTH OUR CLUB. ITS REALLY STARTING TO PISS PEOPLE OFF (HIS OBJECTIVE IM SURE)
DO SOMETHING ABOUT ED AS ITS YOUR SITE AND YOUR CUSTOMERS HAVE A PROBLEM
JP...from the Rock
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:11 PM
Comment #20We should keep them both!
make Owen sign a new ontract and at worst sell him on in the summer or the next and get something in return at least. If he goes now we don’t get a penny. As for Martins leaving…I can’t see it happening. He would go if he is pushed out like Milner was. He loves the club, the place and the fans…quite frankly I Do Too 😛 He may be rough round the edges and misses more than he scores BUT he has talent and immense potential. If he really is as young as his birth certificate suggests then we have a 20M+ striker on our hands…all he needs is a bit of work in some tough coaching-to help improve his finishing and positional sense and perhaps his first touch, confidence and regular football and he will score the 20+ goals a season for us no doubt.
JP...from the Rock
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Comment #21In his first season Martins scored 17 goals for us if I am not mistaken, pretty impressive for his first season in the EPL.
paddyq
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Comment #22hey does anybody know of a good stream for todays match ? not looking good so far…
Brutooooon
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Comment #23i dont mind if owen goes away.overpaid wages which can provide 2-3 better players….
martin is better than owen
fabio capello is right not to choose owen for england…
SuperShearer
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Comment #24Owen’s off I reckon, he’s very media savvy and has said nothing about staying or going. The one thing keeping him here would be regular football, which he wouldn’t get at any of the top four, and the possibility of becoming a Geordie hero, which would mean little to him. I think he’ll go to either Chelsea, Liverpool, or maybe Man Utd (if they don’t sign Tevez). I’d love him to stay as he’s quality, he may have lost pace but his reading of the game, and his finishing is second to none. He’s also our Club Captain, but I wonder if that means anything to him. He won’t get the same wages anywhere else I don’t think so if we offer him the same contract again (without the get out clauses) then he’ll sign…..but why would Ashley do that?
ELFER
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Comment #25Well, voyeur is an admirer of Martins and they are a top 4 team…so if he knocks on the door we might loose oba.
He’s exciting, no doubt, but sometimes he also drives me mad on the field. If I had to make a choice I would rather start owen.
hitman
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:48 PM
Comment #26AOs mam takes it in the yahoo….
NorthernPaul
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Comment #27@Kevin Post 18:
I totally agree. Its getting really tedious now.
I just wish everyone would ignore him. I’m fed up of reading the blog and I cant stand the lack of football chat. Its pretty much a slagging match because of one toss pot.
I welcome debates with other fans, but our visitor is only here to wind people up, and they bite far too easily.
ON TOPIC:
Personally, I’m not fussed whether MO stays or goes. He’s a cracking player, but he has never shown any loyalty to the club in his press interviews etc. He has never said he wants to stay, even before the club imploded. If he doesnt want to be here then let him go. There is no point keeping a player who wants to leave.
I would like to add that I agree with a comment above that Oba is a luxury player. If he could play half as good as he did against Villa every game, then he would be a great player. As it stands, he is very wasteful and although he shows heart, I would drop him for Owen today. If he played in a decent team, I have no doubt he would score a lot of goals though, so maybe we should build a team around him.
Shola is on form, and fair play to him after all the hatred from the ‘fans’ he has put up with. I predict he will score two today, in 3-1 one win with Colo getting the other.
ObaMartins
Nov 15, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Comment #28Michael is a player we must keep at Newcastle, he is top notch when fit and can score you a Goal just when you least expect it….Easy solution on how to keep Michael Owen >>>Get New Owners in and Give “Sir” Alan Shearer the Managers job!!!!!!
NUFCC
Nov 15, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Comment #29i think joe kinnear will be staying till the the end of the season which i dont like and also ashley will be here till the end of the season which would mean no contract for owen. cashley is a money grabber and has used kinnear perfectly to calm fans down and see the season out and try to make as much profit as possible. whenver kinnear talks to the media he says what he has been told by cashley.
Sav
Nov 15, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Comment #30Wasn’t Owen getting a terrific goals to games return when playing behind a front 2 before he got his injury?
That was hailed as a KK masterstroke, even by those who gave Keegan no credit for tactics whatsoever. I didn’t hear anyone complaining about his wages or saying we’ll manage just as well without Owen then. Fickle!
hitman
Nov 15, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Comment #31look lads owen has showen more loyality to england and not the toon,get rid of him the twat is a hasbeen….lets get ranger in…
Wallsend Will
Nov 15, 2008 at 1:16 PM
Comment #32Any new owners would very much wish to keep Owen. As for the current lot I fear they will take advantage of the chance to £5M, save on his wages and buy half a dozen players from the Championship.
simon376
Nov 15, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Comment #33I cant understand people saying that he has shown no loyality to nufc, he signed a contract and hasnt as far as we know, asked for a transfer, he’s still here, that seems loyal to me. If I were him I would go, the place is a mess, just got to hope we get bought out and a new contract offered asap.
As for his money, yes its a lot, but who wouldnt take it if it was offered to you? He gets us goals when he plays. If we can keep him, he will score, worth every penny if you ask me
THE BEAT.
Nov 15, 2008 at 1:23 PM
Comment #34kidnap owen and tie him to a chair,i think in the current climate it will be the only way to get him to stay.
Geordie Jayne
Nov 15, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Comment #35simon376 – totally agree with you
Punk Skunk
Nov 15, 2008 at 1:59 PM
Comment #36Keep Owen!..
boater
Nov 15, 2008 at 2:16 PM
Comment #37simon376.. I agree. What do people expect from Owen as a sign of loyalty? A Shearer tattoo on his forehead? He is a professional – and a very good one. Every decent side has a balance of calm pro’s and the chest-beating natives like Taylor. Who cares F-F-S?
However, Kinnear has built a side – in Owen’s absence – which looks pretty balanced and whilst I’d like him to stay, it isn’t the catastrophe it would have been a while back when our game was about Geremi, Beye and Milner finding him with hopeful punts forward. Surprising, bearing in mind JK’s reputation from Wimbledon.
Trying the 4-3-3 that KK honed may be adopted by JK (especially at home)…. and playing with one winger.
Beye/Colo/Taylor/Enrique
Guti (Duff)/Butt/Barton
Owen/
Oba/Shola
tommy
Nov 15, 2008 at 2:49 PM
Comment #38i’m new to this thing can anyone tell me if i can watch FREE live football on here please…cheers
Nick
Nov 15, 2008 at 5:24 PM
Comment #39It won’t be a great loss to the club. The only think we’d lose is his ridiculous wages when he hardly ever plays. Can’t wait to see the back of him and Viduka. They’ve bled us dry for very little return.
Good call from Hezza Pandev & Defoe young and rarely in jured quality players.
D.C.
Nov 15, 2008 at 8:49 PM
Comment #40Doesn’t seem like anyone is terribly interested in keeping him, shelving contract talks and leaving him on the bench until he comes and saves our ass week after week.