L'il Mikey Owen - Great Move
Fri Jul 03 04:03PM
So, you're Sir Alex and you're just coming off of a season where you've lived through three (OK, four) strikers (you have to include CRon as a striker) complaining about playing time and generally making your life miserable. Looking at their resumes, you can't really blame them. The World Player of the Year. The "Best English Striker of his Generation", The big summer acquisition, and the high profile South American with the big reputation. Throw in some up-and-coming youngsters and you really have some selection headaches.
Assuming you really didn't have a choice about CRon leaving - you can say anything you'd like about his attitude, etc. but you don't let him go for any amount of money unless you don't have a choice - and you didn't really try too hard to keep Carlito around you really have to figure that a decided change of strategy was in order.
Now, imagine further that you're pining for days gone by when you could actually compete with Real Madrid for players (or at least that's the way you remember it). You remember that you had two well-defined starting strikers (Ruud/Saha, Ruud/Rooney, Ruud/Ole, etc.) and a third striker who knew his role and wasn't going to agitate if he didn't start every match. This generally tended to be a formerly top-class striker on the downside of his career realizing that he was no longer capable of playing 90 every day. That said, these guys were still very capable of being extremely effective in spot starts plus a more regular dose of 20 or 30 minutes cameos off the bench. Sherringham, Cole, and Ole all evolved into this role. The alternative has been a young guy on the way up (see Forlan, Diego; Rossi, Guissepe).
Why do I mention this? Well, obviously because of the shock and surprise that seems to be coming from all quarters about the seemingly inevitable arrival of Michael Owen at Old Trafford. Should we be surprised? No, no more than we would be with Wenger recruiting a new continental 17 year-old attacking midfielder. This is what Sir Alex does. It's the formula that has always worked for him. He has his two de facto starting strikers - Rooney and Berbs - his up and coming options in Macheda and Welbeck and his crafty veteran available when the stage is perhaps a little to large for the youngsters to be counted on.
How does this not make all the sense in the world? It maximizes Owen's chances of being effective by not putting too much pressure on him to try to play 90 minutes on a regular basis. He can avoid the shame of lacing them up for the likes of Hull or Stoke. It fits SAF's formula. And even more importantly, the price is right which leaves SAF all that CRon money to buy an actual midfield.
Are ManYoo clearly the choice to win the Premier League now? Not at all but that has everything to do with the lack of a right wing, attacking midfielder, and holding midfielder and nothing to do with the lack of striking options. We haven't heard much about David Silva recently - might want to spend some of that extra money to give Valencia an opposite number. I'd suggest Robben but he doesn't seem like a SAF kind of guy (injured too often, moody, quiet, etc.). There are a wide variety of Dutch central midfielders available as well (Sneidjer, van der Vaart, etc.) who aren't likely to see a minute at Real this season.
If you put an improved midfield behind Rooney, Berbs, Owen, Macheda, and Welbeck then you might really have something.
What am I saying? I'm a fan of this move assuming that he can find some midfielders who want to play in England.
The shame of playing Stoke & Hull..? Anywere apart from championship surely??
From ellzbellz_2 on Tue Jul 21 05:10PMWill Gerrard be available next season ??????
From iansanderson197 on Tue Jul 21 08:56PMcan we plese call Mr Owens - MO7
From bracketaz@bellsouth.net on Tue Jul 21 09:33PMwhere's my post? not here, shame, all i said was that the americanisms on this site get worse every season, nicknames and all that B.S. we don't need, cut the @#$% and you guys have an excellent site, although your own performances do need to improve.....
From petegoddard11996655 on Tue Jul 21 11:02PMlets be honest it the best move for owen and he was free so lets see what he can do at his age
From johnbrookes446 on Wed Jul 22 01:12AMMO7 sucks. Owen7 is much better~!!
From kho_thong_soon on Wed Jul 22 05:38AMWhat's wrong with calling him Owen?
From wearingpaul on Wed Jul 22 09:55AMLots of Scousers saying Man U have been snubbed. Strange! Who have the pool signed who is world class? Alonso and Mascherano want away. Your captain is busy and cannot train at the present moment.
See you in May - looking down. 2nd Biggest club in the world - yeah without a title in 20 years. Get behind in no particular order - Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Manchester United.From stlavery on Wed Jul 22 03:30PMAll these big players, like Benzema and Ribery, are all over-rated anyway. As a Man Utd fan, I am not worried that we didn't sign any of these overly expensive players who might not have what it takes to succeed in the Premiership. They took the easy option by signing for Madrid cos they are scared of a real challenge.
Owen is a great signing and will prove his worth when the season starts. The squad is strong enough but a couple more might not be a bad idea.
From ccmd_mail on Wed Jul 22 03:50PMAt last the preparation for 09/10 begins (hasn't it been a long summer!!) As the debate continues regarding players nick names I would like to know if there is a published list of nick names? I came to Yahoo late last season and never quite got the hang of the names and also could someone please explain barn dooring to me? i gather that it is something to do with holding onto players as their value increases but WHY when they sell for their original price
From wind_inma_sail on Wed Jul 22 04:17PM@wind_inma_sail - check out fantasyepl.blogspot.com/2008/05/who-is-k2.html for all the nicknames and abbreviations.
From jspitzberg on Wed Jul 22 04:56PMBD means to buy a player that did very well in a previous match before his price sky rockets
From kellz_86 on Wed Jul 22 06:28PMMr. Spitzberg, what's the "Beat the Bloggers" group #?
From battyboy1804 on Wed Jul 22 06:50PMCan someone tell me where Tim Cahill has gone cos he's not in the game?
From rubenperinp on Thu Jul 23 09:52AMand also where is dirk kuyt??? cudnt find him either.
From mizol415 on Thu Jul 23 04:08PMMaybe they're in the process of listing Kuyt as a midfielder instead of forward. (hopeful)
From dugferd on Thu Jul 23 05:40PMIam a arragant gay @#$%.
From petegoddard11969655 on Thu Jul 23 09:57PMdonv08 shut the hell up yeah cos youfind that the team that you support are bullbags (apart from Man Utd) and anyway if he becomes a prolific scorer again while at United what are you going to say then and if i was you just shut up , if you support Liverpool you are a scouser scum, if you support Arsenal you are a tamp and if you support Chelsea you're a piece of @#$%
From e.manuellima on Fri Jul 24 01:07PMat ccmd_mail agrees that you do not need top-class players to become a great team, for example Sir Alex when he became Man Utd manager he didn't have a top-class player or team and yet as the teams have evolved he has turned them into one of the biggest and best clubs in the world and liverpool are just sh** and if you lose mascherano and alonso you going to be left in pieces and won't be able to win anything for the next couple of years
From e.manuellima on Fri Jul 24 01:15PMOwen is a great player, will end his career with a great club!!
From cmkomba on Fri Jul 24 02:16PMLiverpool fans make me laugh, for twenty years weve all been hearing this is our year, just exactly when is it going to be your year to win the league again, concentrate on your own team and players your going to sign, united have nothing to prove to anybody, they have been by far the best side in the prem for the last twenty years and fergie by far the best manager, owen is a shrewd signing and will do well as he will get plenty of chances, how many chances will torres get without alonso and mascherano coz they both want to leave so whats the point in keeping them, fergie still has 105 million to spend but whats the point in wasting it, he already has the biggest and best squad in the premier, in fergie we trust come on you reds.
From zoey.street on Fri Jul 24 04:41PMIt seems that all you MUFC fans have forgotten what a lying pair of clots SAF and Ronaldo have been found out to be.how could you not rem SAF virus press Con or Ronaldo's interview with himself as the interviewer on Sky Sky Sports. I happy here ," I MAN UTD player ". wot a joke . MUFC should have been banned FOR 5 YRS from playing in the FA Cup when they opted out to go to Asia and belittled every club in the FA . What other Club would have the arrogance or indeed FA board Clout to get away with it.just make me sick. go back to booing your own players(Ferdinard).or ask for SAF head again.
From sixstringbing on Fri Jul 24 04:59PMmy 18 year old son who supports liverpool asked me a question which i did not wish to answer,"dad when did liverpool last win the league?" when i told him it was 2 years before he was born you should of seen his little face crumple,but then in typical liverpool fans style he said"well that dont matter this is our year,man utd are @#$%,we are the biggest club in england,dirk kuyt is a fantastic player" after hearing this i had to wake him up for work as it was all just a silly dream.
From sallyroberts57 on Fri Jul 24 06:39PMdonv08 r u stupid liverpool/real the biggest clubs in the world? they didn't even get in to the semis of chapions league
From ridz962 on Sat Jul 25 09:41AMThanks guys will check it out and fill in the blanks of my fantasy education!!
From wind_inma_sail on Sat Jul 25 02:44PMunted have some of the best current and up coming midfielders in the world, you have scholes, and carrick, carrick should be playing regularly for england instead of the cash grabber that is Gareth Barry. then you got the likes of Anderson, Gibson and Possebon all of whom will be top names in years to come. we just need to get rid of Hargreaves and Park, bring in either Costa or Jack Rodwell from Everton and its sorted because you have Nani on the left wing who will show why he is worth 17 million this season
From tamie.milne on Sat Jul 25 02:56PMby the way donv08 owen is one of the lowest paid people at united and you can really class liverpool as one of the top 4 teams in europe let alone the top 2.
i get sick of scousers posting on threads that have nothin to do with them only the fact that a former player has gone on to join a better club, did you steal your computer by the way?From tamie.milne on Sat Jul 25 03:01PMlikewise can be said for United supporters, just don't poo yourself when the realization that the majority of Premier league sides won't be as easy as playing Malaysia twice and FC Seoul.
From kellz_86 on Sat Jul 25 05:03PMJUDAS JUDAS JUDAS!!!
From jim_monty2001 on Sun Jul 26 01:33AMJUDAS JUDAS JUDAS!!!
From jim_monty2001 on Sun Jul 26 01:33AM
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