Like an old joke, Michael Owen is now officially black-and-white and red all over.
He wanted to go to Liverpool, he ended up at Newcastle. He wanted to be reunited with his old mates, fresh from their European Cup triumph. On Wednesday, he arrived in the land of the Geordies, to a club currently goalless and propping up the Premiership.
He wanted to go home to Lancashire for £10-million, he’s gone to the bleak north-east for a record £16-million. He wanted his old number 10 red shirt back, he was offered a black-and-white striped number nine, previously the property of ”Wor” Jackie Milburn, Malcolm ”Supermac” McDonald and Alan ”Mary Poppins” Shearer. But he’ll stick to number 10 for his career at St James’ Park.
Owen, 25 and rich as Croesus, some fabulous Greek footballer, says: ”I signed for Newcastle because of the passion of the fans. Alan Shearer was a key figure in me making this decision.”
But just a week ago, Owen released a statement from Real Madrid saying: ”Ideally I’d like to stay at Real Madrid, failing that I’d like to move back to Liverpool. But I have to play first team football in World Cup year, so I’d be prepared to go to Newcastle on loan for a year.”
Now, with the ink drying on a £60 000-a-week four-year contract, chairperson Freddy Shepherd says: ”This is my proudest day at Newcastle since the signing of Alan Shearer.”
So what is it Shearer told Owen to convince him to make the big switch? Did he tell him about the demise of Kevin Keegan, Ruud Gullitt and Bobby Robson, not to mention the current troubles of coach Graeme Souness? Or about his 10 strike partners since his own £15-million move from Blackburn? Or about the troubles in the squad which have seen Craig Bellamy, Laurent Robert, Keiron Dyer and Lee Bowyer make headlines for all the wrong reasons?
No. Apparently: ”Alan said how his mind was in turmoil at the time he left Blackburn and suddenly a clear decision emerged. It was much the same for me. I spent about two hours talking with Rafa Benitez [the Liverpool coach who let him go for just £8-million a year ago] and it was a good meeting. Then I had a three-hour meeting with Newcastle.
”My head was spinning. Would Liverpool’s offer be in time and accepted? What would happen if I stayed at Madrid? Would I miss European football if I went to Newcastle? Then David Moyes called to ask if I would join Everton. He must have known my dad played for them, briefly. I got home and chatted to my wife Louise and my mum and dad. I had doubts about going back to Anfield — and I made my decision.
”It will be strange going back to Liverpool with another club but I won’t be the first to do that. Jamie Carragher told me he is already looking forward to giving me a good kick. All the Newcastle fans need to know is I will be giving everything for their cause now.”
Benitez has the benefit of a Champions League triumph to back his judgement, but Owen has the knack of scoring goals — particularly with Shearer. In 17 games together for England they scored 15, with Shearer scoring nine and Owen six.
And in the background to all this, Sven-Goran Eriksson, the England coach preparing for crucial World Cup qualifiers against Wales on Saturday and Northern Ireland next Wednesday, says: ”Anything that makes Michael happy makes me happy.”
Thanks, Sven. With Owen suspended for Saturday’s clash and memories of that awful 4-1 defeat against Denmark fresh in all our minds, he’ll need all the help he can get.
David ”Calamity” James, the Manchester City goalkeeper who did so much to aid the Danes in Copenhagen a fortnight ago, makes way for Tottenham’s Paul Robinson, and Chelsea full-back Glen Johnson has been axed too. More worrying for England, centre half John Terry is out injured while David Beckham and Steven Gerrard are both struggling for fitness.
Wales, fired up by the wiley old John Toshack, may well grab a point. Northern Ireland will suffer from the return of Owen.
And those four points should be enough to see England to Germany next year. With Owen black-and-white and ready.