Michael Owen: Different shades of Red

posted on 02/09/09

Myself and a friend were once talking about Portsmouth’s players at the start of one season. The likes of Kanu and Lauren among their recent signings. We laughed at how they had so many players who ‘reeked’ of Arsenal. The kind of players who would always be thought of as Arsenal players regardless of what they do later in their career just because of the time and/or impact that they had at the one club.

Manchester United don’t really ‘do’ players who ‘reek’ of another club. They are usually signed when they are young enough to not be considered as having one club as part of their make-up. Of course, United have a lot of players who reek of United both at Old Trafford: Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Brown and elsewhere: Beckham, van Nistlerooy, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt will always have a strong whiff of United about them.

This summer things were different than usual. United signed a player who reeked of another club, and not just any club, but a club just up the road by the name of Liverpool when a certain Michael James Owen pitched up at United. The former darling of The Kop. ‘Their’ Mikey. Who helped win them the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and scored goals in F.A Cup ties at Old Trafford and even against United in a League Cup final at Cardiff in 2001 was now a United player. I remember looking at the shots of him wearing a United shirt and holding aloft a United scarf on the day he was signed. I looked at them. Looked at the badge, then looked at Owen’s smiling face. It was weird to say the least. He had come to United via Madrid and Newcastle but still the scent of Anfield remained.

I must confess that I wasn’t unhappy with the Owen signing at all. I did hope that it wasn’t simply a signing made to save money and that he was signed because Fergie believed that Owen could still be a dangerous player when up-front for a top club and although many may have discredited Owen at certain times. I must admit that he was a player that I envied Liverpool for when he was at his peak: Blistering pace and a very good finisher. He terrified defenders. Even though we’ve always had great players here that have been the envy of others you always like to see the best at your club. Liverpool now have Fernando Torres as their main forward. How many Reds wish that he’d come to United a few years ago regardless of how much we may dislike him now for being a major part of the club that want so badly to usurp us at the pinnacle of the English game? By the same token, how many Liverpool fans deep down wish that the likes of Ronaldo and Rooney had been wearing the red of Liverpool instead of the red of United?

It’s fair to say that Michael Owen will never be the Michael Owen that carved through the Argentina defence at the 1998 World Cup, Germany in the Olympic Stadium in Munich or Arsenal at the 2001 FA Cup. The pace and youthful exubberance has been greatly diminished by both time and injury but he can still contribute if things work out. Many United fans have accepted him. But there are still some that can’t and won’t and their stubbornness regarding Owen wearing the number seven at Old Trafford would remain even if he scores 60 goals over the next two seasons. They just can’t get over the fact that this is Michael Owen – former Liverpool player and to them he will always reek of Anfield. Like a spy is in their midst and he is viewed with suspicion and mistrust.

To give you an idea of that type of mentality that won’t accept Owen at the club I remember being in the away end at Exeter for the FA Cup Third Round replay in January 2005 early. ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon was being played in the ground and a middle-aged United fan behind me quite seriously said words to the effect of “Get that Scouse b*****d off!”. I wouldn’t be surprised if that fan loathes the idea of Owen being at United too. Because they are out there. Of course there are others who you see walking around wearing United shirts with ‘Owen 7’ on the back. To be honest I’m not for that either. That may be because I don’t go for having a name on the back of a United shirt (especially not another man’s name) but if you truly support United why not go for Giggs, Rooney, Scholes, Ferdinand, Fletcher, Evra or Vidic or somebody else who has made a significant contribution to United to warrant being worn on your back. But that isn’t anything against Michael Owen. The same goes for Valencia and other recent signings who have yet to make a significant imprint on Old Trafford.

I always liked Michael Owen as a player during his prime. Thought he was a decent enough guy too. Even sympathised with his injury problems at Newcastle. He’ll probably never have United in his heart and it‘ll be more or less just a job to him. Maybe that’s what aggravates a certain section of reds. But more likely it’s his past and what he used to represent and of course it’s not ideal: But he can’t do anything about that now. Neither can we. All we can hope is that the now not so young Michael pops up to score the goal next May that wins us our nineteenth and record-setting title before running towards the Stretford End fans and celebrating wildly. Perhaps then and only then will our new number seven start reeking of something else to United fans: definitive bragging rights.

Author: Spoonman Red