Have A Little Faith In Owen

The first time I read that Michael Owen would be a Manchester United player, I was shocked (just like everyone else) but strangely, quite happy.

I love Owen even when he hated United so much and celebrated like a true Scouser when he scored against us - which was bloody irritating. However, those days Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira were busy trying to ‘kill’ each other so I hated Gooners more than Scousers.

I was more surprise with the negative responses from United supporters. They either hated Owen a lot or thought he is a useless pain-in-the-ass that some of them actually prayed really hard for Owen to fail his medicals.

It was after Owen passed his medicals and confirmed to be the new United striker, some people started to see the signing from a different angle.

I personally think it is a win-win situation. Owen is FREE. He would receive lower salary compared to what he used to get when he was at Newcastle. As for anything else, it would be paid on the pay-as-you-play basis. If United had to pay to bring Owen to Old Trafford, I wouldn’t agree with the signing because I know we are capable of getting better players.

Owen is a proven Premiership and England striker. He used to be a star player that he caught Real Madrid’s attention. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out well at Madrid. It got from bad to worse when he transferred to Newcastle especially with his constant injuries. His injuries, the fact that he left England for Spain, and most importantly he was the Scousers’ product, were among the worries voiced out by United supporters.

Be that as it may, Owen is an experienced player therefore, our youngsters (lucky boys) would benefit more. They already got Ole, Rio, Gary, Van Der Sar, Giggsy and Scholes as their mentors, now Owen would be near them to show his tips and tricks in football. It would be a worthwhile learning ‘adventure’.

On top of that, Owen was a Scouser legend. The idea of him scoring against his former team especially at Anfield is quite appealing. Oh, what the heck. I want him to score against the Scousers at home and away! It would be so damn great.

He ‘hurt’ the Scousers when he agreed to join United after having breakfast with Sir Alex Ferguson. Some of my Scouser friends , who used to worship Owen called him a donkey. They want him to get badly injured. They want him to help bring United down. They want him to die. They want him to go to hell. They claimed they could forgive him for playing at Madrid, Newcastle, or anywhere else, but not United.

Some people were saying Owen agreed to play for United because of money. I don’t think so. His salary is to be reduced from what he usually received at Newcastle, remember? It was just that when Sir Alex gave him the most unexpected offer of a lifetime, he could not say “No”. He straight away agreed.

I guess among a few things that were juggling through his mind were: ‘I am not young anymore. I am going to hang my boots sooner or later. No big clubs would take me because of my injuries and out-of-shape form. This is a huge opportunity for me. If I decline it, I am not going to be given the same offer again. I might regret my decision. People might hate me, but I love playing football and I want to win something. Who knows maybe I would be given the chance to represent my beloved country again? Who knows I might lift up at least a cup too? I am going to be the great Mickey Owen once more. I am going to score goals. I want to be a champion. So I have to say “Yes” to Sir Alex.’

Never in any reasonable man mind Michael Owen would join hands with United. The man himself was shocked. He never thought he would wear his fiercest rival’s shirt. He never thought at the dawn of his career, the man he used to hate would give him the torchlight so he would not get lost in the dark.

Loathe him or love him, Owen has become a United player. If you still cannot accept it, just believe in Sir Alex. The old gaffer would never do anything that would hurt United. He knows what he is doing. I don’t think Owen is a gamble (most people did). Just like other players, he is an investment – a risky ‘investment’. Sir Alex has the capability to change a nobody into a somebody, an amateur footballer into a world-class player, also an almost retired player into the most sought-after player.

What’s more, Owen would not mind sitting on the bench. He would not complain about not being listed in the starting XI. A somewhat perfect replacement for the egoist hypocrite, Tevez. Better still, he might get back to his top form and shine.

So, cheers to Sir Alex for making a bold ‘investment’ that caused chaos in the transfer market.

Cheers to Michael Owen’s great comeback.

Cheers to United. May we be champions again.

In Fergie we trust.
Have a little faith in Owen.

P.S. All the ridiculous claims on Owen being boycotted by United fans because no one wants to buy his shirts are absurd. He has not been assigned a number yet. Why on earth would anyone buy a player’s shirt numberless? Some people are downright dumb.