Category — Newcastle United
Owen is a confirmed Red Devil
Its confirmed, Owen will join Red Devil on a Pay-as-you-play deal. It was reported that Michael will take a pay cut from his £110,000 a week pay with Newcastle for a reported £50,000 per with but with massive performance-related bonuses which could take him close to his pay with the Magpies.
The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and England frontman completed a series of stringent medical tests and has signed a two-year deal with the Barclays Premier League champions.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the official club website: “Michael is a world class forward with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level and that has never been in question.
“Coming to Manchester United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish.”
Michael Owen said: “I had just begun to talk to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me on Wednesday afternoon, invited me to have breakfast with him the next morning during which he told me that he wanted to sign me. I agreed without a moment’s thought.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands.
“I am now looking forward to being a Manchester United player and I am fortunate that I already know so many of the players here. I missed pre-season last year and am pleased that I will be starting at Carrington from day one.
“I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me and I give him my assurance that I will repay him with my goals and performances”
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July 4, 2009 No Comments
Michael Owen going to Manchester United?
There is a report by the website, www.independent.ie, that Michael Owen might go to Manchester United on a free transfer. His signup with MU is with the condition that Owen can prove that he is truly fit.
Michael is without a club since his contract ended with relegated Newcastle end of June 2009.
I for one would like to see Owen be given a chance to be what he used to be, a striker that produces goals. It will be sad if he ended up with some lowly Premier League club. Eveyone believe Michael Owen thrived in the spotlight with clubs that are top flight.
You can read the full article in the website link above.
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July 3, 2009 No Comments
Will Alan Shearer take up Newcastle offer?
Newcastle United were still attempting to finalise a deal to secure Alan Shearer as their manager on Friday afternoon.
Owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias are keen to come up with a package which will persuade Shearer he will have the tools for the job.
However, until agreement is reached, supporters will have to remain patient in anticipation of what will be a crucial decision for the club’s future.
The club has already started to lay off staff – around 150 employees, many of them part-time, had earlier been informed their jobs were in jeopardy.
Shearer has already provided Ashley – whose Sports Direct International business on Thursday sold its directly-owned stake in JJB Sports for a small profit – with an outline of how he would want to approach the job.
He has explained how he would revamp a squad which proved ill-suited to the task of retaining Premier League status, despite a massive wage bill.
Any new manager would have to substantially reduce expenditure on salaries, which currently amounts to more than £70m.
Some big earners will inevitably leave as they look elsewhere for football at the highest level, although the prospect of cashing in on £10m striker Obafemi Martins if the club chose to do so would be hampered by a lingering groin problems which requires further surgery.
Others may have to stay if Newcastle cannot find buyers.
But if Shearer retains the job, the chances of controversial midfielder Joey Barton remaining on board are minimal.
The 26-year-old, a £5.8m signing from Manchester City, has been injured for much of his time at St James’ Park. He has also served a term in jail for common assault and affray, but it was his stand-up row with Shearer in the dressing room at Anfield after he was needlessly sent off in a 3-0 defeat by Liverpool on May 3 which proved the final straw.
Barton was banned from the training ground for the closing weeks of the season, and there is little appetite to see him return for pre-season training on July 1.
It is understood Shearer would look to offload him and his £60,000-plus-a-week wages as a matter of urgency.
Meanwhile, Newcastle full-back Jose Enrique admits he will have to consider any offers which come his way after enduring the longest year of his life.
The 23-year-old Spaniard, who has three years remaining on his contract, expects to resume his career in England in the Coca-Cola Championship following the Magpies’ relegation, but will look at his options.
He told Spanish Sports daily Marca: ”No-one likes to play in the Championship, but I’m only thinking about fulfilling my contract. The team has a great budget and I am sure that if they do things well from the beginning, we can create a team of the level of Aston Villa.
”I like the city and I am very happy in England, but that doesn’t rule out that I will study any offer that could arrive.Today, I see myself playing next season at Newcastle. At the moment, I’m focused on my holidays. It was a bad time for me and I need to relax. It’s been the longest year of my life.”
Whoever does eventually take over will have to drastically re-shape a weak, but expensive squad in an attempt to return to the top flight at the first attempt.
That is certain to mean high-profile departures, but Enrique is confident Shearer is the right man for the job.
He said: ”We have had four coaches this season, and there have been times when we haven’t even had a coach.
”Things have been bad since the first moment, but I hope everything will change for the best.
”I believe that with Alan Shearer on the bench, this change is possible.
”Since September, we could already see that it was going to be an uphill struggle for us.
”There were many big names in the dressing room, but something wasn’t working. There were many bad things from the beginning.
”We only won seven games the whole season and that, for a club like Newcastle, is very bad.
”If they leave Shearer in place, things will change for the better. He is a coach that can do something great for Newcastle, and they have to give him time.
”I think that if they let him work on a long-term project, he can do something very good for this team.”
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May 30, 2009 No Comments
Newcastle get a breather but still not safe from relegation
The Magpies moved out of the drop zone with a 3-1 win over local and relegation rivals Middlesbrough at St James’ Park.
After overseeing his first victory as a manager in what he had described as the biggest match of his career , Shearer ordered his players to enjoy the moment – but not for too long.
Goals from Steven Taylor, and substitutes Obafemi Martins and Peter Lovenkrands, handed the Magpies their first Barclays Premier League win anywhere since 7th February and their first at St James’ Park in 2009.
More importantly, it dragged them out of the bottom three at the expense of Hull City, and sends them into Saturday’s home match with Fulham knowing a repeat could preserve their top-flight status.
However, while delighted to have tasted victory for the first time as a manager at the sixth attempt, Shearer was refusing to take his eye off the bigger picture.
He said: “I have just said to them, ‘Enjoy this tonight, enjoy that winning feeling. You have worked your socks off to get it, now it’s in our hands’.
“I said to them before, ‘It’s been a good weekend, let’s go and make it a great one tonight with the right result’.
“It’s been a great weekend for us – but there are another two weekends to come.
“It’s the first game of three. We asked them to go out and get three points, they have done that.
“The players were magnificent under difficult circumstances. They have got now to go and do that again on Saturday, enjoy that winning feeling and hopefully, there’s another one there on Saturday.
“But it will be just as tough because Fulham are flying themselves.”
The Magpies had to come from behind to see off their derby rivals after conceding within three minutes of kick-off.
There was a touch of misfortune about Boro’s goal as Habib Beye bundled the ball into his own net after Steve Harper had blocked Tuncay Sanli’s shot at point-blank range.
Shearer’s luck was out once again three minutes later when Boro old boy Mark Viduka rattled the upright with keeper Brad Jones beaten, but he did not have to wait long for their equaliser.
Defender Taylor powered a header home from Danny Guthrie’s corner, and the home side looked ready to assume control.
However, Boro refused to let them have it all their own way and worryingly for Shearer, it was they who took control as the game reached the hour-mark, prompting him to withdraw Jonas Gutierrez and Michael Owen and send on Lovenkrands and Martins.
The Nigeria striker had been on the pitch for just 55 seconds when he fired the Magpies in front with 19 minutes remaining, and as Boro rallied once again, Lovenkrands completed the job four minutes from time.
Shearer said: “You make substitutions and hope for them to have an impact but I would be a liar if I said I planned it to be quite that quick.
“Obafemi Martins did everything asked of him, not just with the goal but his overall play. But every single one of the players was magnificent and they all deserve tremendous credit.
“I have just said, ‘Enjoy it, enjoy it lads because we have been in that bottom three for a long time. Enjoy being out of it and let’s make sure we are not back in there again’.
“It is a magnificent feeling and I really believe we will [stay up], but we have won one game.
“Let’s enjoy this, but we have to prepare for Saturday. This victory will give them the confidence which has been lacking and it will give the fans a real lift too.
“There is still a long way to go. I don’t want to sound negative, but it’s one win. We have got to get another two and make sure we are safe.”
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May 13, 2009 No Comments
Andy Carroll hopeful of Newcastle United staying in Premier League
Carroll’s equaliser at Stoke secured a first point for interim manager Alan Shearer, and the 20-year-old hopes it will prove a turning point.
He told the Newcastle Chronicle: “We all believe we can get out of trouble, but we needed a break and I think this could be it.
“There are only six games left in the league, and with us being down towards the bottom of the table, we need every point we can get.
“We are now two points behind Sunderland but we are all confident we can get out of trouble and we’ve got another massive game against Spurs coming up.”
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April 13, 2009 No Comments