Yes, you read that correctly - Leyton Orient beat Newcastle United 6-1 in a preseason friendly today.
Yes, Newcastle United are now in the Football League Championship and Leyton Orient reside in League One, but that score is shocking for any Newcastle fan with hopes of getting back into the EPL. Yes, it's a friendly, but that is ridiculous.
It only took Orient 4 minutes to open the scoring. And they sure didn't let up after that. It gets even worse for Newcastle - their only goal came from a Joey Barton penalty! They couldn't score a goal in open play, yet they conceded six to a lower league side.
Oh dear.
Their first match of the season is only two weeks away. And isn't Mike Ashley still their owner?
Showing posts with label Newcastle United. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newcastle United. Show all posts
July 25, 2009
June 26, 2009
Where will Michael Owen go (and does anyone care)?
Michael Owen's contract with Newcastle United ends next Wednesday. A free transfer of a former England international will be enticing for many clubs, and Hull City's manager Phil Brown has already voiced his interest:
There's no denying that Michael Owen used to be a fabulous player. His scoring record with Liverpool is fabulous and his 40 goals for England are the fourth most of any other English international. But does he still have it? Some would argue (myself included) that he would've kept Newcastle in the Premier League if he still was a quality striker. And he didn't even start very many games under Alan Shearer down the stretch when he was healthy, a worrying sign no doubt.
Michael Owen has two things going against him - his injury history and his high wage demands. Not many clubs seem to want to take that risk. His high wage demands could very well be detrimental to whatever club he joins. Newcastle was overpaying many, many players, but when they signed Owen, their financial situation was much more stable. In this economy especially, clubs like Stoke or Hull would surely have to go well beyond their means to satisfy Owen's wage requests (whether he deserves it or not is another matter), and if he doesn't produce or gets injured, will that lead to relegation?
Michael Owen is a very big risk, and not one that I would make as a club. But his name alone will get him signed, and he's still on the right side of the age of 30. Owen himself might have to lower his expectations for a club in order to be signed. But with his contract at Newcastle expiring in a matter of days, he will have suitors coming. We'll wait and see.
"Yes, if we could sit down around a table with Michael and his advisors and maybe draft a deal up that would be workable for both sides, who knows? It could be a good start to the transfer market for us."So far, according to this article on the Premier League's website, only Hull City and Stoke City have come out and said they would like to sign him. Galatasaray is also rumored to be interested.
There's no denying that Michael Owen used to be a fabulous player. His scoring record with Liverpool is fabulous and his 40 goals for England are the fourth most of any other English international. But does he still have it? Some would argue (myself included) that he would've kept Newcastle in the Premier League if he still was a quality striker. And he didn't even start very many games under Alan Shearer down the stretch when he was healthy, a worrying sign no doubt.
Michael Owen has two things going against him - his injury history and his high wage demands. Not many clubs seem to want to take that risk. His high wage demands could very well be detrimental to whatever club he joins. Newcastle was overpaying many, many players, but when they signed Owen, their financial situation was much more stable. In this economy especially, clubs like Stoke or Hull would surely have to go well beyond their means to satisfy Owen's wage requests (whether he deserves it or not is another matter), and if he doesn't produce or gets injured, will that lead to relegation?
Michael Owen is a very big risk, and not one that I would make as a club. But his name alone will get him signed, and he's still on the right side of the age of 30. Owen himself might have to lower his expectations for a club in order to be signed. But with his contract at Newcastle expiring in a matter of days, he will have suitors coming. We'll wait and see.
June 22, 2009
Kit Nightmare
When Newcastle United play in their away strip next year, they will officially look like bananas.
Major props to footballshirtculture.com, one of my favorite blogs to read this time of year.
EDIT: If there is a way that I can fix these photos that I post in my blog, then I'd really like to know how! I'm all ears.
Major props to footballshirtculture.com, one of my favorite blogs to read this time of year.
EDIT: If there is a way that I can fix these photos that I post in my blog, then I'd really like to know how! I'm all ears.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)