Manchester United's Michael Owen braced for hostile reception against Liverpool

[Guest baskek]

Michael Owen says a frosty reception when United travel to Liverpool next weekend will not stop him celebrating as normal...Owen wrote his name in Liverpool folklore during eight seasons with the Merseyside giants, the high point of which was the 2001 season in which they secured the FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup.

However, such success is likely to be forgotten on Sunday when the 29-year-old turns up wearing the colours of Liverpool's bitter enemies and hoping to inflict what could be a fatal wound to Liverpool's title challenge...

http://www.footballmercato.com/uknews.aspx

[St Darren]

He has no idea what awaits him!!

***** of the highest order, he deserves everything he gets. People say that fans are quick to forget things, well some players are the same as well. Sold us down the river in 2004 when he went to Madrid.

"needs to provide for his family" yeah, he's right on the breadline of his earnings and needs the extra cash.

"Forever in Fowlers' shadow"

no doubt the little **** will score against us on Sunday though!!

:angry2:

[gillo10]

Yet McManaman is thought of as a decent bloke?

"The bloke was superb for Liverpool year after year and will get booed. It makes no sense to me" direct quote from a die hard liverpool friend of mine

[Guest]

Reminds me a bit of the Paul Judas F***ing W***er Ince affair at West Ham

A true irons fan would never welcome him back at Upton Park, Not in a million years

If he does score (Might have a bet on that) i just hope he has the sense to remember where his roots are?

[St Darren]

McManaman isn't exactly thought of as a decent bloke, he was worse than Owen in a way cos he let his contract run out!! However, McManaman never ended up playing for Utd!!

[gillo10]

So Owen who refused to let his contract run out therefore getting money for the club is thought of less than McManaman who let his contract run out!? Mmm makes sense. Perhaps Rafa should not have let him go so easily? You can hardly blame Owen for signing for United, look at the options he had.. Hull! Maybe Rafa should have tried to sign him, free and surely a better option than Voronin or Ngog to replace or partner Torres. We all know if Liverpool had come in for him he would have jumped at the chance

[Guest Peppermint]

This story is yet another in the long line of waste of ink reports. I am sure Michael Owen did not expect anything else from the Anfield crowd - no United player has ever received anything other than a load of abuse hurled at them so Owen will be no different.

[St Darren]

Owen got a fair bit of abuse when he came as a Newcastle player! coming as a Utd player he's going to get a shed load of abuse!

Same as when Paul Ince went back to Utd as a Liverpool player.

Owen hardly refused to let his contract run out, he said that he wasn't going to sign another contract at the end of the 04/05 season cos he wanted to have a go in Spain and challenge for European Honours!! unlucky Michael! If Owen had five years left on his contract, we'd have got 20 or 25 million for him from Madrid, but he didn't want to sign a new one!!

[GuvDRed]

I really don't think its makes an ounce of difference,Every United player expects sh**e at Anfield.

But the facts are the fans will cane him for 90mins,And IF he scores and then celebrates the Liverpool fans will all say Thats out of order!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember Ince scoring against United in a Liverpool shirt,And he went berserk kicking the ads boards an all.You'd have thought they'd just taken 'UNITEDS TITLE' of them.I think it was just an equaliser.Bless him :lol:

[St Darren]

He's entitled to celebrate, no doubt about that. But if he does score lets hope he has more sense than Adebayor!

[Mangle]

What did Adebayor do wrong? He scored a goal, and celebrated in front of crazed fans. He did not swear, throw any objects, make any obscene gestures. As for the "fans"......

I support Arsenal by the way.

[St Darren]

i THINK there's some sort of incitement there! believe me, if Owen done the same at Anfield, I am pretty sure that he wouldn't be taking kick off a few seconds later!!! but I see Owen being slightly more subtle than that, nothing wrong with celebrating in front of your own fans though no matter how you see fit

[kempy]

i THINK there's some sort of incitement there! believe me, if Owen done the same at Anfield, I am pretty sure that he wouldn't be taking kick off a few seconds later!!! but I see Owen being slightly more subtle than that, nothing wrong with celebrating in front of your own fans though no matter how you see fit

I agree as (if he does play any part) and scores he (i hope) will conduct himself as a true gent!! :c:

[cornishatheart]

Will the jeers be matched with Beachballs??? + = :P

[Mangle]

i THINK there's some sort of incitement there! believe me, if Owen done the same at Anfield, I am pretty sure that he wouldn't be taking kick off a few seconds later!!! but I see Owen being slightly more subtle than that, nothing wrong with celebrating in front of your own fans though no matter how you see fit

No incitement there. My point is with regards to the fact that we "all" think it is acceptable for the "fans" to shout, swear and generally verbally abuse in a threatening manner a former player (for example), but he is only considered a gentleman if after scoring a goal against his former club, he does not celebrate.

If the "fans" were all gentlemen, then surely a huge round of applause would greet such a great player who once was a hero for them? In my opinion, if that happened, the player, upon scoring a goal, would think twice about making a huge fuss about the celebration.

Otherwise, like in the Adebayor case, as he was on the receiving end of a verbal battering by the fans, I for one thought he was fully justified in making a huge song and dance about his goal celebration. All the fuss about it was crazy.

If you (as fans) can't handle it, don't give it out.

Isn't it sad when you say "he wouldn't be taking kick-off a few seconds later". How pathetic is that notion.

By the way, I would have been shouting and swearing at him too if I was there, but in my mind he has every right to celebrate his goal in the way he wants!

I hope United score against Liverpool, and I hope Owen scores, and my guess is whatever happens, Owen will prove himself to be more of a gentleman than the fans.

[St Darren]

There's ways to celebrate, if you don't appreciate that then I don't know what to say.

What Adebayor did was wrong, yes, the fans incited him and everything like that with all the verbal and that, but he's in the middle of a football pitch with a global market, he should have conducted himself better. Even he knew he was wrong.

With regards to the Owen statement. If he went running towards the Kop and done that, I could assure you that a few stewards wouldn't stop someone from getting on to the pitch to confront him, thats just the way some Scousers are.

[bluestorm]

Maybe after last nights second half performance, the liverpool fans should vent ther anger and abuse at there own players and not former players who have been there and done it for the club.