Why Michael Owen is in danger of ruining his prized image

By Simon Bird

Published 12:06 24/08/09

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Michael Owen released a brochure promoting his talents in the summer. Athlete, Ambassador, Icon was the headline.

“Clean and fresh, young, articulate, cool, stylish....”

Owen’s “brand values“ were spelled out for football club’s around Europe.

Reconsile those grand claims with the words spat out by Owen at reporters following his first goal for Manchester United at the weekend. “You’ve caned me then you want an interview?“ he said without stopping.

How about we reconsider those brand values in light of the evidence demonstrated not just at the weekend, but by his conduct over the last few years when at Newcastle.

A more appropriate assessment would be: Ageing, battle scarred, chippy, inarticulate, lacking in class and loving to pass the blame for his own short-comings and misfortune with injuries.

Michael Owen is in danger of letting his gripes and frustration of a career that went down hill when he left Liverpool in 2004 ruin his prized image, and leaving him looking bitter and twisted.

When Sir Alex Ferguson signed him on a free in the summer is was a lifeline for a career that was stumbling towards its end.

Instead of clearing his mind of the nightmare at Newcastle, and his exile with England, and showing the Premier League he really is capable of being a goalscoring great again, Owen has laced his interviews with barbed backward-looking comments.

His promotional brochure kicked off the negativity. He had a dig at his Newcastle United team-mates by complaining that the club “lacked a creative midfielder to play balls into the channels,” therefore his burst of speed was not used.

He complained he had “not benefited from chances“ his rival striker had.

And under the headline “Tabloid Stories- and the truth“ he insisted his media coverage was “unfair“ and he wanted to make writers “eat their words”.

There were denials that he was injury prone, despite major long term lay offs at St James’ Park. And denials that he had lost his touch. But remember this was a striker who was dropped by best mate Alan Shearer for Newcastle’s relegation run in, such was his lack of form.

It is possible to have sympathy with some of his complaints. In the brochure he hammered the medical set up at Newcastle, and revealed that he once got a bad calf injury because he was forced to do a “bleep test“ for fitness on his first day back in after suffering mumps.

Denials and moans, and an unsaid assumption that he, Michael Owen, was beyond being questioned about his form and failings.

Such complaints certainly didn’t add up to a “fresh, cool“ image. And neither has his whinging at United.

“It was as though I hadn’t scored for a couple of years,” he chuntered to MUTV, claiming the coverage of his missed chances against Birmingham and Burnley had been over-blown.

Owen had it easy at Newcastle. Even as the club skipper and figurehead he simply didn’t give interviews. We saw him for a lengthy chat only once in four years, and hardly ever after games when the captain is always expected to speak.

He kept himself out of the spotlight, was injured for long periods, and did not get the scrutiny he will receive at the world’s biggest club.

Wayne Rooney has had his game, his personality and his life scrutinised at Old Trafford. So have the rest of Ferguson’s men.  They have learned not projected themselves as frustrated grumps.

Owen needs to lose the chippy edge, and get on with what he does best. Once he is up to speed and fitted into Ferguson’s system, whether that is off the bench or starting, he will start to live up to his goal ratio.

That ratio is 0.56 goals per game. It says so in the brochure. Although it dipped to 0.42 for the last couple of seasons.

Owen would do well to take a fresh look at his brand values. The final boast was that he is: “A true ambassador for football.”

He has, indeed, become a scandal free, global star admired by millions of fans, with a phenomenal talent for scoring goals.

It is about time Owen showed himself as a “true ambassador.”.

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