Tag: Stoke City

Talk around the pub is…

42-17021668John Terry a.k.a JT and Mr.Chelsea is staying at the Bridge. This could mean he’ll be on his way to Manchester City in a week or so!!! Stranger things have happened but it does look like the Chelsea faithful got luckier than a lottery winner this summer. Their boy has vowed to fight on for the Blues. Could be one of their best signings this summer! What do you guys think?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has sealed his switch from Inter Milan to Barcelona. Eto’o is supposedly going from Barcelona to Inter Milan. I think we’ll go larger on these two stories once we see the lads in their new pin stripes! Who would you prefer on your team…Zlatan or Eto’o?

Peter Crouch is on the verge of moving from Portsmouth to Tottenham. I guess he misses his old boss Harry Redknapp. What is it about ‘Arry the lads love so much? I’d play for ‘Arry. But will he partner Keane or Defoe or will he come off he bench?

Looks like Arsenal might lose yet another player. Kolo Toure is close to joining Manchester City. Adebayor desperately wants his dancing pal to join the City revolution. Will Toure leave Arsenal for the megabucks of the North? Should Arsenal be worried about losing another player? Can Nicklas Bendtner, Carlos Vela, Eduardo, Djourou, Kieran Gibbs & Co step in to save Wenger if he doesn’t splash the cash a little this summer?

Darren Bent, the 17 million pound Spurs flop could be bound for the North of England and a place in the Sunderland starting line-up. Crouch leaving…Bent arriving…makes sense to me, how about you?

Stuart Downing joined Aston Villa from Middlesborough even though he’s injured and won’t be able to kick a ball until October! Never saw the fuss about this player and don’t rate him as an international at all. Lots to prove as far as I’m concerned. Do you guys rate Downing?

Honorable mentions…Zat Knight joins Bolton from Aston Villa. Sam Ricketts joins Bolton from Hull City. Dean Whitehead leaves Sunderland for Stoke City.

I see Michael Owen…

Michael_Owen_280x39_840301aDo you remember how shocking it was when you realized Bruce Willis’ character  in the Sixth Sense was actually one of those dead people the kid kept saying he was seeing? Well shoot the shrink people! We’re not even halfway through the summer transfer season and we already have a shock-of-a-transfer story that could rival the shocking twist of the Sixth Sense.

Michael Owen has been signed by Manchester United. Let me just writepeat that…Michael Owen has been signed by Manchester United. Who wasn’t shocked beyond belief when they heard the news? I was shell-shocked. Anyone who says they saw this coming is a complete and utter liar.

For the last 2 seasons Owen has been hovering around St.James’ Park like a ghost. He was deflated. There was no life left in him. He had become like a dull, dark cloud. Very much like Bruce Willis’ character in the Sixth Sense. And now Newcastle were relegated, who was interested in buying this one time phenom?

Hull City, Stoke City and some other mediocre City named sides were apparently interested! But were these the only teams impressed by Michael Owen’s famous past? Not quite. Just as Owen’s reps were preparing another mail out of that now infamous 34 page soccer sales brochure, he received a surprise phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson inviting him out for a spot of lunch. By the time they were done with their pudding, Owen was offered a contract at Manchester United. It was easy for the ex-Liverpool hero to accept. Perhaps there’s even a part of him that wants to prove Liverpool made a mistake letting him go to Real Madrid all those years ago.

Sir Alex Ferguson likes to gamble and the media is painting this as a huge one. But we all know most transfers are huge gambles. This one could end up being a great gamble. This transfer could be the shrewdest bit of business this summer. For one, Owen will be playing with world class players again. No disrespect to Newcastle, but Manchester United is a different breed of football club. There are players that can inspire Owen to be better and at United, he will be a star name among other superstar names.

You could compare Michael Owen’s forthcoming adventure to that of David Beckham’s recent experience. Beckham was playing for the LA Galaxy and then he found himself going to AC Milan on loan and all of a sudden he’s in the form of his life playing in Serie A, the UEFA Cup and also playing a part in England’s World Cup campaign. With the medical facilities at United and the talent that will surround Owen, he could find himself achieving the same. And how satisfying would it be for him to pull that England shirt on again and prove his doubters wrong? 

Sometimes people grab their second chance and they savor it like a fine wine. Others throw it away like an empty beer can. Michael Owen was dead at Newcastle. You could see it. You could feel it. He will not let this chance pass him by. He is a very ambitious man who wants to show the world he still has it. Do you guys think he will find his world class form again? Can he stay injury free? Has Sir Alex Ferguson taken too much of a gamble and will he be saying “I see Michael Owen” for the rest of his life…?