CHRIS SUTTON'S PREDICTION. Anfield, 16:30 GMT The historic rivalry between these two clubs is intense but, on the pitch, the contest is not even close at the moment. Manchester United boss Amorim is talking about being in a relegation battle and you can see why. His side were torn apart in the first 30 minutes by Newcastle at Old Trafford on Monday, and why would anything be different at Anfield? Whoever Liverpool pick, they have got goals in their team and United have no chance of keeping them out. The scoreline won't hit double figures but anything else is possible, and that is me being nice to United. Liverpool should demolish them, and they will demolish them - it is just a question of how many goals they get. United will play for pride, play for the badge and for the jersey, and all of that, but it won't make any difference. Liverpool are in a different stratosphere at the moment and I feel sorry for Amorim because this is going to be another painful afternoon for him. Sutton's prediction: 5-0
Owen talking to Dublin - Dublin asking him about playing for lfc and United. Asks do you see yourself as an lfc legend..? owen: me? Yeah.. Is the guy ok? He needs to go ask any lfc fan, not one of them sees him as a legend as he left for pennies then went and played for United ffs
Owen- left for Madrid: He forced Liverpool's hand to sell him cheap. I understand Rafa perhaps didn't make him feel "wanted", Rafa wasn't very touchy feely... I didn't like it, but I understand he was looking out for himself and his career... sucks but forgivable. Owen went to Newcastle instead of coming back to us: His take "Newcastle bid more for me than Liverpool. My take- Owen could have refused to go to Newcastle forcing Madrid to sell him back to us instead. This irked me too, by itself not bad, but his slights are adding up now. Owen went to United: This is especially greasy of him... but if he had no over black marks against him, I could also forgive him going to one last "big club" before his career was over... until he kissed the badge. Any one of those things though by itself, I could have forgiven him for... the three stacked up together... he saw Liverpool as a vessel, he showed no respect for the club, so I have no respect for him.
Owen is the just the guy between mcmanaman and trent now. Just one of a line of traitors. I know of stories where mcmanaman has been snubbed by lfc fans at events whereas someone like fowler who was sold off is a legend and always will be. Owne wouldn't dare turn up at a lfc event. If being sung at "once a manc never a red" didn't give him a clue maybe go look for his mural around the ground. Oh wait, yeah you won't find one. Ffs even garry mcallister is a bigger legend
Er, right. Why is Rush a legend then and Owen not? Rush pushed for a transfer to Napoli in the summer of '84 and went into a mega sulk when he didn't get it. True, he didn't ask to be transferred to Juve 2 years later (deferred for a year), but the only reason he came straight back to us and Owen didn't is that we were prepared to pay the price to buy him back. Owen begged to come back in the summer of 2005, but, understandably, Rafa didn't want to spend twice as much on a player we had sold the summer before, though Newcastle were. You ask why Owen went - well, Real made it clear they had no plans for him, and he negotiated a release clause with Newcastle to be sold the following year to Liverpool (not something that Liverpool were that keen on, as that still priced him at over £12m. In any event, he twatted his knee in during the 2006 WC and was never the same player again. As for going to United, again he claims to have offered himself to Liverpool just like that faux hero Fowler, but Liverpool again said no. Look, I know he'll never be in the same bracket as Gerrard, Carra, and the likes of Tommy Smith, Chris Lawler, and Terry McDermott, but I don't understand how Fowler, Rushie, and McManaman tend to get a free pass while Owen is held up as some Benedict Arnold. He loves the club, despite being a boyhood Blue, every bit as much as those 3 other boyhood ****es. He deserves a break IMO.
I agree with everything but it’s hard to be a legend when you goto Utd Not just any Utd The successful Utd just think if Gerrard had gone to Utd - not Chelsea at the point he was leaving do you think he would have been regarded as a legend - I don’t think he would have Ferguson made no secret of wanting Gerrard but it couldn’t happen Fergie and Dalglish had massive respect for each other but neither would ever have dreamt of managing either teams Look Legends aren’t just great players Biscan was a legend Smicer Hughes Kuyt Barnes the list is massive because of our history Yeah he doesn’t need to be booed imho because he is an ex player but purely just that an ex player not arsed about Madrid - but can’t forgive the Utd thing from a legend perspective he had a choice and I don’t dislike him because he went there but when he signed for Utd and became part of their folklore with his goal against City he cannot be a part of both - he went to Utd last so he is theirs in my eyes ftr Macca is not a legend for me cause he went on a free so didn’t give everything for the club imho (controversial I know) Rush etc I wasn’t really of an age I could understand and haven’t really read into it the other for me was Torres but for me we as a club treated Torres poorly imho Never forget him passing at Anfield when he could have put the nail in our coffin in the game when Gerrard slipped and he didn’t - that was as classy as it gets and showed me all I needed to know
McManaman was different imo; he was one of the first big players to move for free, there was no precedent for this type of move. On top of that, he had bloody good success at Madrid too. Rush, went and tried something different, it wasn't what he expected and wanted to return home. Can't blame a player for wanting to try something different, especially after winning everything there is to win here. Not everyone wants to be a one club man. Owen said he wanted to stay leading up to that summer. He then didn't give Rafa a chance, and then joined Man Utd too. Plus, he clearly preferred England to Liverpool as well. Trent is like Macca in that's is free and to Real Madrid but I think he's closer to the Rush situation. This is why I have no issue if he chooses to move; good luck to him.
As I said above. It wasn't just one thing with Owen it was THREE. I wasn't calling him a traitor after Real. I remember defending him on the forums. And I still stand by that. I would have forgiven him one strike... But it was repeated slights at Liverpool that earned him traitor badge where Rush was not. And regarding Newcastle... Owen could have said "I don't want to go there" and forced Real to negotiate with us. I seem to recall Real were willing to sell to us before Newcastle offered more. A club can't force a player to accept a transfer somewhere he doesn't want to go. Owen chose Newcastle over us.
JONES KNOWS BEST HAS GONE FOR MANCHESTER UNITED WIN, Liverpool are likely to overwhelm Manchester United at some point in the match but every team has it's price. And at 8/1 with Sky Bet, with Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte back to bolster up the middle of the pitch, United are just too big to pass up, especially in a season where we've become accustomed to expecting the unexpected. Club news, transfers and gossip: Liverpool | Man Utd.........**** Yes, United have taken just seven points from eight Premier League games under Ruben Amorim - since he was appointed only Leicester (4) and Southampton (2) have taken less. Salah wants 'special' Premier League win in 'last year' at Liverpool But you only need to go back a couple of games to see encouraging underlying metrics - they did win the expected goals battle for five games in a row, including winning the actual game at Manchester City. This away trip is obviously a huge step-up on that but this United squad is packed full of big-game players that have won multiple trophies in their time. At the prices, they are worth a nibble to deliver. SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2
Fowler was a coke head but he was forced out of the team by owen/heskey and the club sold him. That's why he is remembered well. Fans are fickle. Leave on the clubs terms and you didn't do us dirty. Rush tbh like sourness had won things and funded more gravy for us with his fee. Success and continued success probably helped but I can't recall tbh. He came scurrying back with his tail between his legs for less than he went for as well. But look at the time mcmanaman left. He left the club high and dry struggling to compete with man itd money. He could have paid for the centenary stand for example. So yeah he will always be seen as a traitor by some. He left the club in a worst state. Own is exactly the same. He was absolutley worshipped. They announced that kids contract over the annoy at anfield to absolute rapures and then 4 years later he tried to string the club along while talking to real Madrid illegally. He also left the club in a worse state as a result which really boiled people's piss. What happened next was a lot of luck for lfc and defending well and a bizarre final. Gerrard tried to go to Chelsea, got death threats and pelters but backed off and stayed but tbh I lost 99% respect for stevie me then and could see the dollars in his eyes. Him going to Saudi was never shocking to me. Him hanging about with coke dealers and having one going out with a daughter was no shock either as he hired scum like that as protection too. I was laughing at torres turning up like nothing happened at the legends game last year. 50million fee and left us in almost relegation battle ala man utd today. One rule for a foreign here I suppose. I always say this. There always another player. They all get old and they all leave. What the club is expected to be is professional and competent about this as the lesson was first learned with mcmanaman but clearly the last years of klopp removed any and all competence as well as future looking. That's on fsg and on klopp. But again Hughes is in since March. If players needed convincing for 3/4 months that's up to start of November so no progress at all with any of them tells me that either the club don't want them or can't afford them. Or worse the people in charge are insane and incompetent
Pro football involves a contract between player and club, and neither side owes the other anything beyond that. I expect 100% commitment from a player whilst under contract, but if he feels some emotional connection to the club and decides to show extra loyalty then that's great - if he doesn't then that's ok. I respect and admire the talent of footballers, musicians, artists, actors and any other fields where people demonstrate exceptional ability or commitment, but I don't do hero-worship. There are no "legends" in my mind - just great players I have seen. Similarly, I'm not inclined to label someone a villain just because they didn’t do what I expected of them. I don't put people on a pedestal, and I try at least not to condemn people unless their behaviour is particularly egregious. Michael Owen's biggest crime for me is just being excruciatingly dull - the rest I don't really care about that much. I don't wish him any harm, I'd just wish he'd stop talking on the telly - and he's one of a large company of people that I feel the same about on that score.
Yeah I used to feel all these emotions as a kid/teenager but not now. Naturally will be more fond of others but I can’t see the point in wasting energy on the past. Trent is probably looking at the Salah and vvd situation right now and thinking where does this legendary status get you really? The club have no sentimentality, and funnily enough it’s those same fans who say it shouldn’t either. It’s every man for himself at the end of the day
This is the non local v local.fan argument. It didn't matter what success mcmanaman had personally. He did it to the club so anything he got after didnt matter or actually made it worse. We could say what about mane? He came out before a cl final and said exciting news for his fans then played a stinker in the final. Then signs for bayern. What an absolute stinking prick and his disintegrated career was brill. So if a player leaves on a free who is a local boy done good then winning things in Spain while lfc struggle and man utd win everything? No he was a traitors and that's why he is given the cold shoulder constantly and is always accused of being an Everton fan anyway. (Never one of us is easier to think that he betrayed us etc) Owne is exactly the same. How the club granted him an ambassador role in don't know.
There is an element however of looking after former players of bygone days and it is not just a business and employee. It is a star name and a fanbase which is a different relationship. We are talking about fans attitudes towards players. As I said lfc took it upon themselves to give Owen an ambassador role along with mcmanaman when some fans wouldn't spit on them if they were on fire. Clubs are businesses with employees with aims to make money/win trophies and make someone a lot of money via increased value or side deals etc. Fans love football and want what they want so if you are in a bad situation and level in the ****ter by your former favourite player? Of course thry go nuts.
