Owen talks rubbish

I know this is an Arsenal website but I have to get this off my chest. England have been knocked out of the World Cup, and the media's response is starting to get annoying.

The media are blaming everyone but the players themselves. The Swedish manager who was tactically inept, the Argentinian referee who was merely applying the letter of the law, the card-waving Cristiano Ronaldo, the list goes on.

And now one Michael Owen has come out with the biggest load of bollocks I have ever read.

Player for player, I'm convinced we were the best team in the tournament, yet we're out in the quarter-finals again.

The best in the World Cup? Better than Brazil's strike force? Better than Italy or France's defence? Or even Switzerland for that matter? Better than Spain or Argentina's midfield? You're having a right laugh, aren't you Mickey?

It doesn't stop there.

We've won a World Cup, so we are not serial losers. But we've got to know how to win more.

So you're not serial losers but you have got to learn to win more? You should get a new press officer. You are serial losers, because if you weren't England would be adding to the ONE World Cup they won FORTY years ago.

Even Argentina, Italy and Holland are serial losers, so why not England? Are you better than the above nations in a major tournament? I wouldn't be surprised if you thought you were.

In my eyes there are far too many players - myself included - who don't play as well for England as they do at club level.

Could that be because you're up against such inferior opposition in the Premiership, and referees allow players to get away with so much more?

Which brings me to how the English media are blaming everyone else but the England team themselves.

Someone remarked to me before the atart of the World Cup that England would go out in the quarter-final stage to a dodgy refereeing decision. That person got the quarter-final bit right.

The referee's decision was anything but dodgy. It was the CORRECT decision.

It wasn't Ronaldo's fault that Rooney got sent off - Boy Wonder has himself to thank for that. If he had learnt to control his temper better, then there would be no need for the stamp on the Portugese player.

He was frustrated playing alone up front? Was he the only player in the tournament leading his nations' forward line on his own?

Pauleta for Portugal and Thierry Henry for France do it as well - neither of them have been sent off in this year's World Cup.

No Rooney, you have yourself to blame. Granted, I don't like card-waving antics, and Ronaldo is not a player I like, but if you hadn't been sent off, you would have been subject to trial by video anyway.

And let's get other thing straight as well. England with ten men were better than they were with eleven men. England didn't lose because they were outnumbered. They lost in a penalty shoot-out.

If anything, Portugal were punished during the shoot-out because they had to withdraw one player to make the numbers even.

User Comments

$m0k3y

Posted on 11 Jul, 2006 at 05:00 AM - Reply

I totally agree :)

H Chapman

Posted on 10 Jul, 2006 at 08:32 AM - Reply

Spot on in your analysis.
Why can't more people see it that way? Apart from 6 or 7 players of international class (Cole x 2, Lampard - in his Chelsea-form, Rooney, Gerrard & Terry), the English squad a pretty average side that should be quite happy with reaching the quarterfinals in big tournaments. Face it - they're just not better than that. And I'm fed up with everyone blaming Sven. It's the lazy man's way to blame the manager when players fail to perform and take responsibility on the pitch . What the f*** is he supposed to do with such a crappy material?

The players left out are not good enough to be in the squad.

France for life

Posted on 10 Jul, 2006 at 01:02 AM - Reply

Is there anything good about Michael Owen?

Dammy

Posted on 9 Jul, 2006 at 08:06 PM - Reply

Great article... I am a lil bit biased .. but I have always not liked Ronaldo because he plays for Man Utd... But he is an awesome player..England are to blame for their lack luster performance...It went down to PKs ... they only scored 1...and we blame the Ref.. Even if Rooney played to the final whistle...England will still have lost that game..the formation was not working for them. And I hate divers...and it looks like every player dives now...so i guess we all have to get used to it.

ashburrn

Posted on 9 Jul, 2006 at 10:42 AM - Reply

For those of you who are saying that the red card was a result of the push:

World football's governing body found the 20-year-old striker guilty of violent conduct as a result of his stamp on defender Ricardo Carvalho.

raj

Posted on 9 Jul, 2006 at 09:05 AM - Reply

Here here, Can I vote for president here?

Greekone

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 11:44 PM - Reply

Excellent comments

G Chia

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 11:40 PM - Reply

They have no one but themselves to blame. Nice article.

ken_75

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 11:38 PM - Reply

I can agree with certain points in this article but dont fully agree with others. I agree that England players have themselves to blame, they underperformed horribly this time. However the manner in which they went out of the tournament makes you think twice about dodgy decisions yes. Of all people, an Argentinian referee? Sending Rooney off for a push which was deemed as violent conduct. He WAS sent off for that and NOT for the stamp (which WAS accidental). Referee didnt make a move for the stamp, probably didnt even see it. He sent Rooney off after cheating Ronaldo intervened and Rooney pushed him. Now if that aint dodgy I dont know what is.

dialsquare

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 10:34 PM - Reply

For once a FANTASTIC & honest article on the website! I wouldnt bet on seeing anything like it in the Sunday Papers. It's these over paid hacks that are the bane of Arsenal through the seasons and England in every tournament they play. The rot for 2006 started with the News of the Screws.

Ghunter

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 10:18 PM - Reply

Outstanding atricle! Sven Goran Erikson is just as rubbish as the French national manager. If France are in the final it's more down to the players themselves rising to the occasion and performing to the best of their abilities, which is something the English players so cowardly failed to do. And I heard some blaming it to the influx of foreign players ... give us a break, please. If all the English yougsters were as talented as you want us to believe, why is it that not a single big team in Europe tries to sign them just like AW, Mourinho and Fergie for example went abroad ad signed very talented and promising young players like Fabregas, Ronaldo, Obi Mikel and many others?

Jason Trifourkis

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 07:21 PM - Reply

Great article! I dont see why anyone would think this article is anti-english! Its a frank view of why England went out! A very refreshing view after you see what the press write! Great article! Keep it up!

kamikaze

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 06:38 PM - Reply

absolutely spot on. its always someone elses fault isnt it?

ZABRADKOV

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 05:48 PM - Reply

As long as players like Rooney, Crouch and Rio will play for England-no way to get even in semi final!

DaFish

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 04:55 PM - Reply

I have to agree, not many people realize how destructive the English game is for the national team. While most continental teams, even the smaller countries, and even the often critized Italy, concentrate on developing their players technically and tactically, England instead perfers players that is able to push people around. Once in a blue moon you might get a joe cole and a wayne rooney that can stand up to the same sort of play, but that is not going to happen often enough for England to have a wide selection of technical players.

Can I go so far as to say that players who are considered defensive midfielders for some countries are probably better than most of the attacking midfielders or wingers in england, both in technique and tactically?

gunner89

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 04:18 PM - Reply

Mate sorry but you are talking a load of rubbish as well... We had the team to beat anyone, but Sven played the best possible not the best possible team, I would have played Hargreaves or Carrick instead of Lampard... I hope Steve Mclaren will sort something out with the team... Anyway we're out now so its all done with, we've got the potential to be a great attacking team in the future look forward to that and look ahead not backwards!

stroller

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 04:12 PM - Reply

Owen was right to say that tactics were at fault for England's defeat against Portugal. Rooney should not have been alone - he should have had a partner. The choice for the first x minutes should have been Walcott (with Crouch & J.Cole as potential subs), but with Downing, Gerrard, Hargreaves and Lennon across in respective midfield positions, putting Beckham at right back until it became obvious to sub him. With 3 subs and tired legs you need to surprise and be able to bring on as required

edga

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 03:17 PM - Reply

Thank you. For the first time an englishman tells the truth about why they are out.

amin

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 02:18 PM - Reply

I don't think Owen is talking bollocks.

He said player for player, or on paper, we are one of the best side, if not the best.

Cole, Neville, Ferdinand and Terry are (on paper) the best defence in the world.

In Hargreaves, Cole, Lampard, and Gerrard, we have (on paper) a rather inbalance, still yet one of the strongest.

If have played that midfield, with Rooney behind Crouch, we could beat anybody IMO.

The Referee

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 02:09 PM - Reply

In the refree's report. Rooney was not sent off for the stamp. It was deemed accidental. He was sent off for shoving Ronaldo aside.

GoonerKIt

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 01:47 PM - Reply

This article is complete rubbish. How can you post such an anti-English article on an English clubs website? As a 'supposed' Arsenal fan, you should have the decency to recognise the fact that the majority of Arsenal fans are English. There are a number of reasons why England went out - twinkle toes and the ref being two of them. Are you Portuguese in disguise?

ibrahim

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 01:17 PM - Reply

Excellent points made!

Joe

Posted on 8 Jul, 2006 at 01:04 PM - Reply

The trouble with being England manager is that you have to pick Englishmen.

Can't stand Shearer, he's such an old fashioned English striker - 'Give 'em a good kick, lad!'

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