Should Michael Owen lower his standards?

MICHAEL Owen will no longer be a Newcastle player when his contract with the Tyneside club ends at the end of the month. The sad thing is – only Hull City has expressed an interest in the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker.

The sadder thing is, the striker’s management company have had to produced a 34-page brochure to entice clubs to sign him up.

To think that Owen was once one of the most-feared strikers in England, scoring 30 goals in 79 games for Newcastle and 40 goals in 89 appearances for the Three Lions.

But his much-vaunted speed has gone with age, and he has been tagged “fragile” after spending much of his club careers on the treatment tables.

Some Premiership players have sought the lesser leagues in England, the Middle East or Australia (see Robbie Fowler) when they are reaching the twilight of their careers.

While Owen might just be all of 29, he has been seen as many as past his prime. So should the diminutive striker consider going down the same path as Fowler and co., or wait in hope for a “good Premiership club” to come along with an offer that would match his £110,000-a-week wages at Newcastle?

Should Torres consider moving to United?

SIR ALEX Ferguson is planning an audacious bid on Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, reports the Sunday Express (see full story here).

Let’s just take a brief look at the advantages of both options:

STAYING AT LIVERPOOL

– The Reds have become a force to be reckoned with under Rafa Benitez, and have pushed United all the way to the title.

– Torres has struck a great understanding with Steven Gerrard

– The Spanish connection at Anfield

MOVING TO UNITED

– Burden of scoring is more spread out than Liverpool

– Better recent track record at winning titles

Even if it turns out to be mere speculation, it does raise an interesting topic – if given a chance, should the Spanish hitman consider moving south to the red half of Manchester?

Transfer season: who will emerge the biggest winner in three-cornered ‘fight’?

THE transfer season has opened with a bang as Real Madrid looks to have claimed Kaka’s signature, with Chelsea launching a late and desperate bid.

Meanwhile, Manchester City has ‘stolen’ Gareth Barry from right under the noses of Liverpool, even though the Citizens are not even playing in the new Europa League, much less the Champions League football the England midfielder had previously said he craves.

The scene seems set for a three-corner battle among the cash-rich clubs Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid in the transfer market, making the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool look like paupers.

New Real president Florentino Perez is keen to revive his infamous Galacticos project at the Bernabeu, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso in his crosshairs.

On the other hand, City are continuing their rebuilding, following last season’s influx of oil money from the Middle East. On top of Robinho and Barry, the club is hoping to persuade Carlos Tevez to defect to the blue side of Manchester, along with Everton’s Joleon Lescott.

And meantime in London, Roman Abramovich has once again loosened his purse strings for Carlo Ancelotti, in an attempt to revitalise his ageing squad to clinch the Champions League trophy that he so covets.

It will be an interesting three months of transfer activity ahead, as big money gets thrown around carelessly by these three clubs. The question is – which of these three will come up tops by the end August?

Question of the Week (Is Rafa being unsporting?)

Hi all,

THE POSTMAN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Is Rafa Benitez being unsporting for refusing to congratulate Sir Alex Ferguson for winning his 11th Premiership title?

If you were Rafa…

SO, MANCHESTER United has successfully defended their Premiership crown on Saturday, with Liverpool mounting the fiercest title challenge in almost 2 decades.

And barring any implosion or financial meltdown, the Reds should be back with an improved team next season, one that is capable of winning its first-ever Premiership title.

The New Paper’s Gary Lim stepped into the shoes of Rafa Benitez today and offered what he feels would be Liverpool’s ‘dream’ XI for next season, one that is capable of ruling them all in England.

If you were Rafa for a day, how would you REALISTICALLY enhance the Liverpool squad for season 09/10?

Rafa deflecting blame for Pool’s diminishing title hopes?

LIVERPOOL manager Rafa Benitez points to the loss of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres through injuries for the Reds’ faltering title bid this season, reported The New Paper today.

With 28 goals between them, the duo had scored more than a third of Liverpool’s Premiership goals this season, and Benitez claims that Liverpool would have gone further if they had been injury-free.

Is the Spaniard trying to deflect blame on Liverpool’s diminishing title hopes this season?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG SAYS:

Grow up, Rafa. Stop finding excuses for your own inaptitude in the transfer market?

What if Torres was fit the whole season? What if Gerrard had spent more time on the field than on the treatment table?

What about these?

What if Cristiano Ronaldo had not been out for the first part of the season?
What if Rio Ferdinand had not been injured in March?
What if Guus Hiddink had been appointed Chelsea manager at the start of the season, and not Luiz Felipe Scolari?
What if Arsenal…oh never mind, scrap that.

How to disrespect Gerrard and get away with it

THROUGHOUT his career, Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard has been known as a midfield dynamo who is not one to shy away from challenges.

You can hardly get away with disrespecting the newly-crowned football writers’ Player of the Year without being shown up by the Huyton native…not unless you’re just a little boy.

Check out this little Chelsea fan who had the cheek to turn his nose on the Liverpool captain in the players’ tunnel before the game between Chelsea and Liverpool. Hilarious.

Tevez: too little too late for United?

CARLOS Tevez has shown Manchester United once again what they could be missing if he really does leave Old Trafford this summer.

The diminutive striker scored a cheeky equaliser against Wigan on a night where the champions lacked inspiration and fluidity on a greasy pitch.

While Tevez had earlier publicly stated his love for the club and its fans, his recent outbursts have shown his frustration at not valued as a first-team player, nor as an essential player in the team, with his future hanging in the balance for months.

How frustrated had the Argentinian been? Well he has now gone to the extent of saying that he will not hesitate to move to bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester City or Chelsea at the end of the season.

And now Sir Alex Ferguson has come out to say that he wants Tevez to stay, and the wheels of his permanent deal are set in motion after last night’s 2-1 win over Wigan.

But would it be too little, too late to make the Argentinian stay?

Q & A with Letter of the Weekend Winner Daniel Gan

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When and why did you become a Liverpool fan?
I have been a Liverpool fan for over 17 Years, ever since I was 12. I had three big reasons then – John Barnes, Ian Rush and Bruce Grobbelaar! Since than, the reasons just kept on growing and to top it off, I am a huge Beatles fan! Glory Liverpool!

What was the most memorable experience you had as a Liverpool fan?

How would you stop the Barca juggernaut?

How to stop Lionel Messi? (Picture: AP)

CHELSEA face an in-form Barcelona tomorrow morning (Singapore time) in the Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp, and for the Blues, the match could not come at a worse time.

While the Premiership club have been revitalised with the appointment of interim coach Guus Hiddink, chalking up 11 victories in the Dutchman’s 15 games in charge, they face a Barcelona that had all but swept aside Bayern Munich in the previous stage of the competition.

A particular area to note would be Chelsea’s left flank.

Leftback Ashley Cole is suspended for the first-leg, after receiving a yellow card in the second-leg quarter-final against Liverpool. That flank just so happens to be the favourite hunting ground for Barca’s wonderboy Lionel Messi, who has grown from strength to strength this season, and surely a shoo-in for one of the contenders for the World Player of the Year award this season.

Without Wayne Bridge, who has since departed for Manchester City, Hiddink seems to be thinking of using Bosingwa to keep the mercurial Argentinian in check.

Problem is, Messi isn’t the only problem that Chelsea have to face. Strike partners Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry have been prolific in front of goal this season as well, scoring 27 and 17 goals respectively.

Given the situation, what would be your strategy if you were Guus Hiddink?