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 referees get punished too?

THE MEN in black have recently been the topic of much discussion, as Egypt launched an appeal after the referee awarded a controversial late penalty which Kaka converted to ensure a win for the Samba Boys.

The referee was alleged to have been influenced by the fifth official, who was watching television replays. This is not allowed under the rules.

And last night, Didier Drogba was handed a six-game ban while Chelsea teammate Jose Bosingwa received a four-game ban for their behaviour during the 4-4 draw with Barcelona in last season’s second-leg Champions League semi-final. The London club was also fined £85,000 for failing to control its players too.

While referees who foul up are generally “punished” by relegating them to lower league games, or suspended from duties for a period of time, is such punishment fair, considering what clubs and players get when they foul up?

Should referees get more than just a mere slap on the hand when they make wrong decisions which drastically changes the texture of the match?

Are Spanish players worth top money?

FERNANDO Torres questioned the disparity between the transfer value of Spanish players and ‘top drawer’ players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, according to a Soccernet article last night. (read story here).

He commented that Spanish clubs are willing to pay top money for foreign players like Ronaldo, but not for domestic players such as David Silva, David Villa and Xavi Hernandez, despite Spain being “the best national team in the world”.

Do you think the likes of Torres, Silva and Villa deserve to be in the same bracket as Kaka, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when it comes to transfer value?

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?

Ronny’s Real move – one step forward or two steps back?

ALONG with a sizable group of Man United fans here, I am SERIOUSLY happy that the talented but petulant Cristiano Ronaldo will finally be heading out of the Old Trafford doors, but too much have been written about that already.

Let’s put the focus on the man from Madeira instead.

Is he going to a better football club, a club that would make him better as a football player and win him more titles – individual and team?

Fergie’s Rooney dilemma?

SIR Alex Ferguson would have a lot of things to consider had he watched Wayne Rooney grab a brace for England against Andorra last night.

The striker has now scored eight goals in his last seven games for England, while he only scored 12 in the entire Premier League season.

And England manager Fabio Capello’s secret to making Rooney tick? Just get in front of goal, he said.

That had been the problem for the Liverpudian’s United season so far. Fergie had been putting Rooney on the flanks regularly during their Championship-winning season due to his tenacity and willingness to drop back to defend.

Other than Park Ji-Sung, United lacked the kind of winger who is equally adept at crossing and shooting, as well as put in a good tackle.

With United pipping Liverpool to the title narrowly last season, and losing out to the Reds in terms of goal difference, Fergie must be wondering how he should tweak his team to get the best out of his players, especially Rooney, given how impressive he has been when he pulls on an England shirt?

If you were Fergie, what would you do to strengthen United, as well as get the best out of your players, Rooney in particular?

If you were David Villa, where would you go?

AFTER securing Kaka’s signature on Monday, Real Madrid are turning their attention on Cristiano Ronaldo and David Villa, who scored a hat-trick against Azerbaijan earlier this week.

The Spanish hitman, who starred in last year’s Euro08, is also being pursued by Chelsea, who already have Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka on their books. The London club are also reportedly in the market for Franck Ribery and Alexandre Pato.

On the other hand, Real have Raul, Gonzalo Higuain, Arjen Robben and Javier Saviola, as well as new recruit Klass Jan Huntelaar, who moved in January.

With Valencia all but forced to sell their prized players due to their financial situation, Villa could be left with no choice but to leave the Spanish club, with Chelsea and Real being the frontrunners.

But if you were the 27-year-old, which club would you move to?

Who will be next in the Galacticos v2.0 line-up?

NEW Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has signalled his intention of rebuilding the ‘Galacticos’ era at the Bernabeu by signing Kaka on a world record transfer late last night (Singapore time).

The Brazilian superstar reportedly moved on a £56m transfer from Milan, eclipsing the £47m Real paid for Zinedine Zidane’s services in 2001, which is incidentally the last ‘Galacticos’ era under Perez.

Other than Kaka, Real are said to be after the likes of Franck Ribery, Nemanja Vidic, David Villa, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Silva and Xabi Alonso.

The question is – who are Real most likely to add next to their stable of overpaid superstars?

Can Man City do a Chelsea next season?

WITH Gareth Barry joining Robinho in the Eastlands and possibly Carlos Tevez on the way, Manchester City are starting to look the way of Chelsea at the start of the Roman Revolution just a few seasons back.

We all knew how that turned out didn’t we? Chelsea won the Premiership title for two seasons in a row under Jose Mourinho, with stars such as Arjen Robben, Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko (still considered a star at the time of signing at least).

The Citizens are attempting to flood their dressing room with the same embarrassment of riches in footballing talent this transfer season, although Mark Hughes is definitely no Mourinho, based on last season’s results.

Furthermore, the Blues were nearly there (i.e. already in the Big Four) when Claudio Ranieri in charge, Abramovich’s money and Mourinho’s managerial nous arguably proved to be the final boost needed for the London club to clinch their first Premiership title in 50 years.

City, however, do not have the same foundation to start with, finishing 10th in the league this season, even with additions such as Robinho and the return of Shaun Wright-Phillips.

But can City do one better than Chelsea and jump from mid-table mediocrity to the Big Four next season, with all the money available for big-money players and maybe even a new high-profile manager?

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?