23 Mar 2019 15:57:44
Watching in the LFC Legends game, announcing the team for the 2nd half:

Glen Johnson: *Crowd Cheers*
Salif Diao: *Crowd Cheers*
Djibril Cisse: *Crowd Cheers*
Michael Owen: *Very muted and mixed reaction*.

1.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 16:41:12
Gerrard late winner into The Kop end btw, for those interested.

Fowler and Cisse scored too.

2.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 16:12:32
I'm surprised it was even muted to be honest. Not much love for him for the way he left and then who he signed for. Certainly not the most popular player to leave Lfc, up there with Hadji Diouf for me.

3.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 17:32:30
Let's just hope we haven't missed our last opportunity to boo him!

4.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 17:39:01
Hadji Diouf? . fair enough, Owens done some things wrong but to compare him with that scumbag Diouf is crazy! Shouldn't have joined Madrid the way he did but at least while he was here he was a class act on the field, he was the ballon d'or winner for Christ sake, must have been doing something right.

5.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 17:41:08
For God's sake he was a professional plying his trade and he gave me
Some great moments.

6.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 18:08:02
I’d rather focus on the great memories Owen gave me whilst he was a Liverpool player rather than the negatives surrounding his departure and subsequent career.

7.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 19:56:41
Who's Owen again?

8.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 20:51:54
Oh grow up for heavens sake. When I first started going to Anfield, all we ever sang was 'Michael Owen scores a goal, hallelujah'. He did a lot for our club. So what he left, and signed for utd. Paul Ince did the same and we cheered him. Xavier and Barmby came to us from Everton and we cheered them. Get over it for christ sake, the man is a Liverpool legend thus why he deserves to play in these legend matches. Always thought we were the best fans in the world till I saw some of the trolls on this site. Disgusting.

9.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 21:19:15
Taking it too far to suggest booing him.

10.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 21:54:14
Or we could focus on his bullying and exploitation of youth players? 😁.

11.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 21:56:18
So when are Diao and Cisse classed as legends?

12.) 23 Mar 2019
23 Mar 2019 22:15:52
Couldn't agree more Istanbul. He played very well for us but we couldn't win the league so he moved on. He wanted to come back but it never happened. So he went somewhere else. Is the hatred because he got a Premier league medal with utd?

13.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 01:47:24
ye i rekon let the michael owen stuff go. was nice to see cisse someone posted asking who was the player we were most excited about and I forgot about him. definitely cissr.

14.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 08:09:42
It's because he went to utd langland. Yes at the time it hurt, but let's put some perspective behind this (not having a pop at you by the way) . Don't know the ins and outs obviously, but at the time he probably had a choice of signing for as an example West ham or man utd. The lad wanted to win trophies and earn the most amount of money possible, I can fully understand why he chose utd to be honest. It seems to be a recurring theme where if a player leaves because he wasn't 'good enough' then he gets a pat on the back and is unlucky it never really worked out for him. On the other hand if a player leaves to 'better themselves' then they become the spawn of Satan. It's embarrassing and rather sickening to be honest. I do love the insight of this site, but some of the crap that gets spouted really does make me question why some people choose to 'support' Liverpool. Because they really don't support them at all.

15.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 09:04:45
Cisse won the European Cup for us and he gave everything he had for us.
He might not be a class but show some respect.

16.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 09:13:35
I think if you look at this thread and see the split between thumbs up and thumbs down, you'll see why his reception was muted. Very polarising player for many reasons.

For me, it's also his punditry, which is suspect at the best of times. Noone's mentioned that.

{Ed001's Note - I think people are getting it wrong about Owen. He is disrespected for a large number of reasons, and was disliked intensely by a lot of people (including myself) even before he left Liverpool. I am going to ignore the fact that he would miss matches seemingly of his choice and yet be perfectly fine wandering around and riding his horses etc, because, while it annoyed me at the time, there is no way of knowing if he was actually injured or not.

However, his attitude with youth teamers was a problem, he was given far too much power behind the scenes at the club (as were later Gerrard and Carragher) being involved in team selection and recruitment ffs, hence why Heskey was bought (no slight on him, just pointing out why he was brought in), and that led to him being a dick. The younger players would be bullied by him into playing high stakes card games in the hope that they would then have a shot at the first team. The kids couldn't afford the games on their wages, while he could.

And it was money that was his main motivator in everything, which was another thing that made him disliked. However the big issue was it was him who wanted rid of Fowler and sparked in motion the 'nosegate' affair because he hated playing alongside someone who was taking all the limelight. Fowler was 'God' to the fans and Owen was just a second best, almost afterthought, in their affections. Owen wanted it to be all about him and he would whine on and on to Ged until Ged engineered a reason to get rid of Fowler. That is enough for me to be unable to ever forgive him or Houllier.

After that, he forced his way out, despite Rafa pretty much begging him to stay for just one season and he would then let him go. Owen took no notice and forced the move on the club. Whatever he did after that mattered not a bit to me, as he was just good riddance of a bad apple imo.}

17.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 09:52:04
Exploiting and bullying kids is bad enough for me Ed001. Everything else you listed is distasteful and arrogant, but what he did to the youth players is just too much for forgiveness.

To add fuel to your money orientated claim, I recently went to a Collectormania event to get a few photos and autographs. Barnes charged £10, Ruddock £10, Molby £10, Keegan £15, Fowler £15, and Owen £30. Owen probably earnt more money in his career than those other 5 managed combined and yet he still wanted 2-3 times as much.

18.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 09:59:41
After that post ed, I imagine a few posters might be wondering why we don’t have a unthumbs up button. Never knew he wanted Fowler out of the club. Knew about the bullying of the young lads, total scumbag. Can I also add that Salif Diao was an incredible player and worthy of the term legend (in pro evo 5)

{Ed001's Note - there were little things that caused annoyance, like his refusal to wear a Liverpool shirt to training with the youth team, instead constantly wearing Everton kits. I just remember thinking if you love Everton that much, why did you turn them down to join us, only to constantly disrespect us? Arrogant, nasty little worm. Him and Ince are two players that I disliked as people from the moment I met them. They had no respect for others. Don't get me wrong, Owen has excellent manners and was very polite and well spoke, but he still had this belief that he was better than everyone else. It always felt like he was looking down his nose at everyone. And I mean everyone.}

19.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 10:58:20
Makes you wonder what things might be going on at the club at this very moment. I’m hoping it’s all serenity, love and respect but that might just be hippy thinking.

20.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 12:00:59
Look, all the reasons Ed001 gives are valid but I have great memories of Owen in the most important place. ON THE PITCH, and from 97-2004 he did a great job for us. A poster said it makes you wonder what's going on at the club now, does it? I couldn't be arsed wondering. for all we know fan favourites like VVD and Salah are the biggest c#@%'s on the planet but I couldn't care less while they keep doing the business on the pitch.

21.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 13:55:52
Really interesting to hear some of that behind the scenes stuff ed01 thanks! Just out of curiousity is that from your personal contacts within the club or was it more public? Fowler certainly claimed to have no idea why he was being frozen and forced out in his book.

{Ed001's Note - that is from within the club, I have no idea how public it was or not, but I know that is what happened. I seen and heard Owen once myself having a whine, so I have no difficulty believing Ged folded because of the pressure. Fowler seemed to think it was Houllier who didn't rate him.}

22.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 13:57:11
Little Naby, two things can be correct at the same time. Like you, I have brilliant memories of Owen ripping teams apart. That said, what he did off the pitch and to some extent on it as Ed01 alluded to, are darn right reprehensible, disgusting behavior and at that point, I don't care what he accomplished on the pitch anymore. This should matter to you and I am disappointed that it seemingly doesn't.

IMO, it is your principles and moral compass that make you who you are personally cos playing football is what you do, it is not what defines you as a living being. This is why Klopp does not sign "Headaches" regardless of how well "they are doing the business on the pitch". He focuses on the individual first and the player second. Why? He needs the player to biuy into what LFC wants on a human level first hence, why we have good-hearted players like Mane, Bobby, Salah, Hendo, Wiji, Lovren, TAA etc who are brilliant men off outside the pitch. A guy like Suarez would NEVER play under Klopp for these reasons.

23.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 18:49:07
See me, I'm different I guess. I'd prefer to have an average player with respect for the club in general who has morals over a world class player who's an absolute piece of sh*t.

If I found out VVD, Allison, Salah etc (my favourite players I might add) were kno*heads then I'd want rid immediately, it doesn't matter how good a player is, the club comes first and the image of it. Or it should? I guess times have changed.

Owen was nothing but a *expletive*, I couldn't care less what he did on the pitch, that's irrelevant in my opinion.

24.) 24 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 20:09:32
In any walk of life, in any profession. in a group of 22-25 people you are not going to get 22-25 sound lovely people. you are going to get a certain percentage of knobs. Football is no different, John Terry, Ramos. p#$&@s but players their clubs wouldn't have won the trophies they did without.

25.) 25 Mar 2019
24 Mar 2019 21:26:09
It doesn't make it right LN and I can't think of one who's that bad currently at Liverpool?