"Liverpool Is In My Blood"

Michael Owen's transfer to Man U hogged more headlines than Kaka's move to Real Madrid. This is mind boggling considering that Real paid a hefty 56 mil pounds for the Brazilian's services while Owen goes to Man U on a free transfer. Whatever reasons Fergie has, they cannot be financial. It smacks more like an act of desperation. Ronaldo, his top striker, is gone. Tevez decided to call it a day at Man U. Fergie's target for Ronaldo's replacement, Benzema, has opted for Real. His other target, Ribery, had made it clear that it would be Real or not at all should he decide on a move. It is almost as if Fergie set out to buy a Porsche and a Maserati but came home with a Mini Austin and a Fiat Ponto instead. Oh yes, Fergie's other signing is one Antonio Valencia who in his 3-seasons with Wigan had scored just seven goals!

"Liverpool is in my blood," so said Owen many years ago. That didn't stop him from abandoning his childhood club for greener pasture - Real Madrid - in the hope of winning silverware he thought could only be a pipe-dream with Liverpool. He ended up warming his backside more than his feet at the new club. He quit to join Newcastle where his only notable achievement was to help accelerate the club's downward spiral to the lower division.

But surely there is something that Fergie sees in Owen that we don't. I can only hazard a few guesses:

- Owen is small -a foreign coach actually once called him a midget. Being small, you are supposed to be quick and nippy. But how quick can you be if you are running on only one leg (the other of course being either injured or under repair)?

- With Rooney alongside Owen, Fergie can have two strikers of similar build and size, a strategy sure to confuse any rival team's defenders.

- He dives like Ronaldo. That alone is worth half a goal everytime he plays.

- The oft-quoted statistic of 40 goals in 89 games for England was touted around to be a major deciding factor for Fergie. I beg to differ because that was precisely the reason why England had not won the World (or European) Cup for such a long time. Every manager had built the England team around the diminutive striker to ensure an abundance of goals for Owen at the expense of his fellow players, but falling short of winning the vital games that really mattered.

As a Liverpool fan, I am not complaining. Fergie can have all of Owen, body and soul (and injuries), including also-rans such as Crouch and Heskey. For good measure, he can also have Houllier and Souness as his backroom staff for free.

Rafa's foresight and vision in bringing Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush onboard his technical team can only augur well for Liverpool's future. 2009/10 could very well be the year the EPL Championship Trophy returns to its rightful place at Anfield. And remain there for many more years to come.

Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com