The arrival of Michael Owen at Manchester United has been met with a lot of mixed reaction. There is a group that sees the move as a further sign thatSir Alex Ferguson is going a bit mad in his old age. The other group of people believe that United have snapped up one of the best goal scorers of recent times and that it could come to help the club substantially.

It had been well publicised that Owen was looking for a move away from Newcastle United after they got relegated. However, the point is that it was smaller Premier League clubs that were the expected destinations and not the actual champions of England.

Owen must not be able to believe his luck, after all his best days are behind him and he is still on a good wage packet, which turned out to be the main difference between himself and his previous club. It means that he will be earning a lot of money and probably not playing a great deal as United are likely to make a lot more signings during the transfer window.

Ferguson will say though that his club have snapped up a proven player for free and have the advantage of experience and calibre to call upon if needed. Nobody in a million years would have expected United to sign Owen and it seems that his arrival at Old Trafford is nothing more than a stopgap. If the former England front man can get fit and stay fit then he could well end up having a much larger role to play in the side but as we have so often seen in the past, this is always a lot more difficult as far as Michael Owen is concerned.

It is a good move for the player but a debateable one for the club. United have £80 million in the bank and need to make good the loss of two brilliant players that have already left this season. It is no disrespect to Owen but he is hardly the man that Ferguson would have had in mind to replace the Portuguese guy that has just left for Real Madrid.

It is nothing more than a smart and shrewd business move that can allow United to strengthen further in area while continuing the pursuit of many other targets. Owen should realise how lucky he has been and this should act as an incentive to work his socks off for his new club. If he does then it could have a number of added advantages and turn out to be one of Ferguson’s best ever signings when he does eventually retire.

What Owen brings to the club is a lot of experience in a relatively non-egotistical person. Experience is every thing to a lot of the younger players in the side that are trying to make a name for themselves and Owen can offer so much as far as this is concerned. All of the youths at the club will know who he is and what he has done so they will pay attention and listen. You do not play for Liverpool and Real Madrid as well as captaining your national side if you are a bad player.

Yes it is fair enough to say that Owen is not the player that he was maybe five or six years ago but the point is that class is permanent and form is temporary. The reason that Ferguson has signed Owen is because firstly, he is a good player, he can still score a lot of goals and offer an awful lot to any side. The other reason he has signed Owen is because he can offer so much more to the club than any other squad player he could just go and pick.

Owen has already stated his intent to put everything behind him and get his fitness exactly right for the new season. A fit Michael Owen is a daunting proposition for any side. Furthermore, United have not had a goal poacher since Ruud Van Nistelrooy left for Real Madrid a couple of years back.

These sort of players have the ability to pick up a lot of scrappy goals, which quite often can make the difference between winning and losing in a lot of games. These players are priceless and Owen is one of them.

It is naïve to say that he will be able to run around and sprint past most defences because those days are behind him. Michael Owen cannot do now what he was once able to do, as is the case with all ageing players. He has a better ability now to be able to read the game and get into the right positions and will no doubt pop up with a few important goals in the Premier League and Champions League at some point during the next season.

The argument that Ferguson is losing it is there for all to read and consider but it is a difficult one to read into when you consider every thing that Ferguson has so far achieved at his club. Fair enough he has made one or two debatable decisions this summer but he so often gets it right and this could well turn out to prove just the same.

No club wants to lose their best player but it is impossible to keep that player if he does not want to stay in the side and at the club. Ask any manager in the Premier League and they will say that they would rather have a lower quality player who is busting to get into the side than a high quality player who does not give a second thought to the club, the team mates or the fans.

Michael Owen’s career is back on track and only time will tell whether it has been a good move for all concerned. He will have to work very hard this summer to get fit enough to warrant a first team place but it is obvious that he does not want to sit on the bench and it is obvious that this transfer has revitalised him.

Many will laugh at Ferguson but he could be proven right all over again by the time the new season kicks off again in August.

Ronaldo at it again

Oh dear! Cristiano Ronaldo is at it again. Even though the ink has yet to dry on his 80 million pound move to Real Madrid from Manchester United, the World Player of the Year is winding everyone up. And does he know how to do so. In an interview with a French magazine, provided everyone got the translation right, he apparently reveals that he loves antagonism.

He’s reported to have said “I do not care whether opposition supporters like me or not. I love it when people jeer me. It doesn’t bother me.” Well, fair enough. Everyone gets their motivation from somewhere. Whether it’s praise from the supporters or the manager, a few little digs from the national press, scoring goals, picking up silverware or a regular place in the team.

Cristiano Ronaldo has made no bones about the fact that he likes to be in the international spotlight, one of his reasons for moving to Real Madrid. After all, there will be no greater stage as new president Florentino Perez bids to build the greatest football team in the world. Perhaps Ronaldo believes his new world record-breaking status earns him the right to put himself right up their on the highest pedestal. But he won’t be endearing himself to everyone and we can expect some fireworks on and off the pitch.

Football enthusiasts will well remember the 2006 World Cup when he was targeted by fans for his part in the sending off of Wayne Rooney during England’s match against Portugal. Ronaldo says “It’s true a lot of people hate me but there are even more who love me. I feel bad only when I play bad. But for me, that does not happen very often. I want to rewrite the history of football. I am aware I am already among the best of the best.”

Wow. What an ego. Although there will be many raised eyebrows at his comments, most people will be able to shrug them off and have a bit of a laugh at his expense. He’s a great player, yes, and we will excuse him if diplomacy is not one of his strongest points. But there was one further comment in his interview which was out of order. “I love to see the hate in their eyes, to hear the insults.” Is this really the attitude we want to foster? Hate is a very strong word and not something which should be encouraged in football. Better to have a healthy respect for our rival teams.

Football today is all about families and encouraging children to follow the sport. When they read about one of their heroes welcoming insults and talking about hate, what sort of message does this send out? Clubs around the country are clamping down on thugs or fans who use bad language. It will not help matters if top players like Ronaldo simply add fuel to the fire. So come on Ronaldo. Have a think next time you are interviewed. Yes, talk about motivation and how you want to do the best for your players and your team. You have left one proud club to go to another with a long pedigree which prides itself on ethics and standards. Cut out the talk about hate and insults and show your determination where it matters most. On the pitch.

United about to start their spending spree

Manchester United are about to start their £80 million spending spree with the news that deals are being lined up for Wigan’s Antonio Valencia and Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. Valencia has been linked with a move to Old Trafford over the last few months but the news of a possible deal for Eto’o is more surprising.

The Barca front man is said to be growing a little frustrated at the Nou Camp and could well favour a move to England. The only English club that had been linked with him was Liverpool but with United’s new cash injection, they could well turn out to be a more inviting proposition for one of the best strikers in Europe.

Eto’o is also being tracked by Manchester City who want to offer the player the highest wages in the Premier League to take a gamble on an unproven side. United will be hoping that Eto’o does not adopt a mercenary attitude and joins them for slightly less but with a better chance of success and developing himself as a player.

They will probably have to spend up to about £30 million for Eto’o and with a £17 million deal already accepted by Wigan, that is well over half of the new cash spent already. It leaves just enough for United to either take a gamble on one of the hottest young talents in the game in Karim Benzema or opt to bid for Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery.

However, Ribery is likely to cost a lot more than the money United would have left over so they would have to dig into the pockets of the treasury at the club a little deeper. The point is that whoever Sir Alex Ferguson decides to bring in, they will have to have genuine, world class talent and potential if United are to make good the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo.

A spokesman for the Glazer family, who won Manchester United, said: “The idea that Manchester United are motivated by a debt burden is just not true. Cristiano Ronaldo decided, after six years, it was time to move on and the manager said, ‘OK.’ Sir Alex Ferguson is in total control of his squad. He is empowered to make whatever decisions he thinks are in the best interests of Manchester United.”

“Only the paranoia of some supporters would lead you to believe the owners are not going to continue investing in the team. A substantial number of world-class players have been brought to the club in the past few years and that will still be the case.”

The news about a possible bid for Eto’o makes you read between the lines a little bit in the respect that it suggests Carlos Tevez may not stay at the club. They may still try and do a deal to make him a permanent United player but this would cost a large sum of money and when there are so many talented players freely available, Ferguson may well decide to look elsewhere.

United on the brink of title success

Manchester United can secure the Premier League title today if they get a point from their match against rivals Arsenal. United will be looking to rapidly wrap up the league to then turn all of their focus and energy towards the Champions League final on May 27.

It would also be fitting for them to take the title in front of their own fans, but Arsenal will be looking to do any thing they can to spoil the party and leave Liverpool with the smallest bit of hope they could still intervene.

United captain, Rio Ferdinand, seems to be the only major injury worry for the current champions who look set to name an otherwise full strength side. Arsenal on the other hand have their work cut out. Manuel Almunia is suffering from an ankle knock, Tomas Rosicky, William Gallas and Gael Clichy will all join him in the stands for the match.

It has been clear this season that United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, has not lost a single bit of his hunger for the game and will be looking to secure this title as though it were his first domestic success in charge of the club.

Speaking ahead of the game, he said: “We have another opportunity to win it in front of our own fans - it would be nice to do it. My first intention was to win one and break the stranglehold Liverpool had on the title. The big challenge was that first one.”

“They have had a bit of criticism recently and they will want to register their abilities on a day when everyone expects Manchester United to win the title.”

You cannot really argue that United have not been the best team this season, at various points they have proved that they have everything needed to grind out horrible points and victories and never really looked threatened when Liverpool had their spell at the top of the league.

If they win today then it would mark another success in the book of what Ferguson has called his best ever team. Their focus may well be on the end of the month and Barcelona but everyone at United will know that if you win the league then it proves you are a better team over a longer period of time as opposed to winning a one off match.

Once the success is secured the close season drama can begin and the club can enjoy the remaining games they have this season. The destination of one or two in the current squad is still unknown e.g. Carlos Tevez. Accompanied with the ongoing saga that is Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, the title success could just be the backdrop to a lot more important drama about to unfold at Old Trafford.

United have proved they are by far and away the best team this season and a lot of work will have to be done over the summer if other clubs are going to get closer and make more of a challenge in the next campaign.

United move to within a point of another Premier League crown

Manchester United need just a point this weekend when they play Arsenal to secure another Premier League title after a 2-1 victory at Wigan Athletic last night. In a tricky match for the champions, a professional performance was enough to see them past a Wigan side that had clearly improved from this point last season.

It was in fact Wigan who went ahead on the half hour mark. Nemanja Vidic’s slip allowed Hugo Rodallega to slam the ball home to cancel out a first half pretty much dominated by United. Carlos Tevez and Michael Carrick both got on the score sheet in the second half to give United the three points they were looking for.

It was a very professional display by Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and he will be pleased at the manner of the victory and the fact that there were no players looking to throw their toys out of the pram with this performance.

One Wigan fan said before the game: “We just need to stay in there and fight.” That’s exactly what Steve Bruce’s men did. They literally made it as difficult as they could for United to get any time on the ball that would allow the killer last pass to be made. The Wigan goal may have been against the run of play but it was deserved.

Wigan look to be getting better all the time and surely as time passes they will add higher quality additions to their squad. This will allow them to push on next season and based on this it wouldn’t be a surprise if they show enough grit and determination to secure a top six spot in the next campaign.

United’s work is not yet done. They still need to get a point from the Arsenal game and will face a side likely to be rampant on revenge having been stuffed in the Champions League. United will know that they can’t waste as many good chances to score as they did last night and there is no doubt that if Arsenal can do any thing to spoil the party then they will.

Ferguson will be pleased with the performance of Tevez who looks to have kick started the manager into negotiating with him over a new contract. He will also be pleased that the team got through the match with no fresh injury doubts, something so important when you consider the high calibre of matches they have left to play.

Although the quintuple is now no longer a possibility there has really only been one team who has been so dominant over the entire season and it’s United. Despite Liverpool’s push this season United have proved time and time again that they know how to grind out results and win key points.

This is easily a match they could have let their heads drop in. The rain was pouring down and no doubt one or two of the players wouldn’t have fancied it. However, they stuck to their task and are now within touching distance of the Premier League trophy yet again.