Michael Owen regrets Newcastle spell: They're not a big club
The English forward has hit out at his former employers in a new book
Michael Owen has launched a scathing attack on former club Newcastle United in his new book Reboot, saying he regrets joining the club from Real Madrid.
In an incredible passage, the ex-England striker says the Premier League club and their supporters think they're much bigger than they actually are.
"They're not a big club," "I don’t need to justify myself to f*cking Newcastle fans," and "I regret joining the club," are some of the statements Owen makes which won't go down well at St James' Park.
"I regret moving there, I should have followed my gut instincts," Owen writes. "I didn't want to go there -- my heart was set on a return to Liverpool but they couldn't match the offer made to Real Madrid.
"From a career perspective, there was no doubt in my mind that a move to the North East was a downward step. As unpalatable as that opinion might be to Newcastle fans, that's more or less what I felt."
Newcastle fans turned on Owen as the club's most expensive signing at the time picked up a string of serious injuries.
"The relationship with the fans irreparably impaired," he explained, when he got injured in a draw with Watford in 2007
He added: "When I got home, I switched on Match of the Day to watch the game and I could hear Newcastle fans, my fans, singing: 'What a waste of money.' I can't deny their actions that day changed things for me.
"All clubs believe their club is 10% bigger and their team is 10% better than it actually is. This kind of blind delusion is especially true of Newcastle United -- which, as I reach for the nearest tin hat, is only a big club in the sense that it has a lot of fans and a big stadium."
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