Is the out of form striker worth a salary hike?
Michael Owen’s £104k-a-week contract expires at the end of next season, and this morning’s Guardian says the 28 year old will be seeking a pay rise. He says:
“Players don’t change overnight and I am still the same player I was five years ago.”
He has scored just four goals this season - not a great return on Newcastle’s staggering weekly investment.
Do you agree with Mr Owen’s startling self assessment? How much should The Toon be paying him? Comments and votes below, please.
2 responses so far
1 Bruce // Mar 11, 2008 at 11:32 am
I presume that Adebayor’s salary listed in the question is a typo and should read £40K . As regards Owen at the moment he is not worth £40 a week (unemployent benefit) let alone what he is actually getting.
However to be fair football allegedly is a team game and each player supports each other. So that the overall team’s performance should reflect over a period of time the teams’ capabilities and each individual player’s performances averaged out. Well I’m sorry Kevin but it does not take an Einstein to see that too many of the player you’ve inherited wouldn’t get a game with the lads on Whitley Bay links. Yes I know that Owen can’t win a game on his own, he needs support and he has proven in the past that he is a world class striker, and I still think he is. But the big thing here is that footballer’s contracts are full of subclauses boosting salaries by number of points won, number of goals scored, position in the league etc. but no penalty for losing etc.Well it is high time in my opinion, that the opposite should come into effect and that dropping points/league position/goals against etc.(and misdemeanours on/off the pitch) should be a cause for wages to be docked. On top of this I would also insist that some of the “team performances” such as what we have had to endure from the Toon in recent weeks/months/years eg FA Cup etc. should carry a punitive tarriff, the whole team being held to account. I am aware this may be unfair on individuals who did give a hundred percent in lost games/poor performances but they get paid so much in the first place that they’ll get over it if they play better and win next time. However if they see their nice “little” earners going down the pan due to consistant crap performances by the team as a whole, then I’m sure they’ll start pulling their collective socks up. These people do not live in the real world. They are mollycodled and vastly overpaid. They are incredibly lucky to have been given the talent to play top class football. I think its about time they started to show gratitude by giving something back to the hard pressed overcharged supporters by providing fast entertaining skillful football unsullied by unfair play and “profession fouls” etc.
I suppose this would be a kind of Utopia but I can but wish. A good start particularly for the Toon is that they ALL learn to pass a ball (preferrably to a member of their own team)
cheers.
ps I’m vastly overweight, I’m 54 years old, and have arthritis in both knees and have very restricted mobility, but I’m sure I could play better than Alan Smith. His only value is as a nuisance player, not for the Toon, for the opposition. Get him off
2 RedbyDawn // Mar 12, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I feel sorry for the people of Newcastle. And for once it’s not just because of their hideously obese children.