It's official : he has won the "golden ball award". Surely he's a very good striker but I don't think he's the best player in the world...At least 4 or 5 players deserved it more...
Where did you hear this BTW
Actually, the results of the voting will not be revealed until Tuesday.
Thanks Raoul. 
Originally posted by Gazza:
<strong>Thanks Raoul.
Don't thank me, Owen is still going to win it...
Originally posted by Raoul:
<strong>
Don't thank me, Owen is still going to win it...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Use the force, Raoul, use the force...
Use the force yourself. Your pasting is still unformatted...
Originally posted by Raoul:
<strong>Use the force yourself. Your pasting is still unformatted...
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />
Thanks for nothing Yoda.
Originally posted by Gazza:
<strong>
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />
Thanks for nothing Yoda.
Well...don't just stand there. Do something about it !
Originally posted by Raoul:
<strong>
Well...don't just stand there. Do something about it !</strong><hr></blockquote>
I can't Master, my jedi senses detect my Light Saber has been stolen by a group of Scousers.
Originally posted by Gazza:
<strong>
I can't Master, my jedi senses detect my Light Saber has been stolen by a group of Scousers.
1. Why are you allowing others to play with your Light Sabre ?
2. Does this affect your social life ?
Originally posted by Raoul:
<strong>
1. Why are you allowing others to play with your Light Sabre ?
2. Does this affect your social life ?</strong><hr></blockquote>
<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />
Not as much as when they play with my Jar-Jar.
<img src="confused.gif" border="0">
Originally posted by Raoul:
<strong>
Never mind.
Was the World Player of the Year award not supposed to be between Raul, Luis Figo or David Beckham?
Michael Owen is by nowhere near the best player in the world, simple.
Michael Owen is by nowhere near the best player in the world, simple.
Red Tide, Michael Owen is class and one of the best players in Europe on his day. Nobody on this forum can dispute that. But the fact is there are many players I would have in front of him. This is not being biased, this is being honest. If anyone is being biased it is you.
Can you realistically argue that Michael Owen has made more of an impression on European football than Luis Figo and Raul?
Becuase let us be honest, the way a player performs domestically counts only for a small peice of this award.
Any player can go and score a lot of goals in his own League, and if scoring goals was the case, Henrik Larssonn or Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink would win it, but it does not boil down to this.
Michael Owen has had a great year but he has not exactly made an impression in Europe.
Figo and Raul, and arguably David Beckham, have balanced their country, their league and the Champions' League superbly and done well, while when it comes down to it the fact of the matter is Owen has not made an impression in Europe.
He did well for England, granted, and did even better for Liverpool, but what UEFA will look for is who the public like more and are you telling me people would rather win the award than David Beckham?
The award is decided by EUFA's top journalists and officials, and they are well known for going with the players in Italy and Spain, if they go with an Englishman, they will go with David Beckham, whether deserved or not - becuase he has captained his country and for his goal against Greece - simple. May be unfair but that is ultimately how they will judge it.
Can you realistically argue that Michael Owen has made more of an impression on European football than Luis Figo and Raul?
Becuase let us be honest, the way a player performs domestically counts only for a small peice of this award.
Any player can go and score a lot of goals in his own League, and if scoring goals was the case, Henrik Larssonn or Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink would win it, but it does not boil down to this.
Michael Owen has had a great year but he has not exactly made an impression in Europe.
Figo and Raul, and arguably David Beckham, have balanced their country, their league and the Champions' League superbly and done well, while when it comes down to it the fact of the matter is Owen has not made an impression in Europe.
He did well for England, granted, and did even better for Liverpool, but what UEFA will look for is who the public like more and are you telling me people would rather win the award than David Beckham?
The award is decided by EUFA's top journalists and officials, and they are well known for going with the players in Italy and Spain, if they go with an Englishman, they will go with David Beckham, whether deserved or not - becuase he has captained his country and for his goal against Greece - simple. May be unfair but that is ultimately how they will judge it.
i agree owen isn't the best player in europe...but no other player over the past twelve months has done as much to win games as owen. everytime the pressure was on, he delivered. like it or not, he is the deserving winner...
what the hell has beckham done? he's been consistently poor for united for almost a year now. even for england, owen has been more decisive (albania, finland, germany). if anyone deserves it more than owen, i'd go for kahn or effenberg, players who really led their teams to european glory...
owen - vs. roma (2 goals), vs. alaves (set up 1 goal, won a penalty for the other), vs. bayern (scored a goal, set up another), vs. germany (hat-trick), vs. finland and albania (crucial first goals), vs. man yoo (charity shield, @ anfield 3 goals, 1 assist), aforementioned fa cup heroics, plus his generally amazing form since the latter half of last season (carrying us to a champions league spot).
hmmm...a free kick @home vs. one of the weaker sisters of european football, or a hat-trick away from home against one of the genuine world footballing superpowers?
btw, why is roy keane not nominated for this award (seriously)? i have to admit, he should merit serious consideration for his ireland performances alone, not to mention carrying your lot on his back.
Yes 9od I can agree with you but what I am saying is, whatever way you look at it, UEFA Awards are not based using hindsight, but rather using what the press report.
Maybe Beckham does not deserve but the truth is whether you like it or not Beckham is now reknowned throughout the world after the way he will be remembered as being captain fantastic and for the free-kick.
Don't bust your balls with me, it is UEFA voters who should take the flak, but nobody takes the award seriously anyway.
Maybe Beckham does not deserve but the truth is whether you like it or not Beckham is now reknowned throughout the world after the way he will be remembered as being captain fantastic and for the free-kick.
Don't bust your balls with me, it is UEFA voters who should take the flak, but nobody takes the award seriously anyway.
Originally posted by 9od:
<strong>btw, why is roy keane not nominated for this award (seriously)? i have to admit, he should merit serious consideration for his ireland performances alone, not to mention carrying your lot on his back.</strong><hr></blockquote>
This for me was an absolute shocker and undermines the rest of the nominees, while in turn showing how little people should notice of this award.
The guy was nominee #51 while Beckham was nominee #1, which quite simply does not make sense. Now do you believe me when I say UEFA only care about what the press think? Roy Keane is amazing but becuase he is not singled out by the Press he is not there, while Beckham is always in the media spotlight and is #1. Coincidence? I doubt it, I will not pay attention to this years awards.
Even if Owen is a very good player, I think he's too young for that trophy. And the "golden ball" has to prove his worth in a more significant competition than the UEFA Cup. Ok, he has helped his country to qualify to the World Cup, but other players have too. After all, without Beckham's free-kick...
And I think it's unfair that players like Keane or Giggs don't have chances to win that trophy, just because they play for a weak selection. In France, Owen is much more known than them because of France 98. OK, the "ballon d'or" is given by an international jury, but it must be the same everywhere outside the UK .
And I think it's unfair that players like Keane or Giggs don't have chances to win that trophy, just because they play for a weak selection. In France, Owen is much more known than them because of France 98. OK, the "ballon d'or" is given by an international jury, but it must be the same everywhere outside the UK .
Whatever you lot think, this award was given by an unbiased international panel of football experts, not a bunch of biased muppets on a football forum, the fact you lot don't rate Owen that highly while the rest of the World does just shows how much you know.
Originally posted by Red Tide:
<strong>Whatever you lot think, this award was given by an unbiased international panel of football experts, not a bunch of biased muppets on a football forum, the fact you lot don't rate Owen that highly while the rest of the World does just shows how much you know.</strong><hr></blockquote>
The award, as Raoul pointed out, will not be announced till next week so you indeed know as much about the award as I do.
Me? Biased? Shows you did not even bother to have a look at what I say, stereotyper that you are. If you are just going to give us this "Owen in the best. You can't say anything to dispute that" you can take this to KopTalk.
<img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" /> Biased Muppets? And how did you get this conclusion? Was it when I said "Beckham probably does not deserve it but will probably win it"? This is not being biased, this is honest, when you sum up the facts I know who will come out the winner, even if I do not agree with it.
Originally posted by Gazza:
<strong>
The award, as Raoul pointed out, will not be announced till next week so you indeed know as much about the award as I do.
Me? Biased? Shows you did not even bother to have a look at what I say, stereotyper that you are. If you are just going to give us this "Owen in the best. You can't say anything to dispute that" you can take this to KopTalk.
<img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" /> Biased Muppets? And how did you get this conclusion? Was it when I said "Beckham probably does not deserve it but will probably win it"? This is not being biased, this is honest, when you sum up the facts I know who will come out the winner, even if I do not agree with it.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Gazza, did you see your name in my post, it was'nr specifically aimed at your post, it was covering the general way people in this site regard Owen compared to the rest of the World
Soccernet :
Another week, another award. David Beckham finds out today in Zurich if he has beaten Raul and Luis Figo to FIFA's World Footballer of the Year prize, following a vote by 130 international coaches.
Beckham and Michael Owen are also the most prominent among a clutch of Premiership names vying for the European Footballer of the Year accolade this week - the Ballon D'Or, organised by France Football magazine and elected by a pan-European panel of football experts.
Either of these personable young men would be an acceptable choice for such prestigious prizes.
What makes England's finest pair an especially appealing selection here at home is that their insistent dedication and responsible demeanour singles them out from the drinking culture and yobbish mentality which still plagues our game.
You do not find Beckham or Owen crawling inebriated in the gutter or insensitively dolled up in pretend battle fatigues.
Whether the international footballing community fully appreciates the significance of their good conduct is another matter. On the Continent, well-behaved footballers are the rule, not the exception.
It also remains to be seen whether Europe's soccer scribes are willing to confer their highest individual honour upon an England captain who was so physically and emotionally drained by the effort of rescuing his country's World Cup qualification with one solitary free-kick that he has hardly kicked a ball for his club since.
Liverpool have been campaigning for Owen over Beckham. If that distinction does come England's way, it will be due in no small measure to the holes Owen drilled through the claims of German keeper Oliver Kahn on that unforgettable September night in Munich.
Until then, Kahn - the rock on which Bayern had built their Champions League success - was the solid favourite. Nor is there an overwhelming case to be made for Figo, Raul or Rivaldo, among the Spanish-based nominations for this particular Oscar.
But if the vote does go against Manchester United's Spice Boy and Liverpool's baby-faced sharp-shooter, we should be in no rush to cry foul.
At least such votes have been reached by intelligent consensus, uncontaminated by the superficial requirements of showbusiness. Far better than the cosmetic charade by which the BBC, barely a week ago, installed Beckham, by wondrous coincidence the highest profile candidate, as its Sports Personality of the Year.
This gaudy ceremony gave the impression of drumming up a late of rush of votes from viewers with telephones to drag Beckham above yachtswoman Ellen McArthur, who may well have been leading in the postal ballot.
A fix? Who knows? Outrageously rigged? Probably not. Diligently arranged, more likely. It is incredible that so many of the great and good of our sporting life drag themselves out to a TV studio on a Sunday night in midwinter to endorse this tacky exercise in Auntie's self-promotion.
What was once a dignified exercise in recognising outstanding achievement in sport has turned into an orgy of vulgar celebrity and cheap entertainment.
Worst of all was that cringing sequence of pictures purporting to show how Beckham's life passed before his mind's eye while he was preparing to score the goal which rescued England's World Cup qualification.
Come off it. The lad was executing a free kick, not facing a firing squad. At least if he is acclaimed by the footballing world this week there will be no cause for embarrassment.
<hr></blockquote>
Beckham: BBC Sports Personality of the Year
(WarrenLittle/Allsport)