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Reboot: 5 controversial extracts from Michael Owen’s new autobiography



Ex-England footballer Michael Owen has ruffled a few feathers in the footballing world with the serialised release of his explosive new autobiography.

Not only did he become embroiled in a Twitter spat with Alan Shearer after heavily criticising his old England teammate in the book, but has also claimed the move to Newcastle was the only transfer he regretted.

The autobiography, titled Reboot is being serialised in the Mirror and has also seen him lash out at David Beckham and “deluded” Newcastle fans.

So why is it causing so much controversy, and when is it out? Let’s take a look…

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When is Michael Owen’s new book out? 

Reboot is slated for release on Thursday, September 5.

However, it has been serialised in the Mirror over the past couple of days, which is why the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker is back in the headlines again. 

What has been said in Reboot so far?

‘Newcastle aren’t a big club and their fans are deluded’

Owen got the backs up of thousands of football fans after he claimed Newcastle are only a big club “in the sense that it has a lot of fans a big stadium”.

And if this wasn’t bad enough, he also accused their fans of “blind delusion”, before adding that they haven’t won much in recent years to change his opinion.

He also wrote that he didn’t feel like he had to justify himself to the club’s fans. 

His criticism of Alan Shearer

Owen reserved some of his sharpest barbs for his ex-England teammate and fellow striker Alan Shearer, who was the Newcastle manager for a short period in 2009.

Despite being friends earlier on in their career, Owen claimed they fell out during the 2008-09 season when the club was relegated to the Championship.

In the book Owen aimed stinging jibes at his old manager, saying “he failed” during his time as the club’s interim boss and cited his “dire” managerial record as “lost five, drew two, won one”. 

According to him, the two still haven’t talked in the decade since.

Claims he was made a scapegoat for Newcastle’s relegation in 2009

It seems like 2009 was an eventful year for Owen. Not only did he claim he fell out with his “very good friend” Shearer, but also that he was made a scapegoat for Newcastle’s relegation.

“He failed,” Owen writes. “Newcastle United were relegated. Perhaps rather than examine his own shortcomings, it felt easier to blame Michael Owen.”

Owen said the animosity between the pair of them stemmed from a match against Aston Villa on the last day of the 2009 season, which saw the Toon drop down into the second tier.

Before kick off he told his boss he wanted to play, but alleged that Shearer then “made an insinuation that led me to believe he thought I had half an eye on my next contract.

“Months later, I discovered that Alan Shearer was apparently seething with me.”

He claims he never wanted to join Newcastle and got cold feet before the move

Another startling revelation in the book is that Owen said his heart was never truly set on a move to Newcastle and claimed it was a “downward step” and the the only transfer “I really regret”.

Not only does he say was getting “increasingly cold feet” about the move, but also only joined Newcastle because he felt obliged to do so.

He claims he was so upset about the idea of moving to the north east that he tried to send back the cars that had been sent to pick him up.

“When they arrived at my house, I was resigned to the fact it was happening,” he wrote.

He still resents David Beckham for letting the England team down in 1998

This is a big one – it seems like Michael Owen doesn’t forgive and forget easily, judging by his comments about David Beckham.

Beckham was infamously sent off when playing for England against Argentina at France 98, and later the national team were knocked out on penalties.

But Owen, a green-behind-the-ears striker at the time, revealed in his book that he “still holds some resentment today” towards Beckham about the incident over 20 years ago.



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