The thing that amazes me most about the Michael Owen saga - even more than the fact Newcastle would actually agree to a sale clause almost half the size of the fee they paid for him two years earlier - is how much the rest of the country wants the England striker to dump on the Magpies.
It's incredible and has revealed the sort of bitterness and jealousy normally reserved for teams who actually win things, not one which constantly under-achievers and has a nasty knack of pressing the self destruct button.
You know, clubs that dominate domestic football like Manchester United, Liverpool and, more recently Chelsea. I don't include Arsenal in that, if only because they play the sort of football everyone should admire.
As regular readers will know, I'm not a Newcastle supporter, I have an affinity with them because I live in the city and it's my job to follow their fortunes, but I'm not a fan. I'm a Leyton Orient fan and I'm very proud of it.
But I still can't hide the fact I've been really irritated by some of the things that have been written about the Owen situation this week. Okay, so I know Freddie Shepherd isn't likely to win any popularity contests in football and Newcastle were probably a little silly to agree to the clause in his contract and then not to expect those close to him to leak its existence to the media, but the venom which has poured out has been shocking.
It's almost as if they can't wait for Owen to leave so they can laugh and mock the club for having the audacity to sign him in the first place. You'd expect that from Sunderland fans and in the interests of local rivals, they are perfectly entitled to laugh at the pain and misery of their neighbours!
But as for the rest of the country, I don't get it. Why shouldn't Newcastle show ambition? Why shouldn't they sign the best players available. Other clubs don't like it when one of the big boys unsettles and then buys their best players, preventing their ability to build a team which is capable of challenging for silverware, do they? So why enjoy Newcastle's problem so much?
I suppose it all boils down to jealousy. After all, how dare Michael Owen join Newcastle and not Liverpool two years ago! How dare he! The cheek of it! He didn't sign for one of the big four when they wanted him? Unbelievable, how very dare he.
English football IS the big four, the Champions League, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. The rest are just there to get beaten and pull off the odd shock which influences the title race.
And Newcastle - cough splutter - that isn't anywhere near London, it'll take me ages to get up to see Michael play there. Newcastle? , they're in the North, somewhere near Scotland I believe. I hear the people eat their babies up there......
As I've already said this week, this story will run and run unless Michael - and I don't often agree with the Newcastle chairman - insists he is going to stay.
He could do that now, but he won't because he will be advised not to. He'll be advised to wait and see if any of the big four do make a bid and then he can make a decision. The rest of the country, meanwhile, will lick their lips in anticipation of his departure!
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