Ow the jeers hurt 'greedy' Michael

Posted Thursday, April 21, 2011 by The Sun

MICHAEL OWEN has hit back at the Toon Army for branding him 'greedy' on his return to Newcastle.

The Manchester United hitman was subjected to a vicious reception after coming on as an 81st-minute substitute on Tuesday night.

Some felt it was as hostile as anything heard at St James' Park in recent times as the home crowd took out their frustrations on the ex-England striker — with one fan seen brandishing a £20 when he came on as a sub.

Chants of 'There's only one greedy b*****d' rang around the stadium as the home supporters gave their verdict of his disappointing four-year stay on Tyneside.

Owen said on Twitter: "Got a poor reception off the home fans which was disappointing. Was desperate to score!

"Knew I would get booed as that's what a lot of fans do but if they knew the facts then they may have a different opinion."

Owen, 31, scored 30 goals in 79 matches during a disappointing injury-hit spell after joining for £16million from Real Madrid in 2005.

But he still pocketed around £105,000 a week and the Newcastle fans clearly felt they were short-changed by him.

His stay at St James' ended with the club being relegated and the home fans showed they were not impressed with his efforts to keep them up.

This was his first trip back since and he left in no doubts what his old supporters thought about him.

Owen added: "From what most of you Newcastle fans are saying you should be pleased I left the club! If I had known that earlier I could have left sooner!

"For the record, I tried my best in every game for Newcastle. Under KK (Kevin Keegan) I played well and I'll never forget the two I scored against Sunderland.

"When I meet Newcastle or Liverpool fans they all respect what I've done for their clubs. In stadiums it changes, one boos and the rest follow.

"By the way, I'm not looking for sympathy. As long as my family don't boo me when I walk through the door I couldn't care less!!!"

Owen's move to Old Trafford has not worked out much better with just 13 goals during his two-year stay so far.

He admitted afterwards he thought his former club had been good value for their point and said: "It was a disappointing result for us but credit to Newcastle. They played well and put us under plenty of pressure especially in the first half-an-hour."

The ex-England man had predicted he could be in for a rough time in the hours leading up to the match.

Owen had allowed his contract on Tyneside to run down rather than sign a new one — and he clearly feared the worst.

He wrote on Twitter: "What a day, it's even sunny here in Newcastle!

"Looking forward to seeing old friends but I doubt the fans will give me a warm reception!"

While Owen was taken aback by the St James' atmosphere, the home side were thrilled by the noise created.

Toon boss Alan Pardew said: "The stadium kept us alive really. It kept our energy levels up throughout."

New signing Stephen Ireland, who made his debut after injury, said: "I have not played in front of fans like that before in my life.

"It is massive for our team and the sides who come here are petrified — you can see that by the way they react. To do it for a whole 90 minutes is very impressive."