With Kevin Keegan famed for his arm-round-the-shoulder man-management skills, it seems almost an alien concept that any player would have a bone to pick with the silver-haired Englishman. However, when King Kev arrived back in Newcastle in January 2008, not everybody was so excited about his arrival, with the club captain having openly admitted to enjoying a torrid time under the boss at international level.
''I felt I was being singled out - there was so much pressure on him he needed a scapegoat. As soon as he said one negative thing about me, it led to another. I really started to resent him - not as a man, but as a manager. Looking back on the Keegan era, one main feature stands out for me. It made me question my footballing ability for the first time in my life. Certainly, it was a dark phase in my career. - Michael Owen, May 2005.
The former Liverpool hitman clearly hadnt anticipated rubbing elbows with Keegan again, having worked together for a year in the England set-up, and these quotes set in motion a flurry of speculation regarding Owens future once Keegan arrived at St. James Park for a third spell. Owen proceeded to play the best football of his Tyneside career under Keegan, and recently reflected with sadness on the day when he left in acrimonious circumstances in September 2008.
''It was the most enjoyable time of my career there. Everybody loved playing for him. It was an absolute privilege to play under him. I enjoyed my football then more than at any other point for Newcastle. - Michael Owen, June 2013.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
