Newcastle United’s game was on BT Sport on Saturday with their pundit Michael Owen having his say on the situation at St James’ Park.
He was joined by presenter Jake Humphrey and Owen Hargreaves as they discussed the Magpies and their defeat of Southampton .
The comments received some criticism on social media but here's what he said about United's ambition, the reception he got and Rafa Benitez's demand for more control at the club.
Owen on Newcastle not having a 'divine right' to investment
Michael Owen : "That is not where they want to be and I guess that is where the chairman wants them to be either, I am sure he would love to be winning the league, but the club doesn’t have a divine right to have millions and millions poured into it.
“ There are a lot of teams that are spending less as well . Why do they deserve to be second or fifth in the league or whatever. Of course they want investment, this is an amazing club, these fans are so desperate to for them to be pushing at the top of the league.
“They have had it, tasted it not so long ago really, that amazing era with Kevin Keegan, so it has been here, but everyone wants more money, even Manchester City want more money."
Owen Hargreaves : "If they are 12th now with probably not the best squad in the Premier League with a tiny bit more investment, not 100m like Fulham, but Rafa Benitez has shown he can get the most side of maybe a ton. I think they could be 8th, easily."
Owen : "So could other teams around them with a bit more money. What I am saying is this club is not different to everybody else."
As it happened: NUFC 3-1 Southampton
Owen on Benitez's demands
Michael Owen : “I don’t think it’s necessarily about how much he gets, I think it is more a case of the power that he has and the overall control of the transfer, that is what I am led to believe. That is not normally what happens as clubs any more, that’s what used to happen, but it’s not what happens anymore. They are transfer committees, they are lots of difference hoops that you have to jump through before a player can get signed and Rafa doesn’t like jumping through these hoops.”
Owen Hargreaves : “Rafa gets the job done, doesn’t he? To stay up with this team and the way that they are playing - last year they finished 10th, this season they could finish 12th - you have got to let the man make the decisions, they have got to spend money. Do you think Almiron was his signing? ”
Michael Owen : “I think he had a large part to do with it. I just think you have got to be very careful when you give the manager all the power because a big club could come in and he leaves the next minute and then all of a sudden you’ve got no structure. "
“What other business on this planet has something that totally relies on one person to do everything - manage the team, coach the team, pick the players, buy the players, do the contract, paint the white lines, put the nets up? You can’t do everything like managers used to, but I just think you have got to conform.
“Even at the top clubs now, the Liverpools, Manchester Citys, Manchester Uniteds. Everybody has got this structure in place, but obviously Rafa just wants - well I guess and I think full control.”
Owen on the reception he got at St James' Park:
Michael Owen : “I thought I would get a load of criticism when I came here but I have had some thumbs up. I did [love playing football for Newcastle]. Unfortunately I had a bad injury, I broke my foot - on New Year’s Eve - and I ended up missing the rest of that season and then did my knee in the World Cup and missed the rest of that season, so it was just the injuries.”
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