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Michael Owen Asked Amazon To Be Taken Off Punditry Duty Because He 'Feared For His Safety'

Michael Owen Asked Amazon To Be Taken Off Punditry Duty Because He 'Feared For His Safety'

Michael Owen asked to be removed from the fixture and instead covered a different game.

Michael Owen has admitted he asked Amazon to be taken off punditry duty for Newcastle's game vs Norwich last month as he was "scared for his safety".

Owen was slated to be in attendance for the 1-1 draw at St James' Park, which saw 10-man Newcastle concede a late Teemu Pukki goal.

But as per his request, Amazon, who the former England striker does analysis for, changed his game.

Image: PA
Image: PA

Owen spent four years at Newcastle between 2005 and 2009 but did not feel comfortable being in the same vicinity as Magpies fans as many developed a hatred for him.

"As soon as I left, everyone hated me. But I never, ever felt that when I was there - I felt love, be that around the city, the pub or wherever," Owen told the Daily Mail.

"I was supposed to do the game against Norwich last month. I phoned Amazon and said, 'I don’t really want to go, I’m scared for my safety', so they changed my game.

"I wish it was different. I would love to ask the fans, 'Why don’t you like me?', and have the chance to give my side.

"Of course, I get some of the reasons. The worst thing I did was buy a helicopter for my family to travel up and down. It’s a s*** perception.

"People had this impression I was flying home after training each day. I wasn’t. I loved the area. But perception wise, it was an own goal. I would change that."

Newcastle paid £16.8 million to bring Owen back to the Premier League from Real Madrid and he ended up scoring 30 times in 79 appearances, as well as captaining the Toon.

Image: PA
Image: PA

But he has gone on record to say his heart was set on a return to Liverpool and that he regretted moving to the North East.

After the club's relegation in the 2008/09 season, Owen left upon the expiration of his contract and joined Manchester United on a free transfer.

Owen continued: "I know I’ve said I wanted to join Liverpool instead of Newcastle. I did, I won’t hide that. The same way Alan wanted to sign for his team, Newcastle, ahead of Man United.

“But if I didn’t want to go to Newcastle that much, I wouldn’t have bloody signed. I still chose Newcastle over Real Madrid. I wanted to play with Shearer in front of those fans, and I have some great memories. Scoring two against Sunderland, banging them in with (Mark) Viduka and (Obafemi) Martins under Kevin Keegan.

“But the last season was a disaster, for everyone. It could have been so different, and I really wish it had of been.”

Image: PA
Image: PA

Alan Shearer, who played with and then briefly managed Owen, accused him of refusing to play against Aston Villa on the final day of the season as the club's 16-year stint in the top flight came to an end.

The two became embroiled in a war of words on social media years later in September 2019.

Their paths haven't crossed since but Owen says if they did meet they would "stubbornly agree to disagree and have a pint together".

Featured Image Credit: Image: PA

Topics: Michael Owen, Newcastle United, Real Madrid