Owen contract talks: Stalled

In the wake of our shoddy draw against Stoke, which hammered home just how much dross we have accumulated in the years since Sir Bobby, one gem stood out. Michael Owen`s poaching skills again proved to be the difference as he feels his way back to full match fitness. However the tide seems to be turning towards Owen leaving SJP, mainly due to the total inability to agree a new deal with him.

The player himself said:

"My situation has not changed we had a few meetings early in the season and it was going fine. Then the manager (Kevin Keegan) and a few people on the board left, one who I was negotiating with. Talks have not picked up since then.

Before it gets twisted, I`d like to say that`s not Newcastle snubbing me or anything else. They have bigger fish to fry then sorting out contracts. They haven`t got round to talking because there has been so much turmoil. They have more important things to sort out.

However, when Joe Kinnear got the job until the end of the season he said he`d talk to people out of contract. There are no snubs or anything about me wanting to leave. The plain and simple fact is there has been a lot of turmoil at the club and things have been shuffled to the back of the queue."

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