The president of Italian club Palermo wanted "out", as does the coach of Zulte Waregem.But the 27-year-old England international has urged his team-mates to head for the UEFA Cup final.
Owen Has The "T-Shirt" And Proud Of It!
The president of Italian club Palermo wanted "out", as does the coach of Zulte Waregem.But the 27-year-old England international has urged his team-mates to head for the UEFA Cup final.
Owen: "It is a huge competition to win - not many teams can claim to have won a European trophy. I know what people say about the UEFA Cup, but you will not find anybody at St James' Park turning it down.
"It is a massive one to win. You cannot be any mugs to win the competition. When I was at Liverpool, to win the competition we had to get past Olympiakos, Roma and Barcelona - and that was to just get to the final. It is a really tough competition to win.
"Europe is always great for any club. It is great for the revenue, it is great for the manager, the chairman and the fans because it means you can buy and attract better players.
"You always need that in football because without it, you fall behind. There are a lot of clubs involved in takeovers at the moment and Europe helps you to be competitive on a financial front.
"The UEFA Cup and being in Europe is very important to us."