Owen Situation Is Urgent!

And reports from St James' Park suggest he was far from happy at comments made by chairman Freddy Shepherd when Liverpool fans asked "can we have Owen back?". Freddy replied in his usual Geordie manner "I'd carry him back to Liverpool".

(The video can be seen on: http://www.celtic-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=338330 )


Some took it in humour; others thought it showed the side the media love to portray of a man who obviously struggles to put over a decent personality, no matter hoe "tongue in cheek" it was.

Freddy took a back seat as the TV cameras witnessed the arrival of Allardyce, the chairman claiming he was in pain with a rib injury. And he confirmed this by "gurning" at the cameras at every opportunity.

Allardyce: "At the end of the day, I do not know, I have not spoken to Michael. I can only speculate on the speculation.

"Until I get the chance to speak to him, I do not really know what he is thinking.

"But when I do get the opportunity to talk to him, he will tell me what he is thinking and whatever he is thinking, we will think and react on that.

"I will speak to Michael on the phone in the near future - and any other player who was not there today - and take it from there.

"For me, the speculation around Michael will be resolved as soon as possible once we get the chance to speak to him."

As for Owen's £10million strike-partner Obafemi Martins, who went AWOL on Sunday?

Allardyce:: "You would not want to lose your leading goalscorers, would you?

"Certainly from that point of view, they are two fantastic goalscorers who are very much a part of the future for Newcastle.

"I am looking forward to working and having the sort of resources I have never had before.

"I am looking forward to trying to invest those resources in the best possible players we can find to make sure we can compete at the highest level against the sides in the Premiership, and ultimately to try to break into the big four.

"This club is capable of doing that - that is why I am here.

"I have no qualms about restoring discipline. I can do that. I have got no problems. If there is any unrest in the dressing room, it will be my job to find out and resolve those problems.

"The only way the club will get success is by having a team spirit where everybody fights for each other and everybody looks after each other.

"If we do not get that, it does not matter how good your players are, you will get those factions and you will get those Chinese whispers that can cause a distraction from what the ultimate goal is.

"Everybody here at Newcastle wants success, so we should all pull the same way to get that.

"But if there is anything to sort out in the dressing room, that would not be a problem from my point of view.

"I will find out where it is, I will sort it out and then we will get on with it."