Newcastle respond to Owen tweets

Newcastle United have responded angrily to their former striker Michael Owen labelling them a "poor team" on Twitter.

After earning a new one-year contract at Manchester United, Owen tweeted on Wednesday: "Just to answer some of your tweets. Prefer playing less often in a top team than every game in a poor team. Been there and didn't enjoy it."

Magpies chairman Derek Llambias has now responded by claiming that Owen never represented good value for money.

“Michael is the most expensive signing Newcastle has ever made and I’m disappointed with his comments," Llambias told the Daily Express.

“Under Kevin Keegan’s management with us he was offered an extension of his contract at £140,000 a week, which he did not take. He was already on £133,000 a week.

“Quite honestly, what did Newcastle United get out of it? His time here cost the club some £40 million at something like £1.3 million per goal.”

Former co-owner Freddy Shepherd was also unhappy to read the striker's comments.

“We might have been a poor team, but we made him a rich man,” Shepherd said. “It’s very disappointing to hear Michael Owen say that about Newcastle. There was nothing poor about what we paid him, more than £90,000 a week.

"Look at what it cost Newcastle. We paid £16 million to Real Madrid for him and his wages over four years cost approximately £20 million. Add on the bolt-ons such as National Insurance and Owen cost £40 million over the four years he was there.

“It works out at around £500,000 for every game in a Newcastle shirt. Poor? Well, he wasn’t poorer for it.”

“He spent more time ferrying between Cheshire and Tyneside in his £3.5m helicopter.”