RJB Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sporteditors/2007/01/bbc_sport_website_in_transfer.html It seems that Hargreaves will write a weekly column for BBC.com that will run on Tuesdays, simliar to what Kevin Nolan does. I'm curious what he will write about? Anyway, readers get a chance to write to him and ask questions, so maybe we could get a few things answered... hahaha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loud Mouth Soup Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I have a few: Are you aware of the hatred among Canadian footy fans for you? Why are you such a douchebag? Can I punch you in the groin? No, really-can I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hottoddy7 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I clicked on the link and then their was a link to Mr.Hargreaves homepage. The headline said that he had enjoyed spending the winter break at HOME with his family in CALGARY. What a Jackass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted January 9, 2007 Author Share Posted January 9, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6234121.stm By Owen Hargreaves England and Bayern Munich midfielder Let's get one thing straight as I start my first BBC Sport column - this is a place where I will be airing my views, not discussing idle rumours and speculation. I'm sure you are all more than aware that there has been a lot of talk involving myself moving to Manchester United. But that is something I'm not prepared to discuss in this column. That's for other people to do. Owen Hargreaves at Bayern Munich's training camp in Dubai It has been tough work at Bayern Munich's training camp in Dubai Don't get me wrong, I know this type of speculation is part and parcel of being a footballer and that goes especially for me because my situation is so different to that of other players. I was born and raised in Canada, I moved to Munich at a young age and I have been here for a long time. I play for England, yet I have never played in the Premiership. I guess it is understandable that all the fans and the media want to be able to see me in the Premiership so that is why there is so much speculation. It has happened before, where people tend to say anything for a story, but all I am prepared to say is that I think this time it is a bit different because it is kind of concrete. This isn't just your average speculation, there is some kind of information behind all of this, which is probably why the story has gone on for so long. Personally, I don't find it particularly frustrating. After all, I cannot control what people write or when those people choose to do a story, can I? There are so many journalists out there and stories travel so quickly nowadays. I am in Dubai at the moment at a mid-season training camp with Bayern Munich and if I do a story with a local journo it is all over the world on the internet within minutes. I'm not the sort of guy who likes to make headlines and always be reading about myself. But at this present moment it's a major topic in Germany because I play there and it's a major topic in England because that's where a club wants to sign me, so it's all pretty intense right now. I have probably said three things on the speculation in the past six months but it gets drawn out anyway It is kind of funny really because it has got to the stage where my life is almost defined by this. The only thing people ever ask me is 'When are you going to sign for Manchester United?' It's like I've never done anything else in my whole life! It doesn't bother me, it just takes on a life of its own after a while and until there is a conclusion it will carry on. Me personally - I have probably said three things on it in the last six months but it is an everyday topic because the press draws it out - and that is what they are very good at. I have to say I'm not massively aware of what the English press says about me, although I get the gist of it. I don't pay attention to the good or the bad, I'm far more interested in what my coaches and team-mates are saying about me and whether they are happy. I could have easily come back from last summer's World Cup and had a rubbish game for England against Greece and then all the good press I had built up would have disappeared. In England, the press speculation is a lot more intense than it is in Germany. In some countries you are famous for being an athlete so they write only about that, not who you are dating or what you are wearing. But other places are different. In England you are a public person and everything you do will be spoken about, so I guess that would take a bit of getting used to. Owen Hargreaves breaks his leg playing for Bayern Munich in September Being in a cast and unable to move properly makes you really appreciate being able to walk again The thing is, if you choose to play in a certain country, you have to accept the way it is and then adapt to it. I must admit though, I would rather people asked me how the injury is going as I continue to recover from my broken leg. I broke it in September and it was a bit of a freak break to be honest. The timing wasn't great because it was not long after the World Cup and I was enjoying playing for England and Bayern a great deal. I'm not the best watcher, so rocking up to Bayern games and having to sit through them is pretty horrible. It was hard at first. I had a cast from my toes to my hip and could barely move and when the cast came off I had to get used to walking again, using joints that hadn't moved for weeks. It makes you appreciate being able to walk and things like going upstairs. When you are an athlete and something like that is taken away from you so abruptly, it's terrible. But I'm coming along fine at the moment and in a couple of weeks I should be able to join the other players in a full-on training session. Just being in Dubai is brilliant, to be honest. We've had a terrible winter in Munich, one of the worst in recent memory, so to be out in the sunshine in shorts and T-shirts is great. I just can't wait to start playing football again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishman Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Seriously, isn't the issue of Hargreaves choosing England over Canada dead yet? Groin kicks? Douche bag? Come on now, put things into perspective. Most of the pundits on this board don't rate him highly as a footballer - I needn't go through the miles of postings to substantiate that opinion. So it seems silly to suggest that Hargreaves was to be the messiah of Canadian football. What he is - and he is fantastic at it, regardless of what most of the Voyageurs say - is a fetch and carry player. A defensive midfielder with some flexibility. He runs after the ball, wins tackles, and gets the ball to skilled teammates. The value of such players - Essien, Gattuso, Makelele, Viera, Keane in his day - is massive. But only to skilled teams. For whom would Hargreaves have done the dirty work? DeRosario? Bernier? Serioux? Hey, all very nice players, but not the same standard, I wouldn't think, as Lampard, Cole, Rooney, et al. Hargreaves would not have carried Canada to the promised land - the World Cup. Not likely, anyway. What he will do is reap massive rewards from his impending transfer to the Premiership, compete for England in another Euro, and probably another World Cup. He will continue to appear in the Champions League, retire a very wealthy man, and for his troubles, he will suffer the vitriol of the majority of Voyageurs. Wow. Pretty tough. The reality is this: Hargreaves left a country to ply his trade overseas (that NEVER happens, does it? I have never heard of a welder leaving Canada to work on an offshore oil platform in the Carribean, or a physicist moving to the US for research at a particle accelerator, or hey, maybe an immigrant coming to Canada for a better chance at living a dream). He choose to represent a country based on birth rights (how many Voyageurs have dual citizenship? How many of you would use where your mother or father was born to gain a passport to allow you to work elsewhere, or even travel more easily?) and professional ambition. Weird. He left Canada at 16...this year will mark his tenth season in Europe. Much of his adolescence, and all of his adulthood, has been spent in Germany. But for the majority of you, he should be always looked upon with hatred, instead of cheered for living a dream, because hey, he was born here, went to Grade 10 here, and should have a Maple Leaf tattooed to his arse. Instead, maybe, just maybe, we should say, well done Owen Hargreaves. It is too bad we didn't have any development structure of which to speak here in Canada. Too bad we didn't have a professional league of any note (oops...no professional league, period). Too bad we had silly, daft rules in place that precluded you from being selected as an age-group NT player when underage (doesn't matter if you were good enough...sorry, I digress). Maybe we should realize Canada couldn't provide the development he needed, or the opportunities he craved. Maybe we should be in awe that he was the only player from outside the UK chosen to represent England at the World Cup in 2002. Perhaps we should be proud to watch him be valued at 20 million pounds, chased by massive clubs like Man Utd. Nah. Kick him in the groin. Whatever...most of you are crabs in a bucket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 As fans of Canadian soccer, it's not our role to say well done to the Whore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishman Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 You don't need to say well done to the "whore." But you don't need to continually flog the dead horse. Quit scapegoating Hargreaves for the state of Canadian soccer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 No one is saying that it's OH fault if canadian soccer is in it's current situation but if all of our best players (like JDG2) are using the same FIFA regulations to play for another country Canadian soccer will never have the chance to improve. Imagine a midfield of OH as a def mid and JD2 as an offensive mid, and let's put Atiba in there......very strong by CONCACAF standards if you ask me..... I don't use insults to describe him but I don't like how he acted. BTW, how can you say that 15 yrs old OH was good enough for that U-17 NT in 1996? Were you there??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishman Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Hargreaves was considered good enough, but apparently the CSA had a disclaimer against using underage players. I watched Hargreaves play at that age while he was with the Calgary Celtic. He was an outstanding talent...if we could go back and take a look at the players taken ahead of him, you would clearly see the difference. I agree that Hargreaves would be a fantastic anchor in the midfield for the likes of DeGuzman Jr. And perhaps if a player like OH had chosen Canada, players like JDG2 would be more likely to don the Maple Leaf. But that is a moot point. Loyola, at least you have a level head about the whole thing. I too would have preferred to have seen OH choose Canada, and don't like to see him suit up for the Three Lions all that much. But since he has, we might as well make peace with it and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I will never make peace. That man should not be allowed back in this country. You are Canadian at 15 but not at 26? How does that work? Piece of ****! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 The explanations given by the U-17 coach (I've read that somewhere) was that OH was the last one cut from the team (so why invited him if they had a politic about it???) and that he was very talented. I think the coach suggested that OH didn't have the body to compete with the other players at that time (which is logical since he was 15 and the other players 16 and 17). I'm at peace with OH but I will condemn his attitude for the rest of my life, and his comments doesn't help either: Like masster said he was canadian when he tried out for our U-17 in 1996 and now he's english??? How does that work??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 quote:Originally posted by fishman The reality is this: Hargreaves left a country to ply his trade overseas (that NEVER happens, does it? I have never heard of a welder leaving Canada to work on an offshore oil platform in the Carribean, or a physicist moving to the US for research at a particle accelerator, or hey, maybe an immigrant coming to Canada for a better chance at living a dream). He choose to represent a country based on birth rights (how many Voyageurs have dual citizenship? How many of you would use where your mother or father was born to gain a passport to allow you to work elsewhere, or even travel more easily?) and professional ambition. Weird. This is a dumb argument. One cannot respresent a country in a welding competition or phyisics tournament. He left Canada to become a professional footballer. Yes Would playing for Canada restrict his ability to be a professional footballer? No. It's incredible that you cannot distinguish the two. Owen is a whore for one reason only, and that is because he choose his nationality by convenience. When he's not playing in Germany, he comes 'home' to Calgary, along with his Canadian girlfriend. When he's speaking to the British press, he's "British, who just so happened to be raised in Canada". Which one is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishman Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 This is quite funny, actually. Firstly, OH left Canada to chase a dream, and part of that, whether we like it or not, included representing a country that could further his career and has a chance to not only qualify, but consistently finish in the top 8 at the World Cup. I can distinguish between the two arguments, Rudi. It just seems people can't make peace that for him, playing football at the highest possible level included international play. FIFA defines nationality differently than do we. Based on FIFA definitions, Quebec could probably field a team, as does Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, despite being part of the UK. I don't want this to be a political discussion. It isn't. What this discussion has become is a forum to hate, despise and detest Hargreaves for choosing England over Canada. And that hatred doesn't help Canadian soccer, nor does calling him a whore, bastard, or wishing death upon him and his family bring us closer to qualifying for a World Cup. People need to get some perspective. Yeah, it would have been nice to see Hargreaves choose the country of his birth. He didn't. Oh well. Life, and Canadian soccer, goes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 quote:Originally posted by fishman Firstly, OH left Canada to chase a dream, and part of that, whether we like it or not, included representing a country that could further his career and has a chance to not only qualify, but consistently finish in the top 8 at the World Cup. Why did he want to represent Canada when he was 15 then? Are you saying his dream changed? Are you saying he became less Canadian and more British by moving to Germany? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloucester in FLA Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 quote:Originally posted by masster I will never make peace. That man should not be allowed back in this country. You are Canadian at 15 but not at 26? How does that work? Piece of ****! And what is up with that bloody accent of his? Did he pick it up while at Bayern? Last I checked, Munich is in Germany, not the UK. I find that happens way too much, Canadians going overseas to play, and all of a sudden they have a British accent . You'd never see a Brit come to Canada at 15-16 and not retain his accent for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
River City Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 quote:Originally posted by fishman Whatever...most of you are crabs in a bucket. Ok there K-os. BTW, the Whore's writing ability is crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 fishman I think you need to put something in perspective. This is a sports forum where sports fans slander athletes who piss them off and cheer on athletes who make them feel good. Welcome to the world of sports. Now with that being said, all national teams and clubs with any history at all have their villains and I think Own Hargreaves, had he played this switcheroo game with any other country, would be receiving a lot more than idle threats about groin punches, don't you? We're not nutters, we're having a laugh here. Do you also weep for Sol Campbell when the Yids fans slag him off? Oh poor baby. Real fans appreciate loyalty and need it from their heroes. Owen is a constant reminder to us why. We'll beat this dead horse until the end of his career, because that's what supporters do to their team's villain. Why should we be any different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishman Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Yes, Soju, it is true that everyone loves to give stick to scapegoats (Hargreaves)... we all like conspiracies (Pellerud / Kerfoot)...and nothing seems to light up these forums more than clashes of opinion, hatred of players or slagging the CSA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Here's a great quote - Craig Forrest today on Soccercentral, talking about David Edgar: "He's more English than at least one member of England's national team". No prizes for guessing which English national team member he was referring to....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john tv Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 It is funny that happens in so many countries,athletes switching countries because the glory is around the corner. Hey, Canada has benefitted from this I am sure at the Olympic level.I never felt anything bad about it.I guess we are all going throug a learning curve and with the presence of TFC I sincerely hope that they will have a vehicle in place to satisfy any aspiring soccer player.I suppose that the OH,JD affairs will necessatae some major changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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