Bob Moncur slams NUFC flop Michael Owen

NEWCASTLE UNITED legend Bob Moncur today hit back at Michael Owen by telling the former England international: “You were a failure at St James’ Park.”

Owen has caused fury on Tyneside by branding the Magpies a “poor team” via his Twitter site and showing a lack of respect to the Geordie fans who paid his wages, a salary that amounted to £1.3m per goal.

Owen’s arrival in 2005 from Real Madrid cost United £17m and left the club hamstrung for years to come with all of the Northern Rock sponsorship money blown on one signing that went horribly wrong.

The former England international may well have suffered injury problems at Newcastle, but his attitude when fit left a lot to be desired in the eyes of Moncur.

Owen has also been slammed today by United managing director Derek Llambias, who said the Cheshire-born Manchester United squad player had been “the most expensive player in the club’s history”.

And Moncur backed Llambias today when he told the Chronicle: “Owen has been disrespectful to the Newcastle fans with his comments.

“He didn’t do the shirt justice and he didn’t do himself any justice.

“For me, it is just sour grapes because he was such a flop at St James’ Park.

“He failed to do his job when he was at the club. He was paid to score goals for us – and when we needed him to do that in the final few games of the season we were relegated, he didn’t, did he?”

While Owen claims to have a decent ratio of 26 Premier League goals in 58 starts, his form dipped in the last five months of the 2008/09 season which played a huge part in the Magpies being relegated.

Moncur continued: “Was it Newcastle United’s problem he couldn’t score goals?

“Was it the Newcastle fans’ problem he couldn’t score goals?