John Gibson has delivered his verdict on Michael Owen’s spat with Alan Shearer, making it very clear as to which side of the argument he is on.
The former Ballon d’Or winner came to blows with the Newcastle United legend on Twitter after Shearer reacted to excerpts from his upcoming book by implying that Owen failed to give his all for the Toon Army.
Owen then responded by suggesting that Shearer had tried to leave his local club for Liverpool at one point.
But Gibson has made no bones about who he is backing in the bust up.
Writing in his column for the Chronicle, he said: “I would like to ask:
“Who scored 206 goals for Newcastle and who didn’t? Who made 405 appearances and who didn’t? Who was passionate about the Mags and who wasn’t? Who do the Toon Army love and who don’t they? Who scored a pile of goals for Liverpool but still isn’t remembered with huge warmth on the Kop?
“Now I’ll ask one final question: who does Gibbo support and who doesn’t he?”
OPINION
Owen should have known that as soon as he opened his mouth about Newcastle United, he was always likely to face a bit of an onslaught from the locals. The Toon Army are fiercely loyal, and even though they might have seen better days, they will defend their club to the hilt against anybody they think is disrespecting it. Owen has well and truly put himself in that category this week with his comments against Shearer. If there are two people you don’t question on Tyneside, it’s Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer, and whatever Owen’s motives were for trying to call out the Toon legend on Twitter, it has seriously blown up in his face. There are few people as cutting or knowledgable when it comes to the Magpies as Gibson, and in three short paragraphs he has managed to sum up perfectly exactly why Owen has been so chastised for his outburst.
