Why Michael Owen and Alan Shearer fell out 10 years ago at Newcastle

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker labelled Shearer’s response to his regret at joining Newcastle as a “cheap dig”

Michael Owen and Alan Shearer have engaged in a Twitter feud to reignite hostility between the pair that stems from their time at Newcastle together 10 years ago.

Owen admitted “regret” at joining the Magpies from Real Madrid and after failing to charm the fans at St. James’ Park, he remarked that he didn’t need to justify himself “to f***ing Newcastle fans”.

A £17 million signing from the Bernabeu, Owen was handsomely paid by Newcastle on a reported £120,000 per week, yet played just 71 times in the Premier League in four injury-hit years, something that appears to grind with Shearer.

Shearer maintains he also couldn’t wait for Owen to retire after recalling comments from Owen reflecting on the latter stages of his career since retiring.

But Owen claims the pair were “very good friends” but, from his perspective, their feud began when Shearer failed to lead Newcastle to survival in his short stint as manager and partly blamed his striker’s reluctance to return from injury for relegation in 2009.

“Sadly, this feud has continued to the present day,” Owen writes in his new book Reboot, serialised in the Mirror. ”The more I think about it, the more I understand why Alan behaves the way he does and continues to spread negativity about me whenever he can.

“He was brought in at St. James’ Park as the saviour, the local boy. It could have been a great story. But he failed. Newcastle United were relegated. Perhaps rather than examine his own shortcomings, it felt easier to blame Michael Owen.

Owen recalls the remaining weeks of that season while recovering from injury and maintains he offered to play in the pivotal final game against Aston Villa, where Newcastle required a draw to survive.

Alan Shearer has hit out at Michael Owen (Getty)

He admits he was happy to play, despite not being fully fit, but claims Shearer made an insinuation he was already considering his next move with his contract set to expire that summer, with the pair failing to clear the air face to face since.

“It wasn’t until three months later, I discovered that Alan Shearer was apparently seething with me,” Owen adds. “Not only that, it transpired that he was telling anyone who’d listen what he thought of me.

“When you analyse it, it all makes sense. Shearer’s record as manager in the last eight games of that 2008/2009 season was dire: lost 5, drew 2, won 1. These are hardly God-like stats. The truth is, the damage was done long before we went to Villa Park needing to draw.”