Apologies for the headline.

I was going to write about Michael Owen’s hat-trick in the post-match review but I have been thinking of writing something on Michael Owen for a couple of weeks and now seems as good a time as any to do so.

When it was announced that Michael Owen had signed for Manchester United in the summer, it was met with all kinds of reaction.

Surprise by most, anger by some and dismay by others.

Some of us thought that Fergie had just pulled off a masterstroke.

In a crazy transfer market where even young, inexperienced and unproven players are being bought and sold for tens of millions, to get a seasoned, proven goal-machine for FREE seemed too good to be true. What exactly was the downside of signing Michael Owen?

The worst that could happen would be that we could end up paying the guy to keep the physio’s table warm in the week and the bench warm at the weekend.

This was never going to happen though. After five years in the wilderness that took him on a downward spiral from Liverpool to Newcastle via Madrid, Michael was hungry for the kind of success that the eighteen year old Owen looked destined to achieve.

Part of the anger from the United fans when we signed him was because of the “Liverpool Connection” but it is five years since he played for Liverpool and the manner of his departure from there and the fact that Liverpool didn’t take him back on the free transfer suggests that the relationship he had with his former club is now well and truly over.

The other reason for the anger was more down to a weird kind of vanity on the part of some Manchester United supporters.

We always like to think that we support the biggest and the best club in the world and some seem to believe that this should mean that we sign the best players for the biggest amounts, not “has-been crocks on free transfers.”

The indignity felt was increased because our City rivals were spending money like it was going out of fashion whilst we appeared to be rummaging through the bargain bucket. Having just sold our star player for £80 Million, few could understand why Fergie didn’t just go out an spend it on a couple of “stars”.

It didn’t even seem to matter to these people if the names they were touting would even work out at Manchester United and genuinely add something to the cause. They just seemed to want to see Fergie spend £50 Million on someone to show that United are still one of the big boys in the transfer market.

Showing the kind of financial restraint that would have brought tears of pride to any self respecting Scotsman, Fergie stubbornly kept his hands firmly in his pockets, brought in a winger from Wigan and a virtual unknown from Bordeaux.

And Michael Owen for free.

The stats show that Michael Owen has now scored seven goals in twenty appearances for Manchester United and a 1:3 goals to games ratio isn’t too shabby by any means but when you consider that the majority of those appearances have been as a late substitute, you realise that Michael Owen has actually scored one goal every 112 minutes which is almost a 1:1 goals to games ratio.

Last nights hat-trick was pleasing for all kinds of reasons.

Firstly, all three goals were different as Michael showed off the array of goal-scoring talents he possesses.

The first was a header (hardly the sort of goal he is reknown for), the second was great movement to make an ocean of space which meant that Obertan merely had to get the ball into that space, the third was a great run with the ball at his feet before clipping it coolly over the keeper.

This third was probably the best of the lot because it showed that whilst he is not as fast as he was ten years ago (who is?) he was still quick enough to get away from the defenders, it also came in the last minute of what had been a tough ninety minutes for Michael as he had to do a shift for us in midfield as well as attack. With our depleted defence, there was no room for passengers in the team and everyone had to do their bit defensively, Michael worked as hard as anyone out there.

After all that, he still had the legs to make the run and the presence of mind to finish it off.

When Michael first arrived at United, he wasn’t fully fit and it has taken him this long to get to full fitness but he is clearly as fit as he has been for years right now and this suggests that the best is yet to come from Michael.

Yes, a £50 Million striker would have been nice but give me Owen on a free any day and on last night’s evidence, who is to say that the £50 Million striker could have done any better?