One sometimes marvels how a player changes teams and suddenly does much better.
Which of your favorite players & teams does this quote fit?
I would say that whether you are the best or worst player in the world you are a human being.
You are affected by the surroundings, the mood of people, by confidence. I am no different. The team was not playing well [...] you can’t name many players who have played well for them on a consistent basis over the years. Everyone’s standards drop.
You keep thinking: ‘This is the day I am going to score, this is the day when everyone is going to do well’, and after a while when it doesn’t happen your confidence starts draining. You are not getting a touch of the ball, you are not playing well, you are 1-0 down and it is the same old story.
This quote made me think of the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS, who have shed apparently talented players right & left this year, but the quote is Michael Owen talking about Newcastle United.
It is widely expected the world will see a different Michael Owen now that he has joined Manchester United. Scoring a goal in each of the first two friendlies he’s played for them are the early signs, and Man Utd fans are optimistic. At Newcastle Michael Owen never made the impact expected of him and the fans abandoned him.
If you are scoring goals, then everything is right and innocent little things like going home to see your family would not be misrepresented. But nobody is interested in listening to you when you are being relegated.
Will Michael Owen find his way back to world class status as a striker? Does the team one plays for make that much different in the individual’s performance?
Michael Owen is off to a good start in pre-season scoring in every game. Here’s his first goal for Manchester United.