Michael Owen Responds to Chilly St James' Park Reception

Former Magpie Michael Owen, who was booed lustily by Newcastle fans at St James' Park on Tuesday after entering the game for Manchester United, has responded to the incident via his Twitter account:

From what most of you Newcastle fans are saying you should be pleased I left the club! If i had known that earlier I could have left sooner! For the record, I tried my best in every game for Newcastle. Under KK I played well and i'll never forget the 2 I scored against Sunderland. When I meet Newcastle or Liverpool fans they all respect what I've done for their clubs. In stadiums it changes, 1 boo and the rest follow. By the way, im not looking for sympathy. As long as my family don't boo me when I walk through the door I couldn't care less!!!

http://twitter.com/#!/themichaelowen

Owen is generally criticized by the Toon Army for his seeming unwillingness to attain match fitness on Tyneside and for jumping ship following the relegation season, even upon being offered a lucrative contract. Supporters didn't seem afraid to let the striker know how they felt on Tuesday, with TV cameras catching many waving paper notes at him. A few observers have registered their distaste with the demonstration, including SB Nation's own Graham MacAree, who defended Owen on the grounds that he was free of his contract when he left.

What do you think? How did you react when the St James' faithful booed Michael Owen?