Players Under The Microscope / Frank Gregan / 07 February 2008 /

As Fabio Capello leaves Owen on the England bench, Frank Gregan wonders where the former 'Boy Wonder' goes from here...

"Michael Owen is lush" abbreviates to 'moislush'. That is the password my daughter has used on every gadget she has owned from the age of eight. She is also a Geordie, born during a two year window when I was stationed in Newcastle. She is of course a member of the Toon Army, seduced into its ranks with promises of double pocket money every time she had the Newcastle duvet cover I'd bought her covering her bed (her mother threatened to call Social Services). The only friction in the household came every Christmas when my wife would buy her a Michael Owen calendar showing him in twelve different poses invariably wearing the outfits of Liverpool, Real Madrid and England. I tried desperately to get her to put up a calendar of my Geordie hero when she first started this crazy phase, but she was adamant that she fancied Michael Owen ahead of Peter Beardsley.

Harmony should have been restored in our household in September 2005 when Newcastle coughed up £16 million to sign the then 26 year old. It wasn't. I had reservations and did not share my daughter's enthusiasm at the news. Despite his age, Owen had an awful lot of miles on the clock and had already achieved an enormous amount. My reservations were based around his hunger and desire - from Anfield and the Bernabeu to St James Park in the eyes of the majority is a retrograde step.

While on England duty in June 2006 he suffered a dreadful injury. His game is all about pace and he was probably the best of his generation at living on the shoulder of the last defender. Once he was clear of the last man he was gone, there was no catching him, and his finishing in those situations was as good as it got. He suffered Anterior Cruciate Ligament damage and most people guessed that the extra half yard that makes the difference would be lost. They were right.

However, he is now enjoying his longest injury free spell at Newcastle and found the net against Boro' last weekend to end his barren spell. Added to this he has been given the team captaincy and has retained his place in the England squad, although he's yet to kick a ball under the new regime. But will he ever be the same again? I don't think so.

A few years back I signed the flying winger, Tony Daley for Forest Green. Daley was only 31, had played for England and suddenly found himself in the Conference plying his trade against part-time left backs. He should have been knocking the ball past them and leaving them for dead but he wasn't. A similar knee injury to Owen's was taking its toll and quite frankly he proved to be nothing out of the ordinary. A smashing lad and a great pro but that one defining feature that made him special as a footballer - that electric pace - was gone. He was as fit as he had ever been in his career, in the changing room he looked like Adonis after a month on the weights but that extra gear had vanished and was never coming back. An ACL injury will do that.

So is it all doom and gloom for Newcastle? Not a chance. I've been telling everyone that by 2010 Newcastle will have won the European Champions League, the Eurovision Song Contest and the War on Terror under King Kev. Currently however there are some cracking bets out there under "Keegan Specials". I think there is every chance that the Magpies will get their first league win against Man United two weeks on Saturday. It's just the way these things work out and I know that Mr. Keegan would "luv it, really really luv it" if he could put a dent in Ronaldo and co's title hopes. There is currently [6.0] available but I'm going to post at [9.0] and wait for a match.

The other market I like under Keegan Specials is 'Newcastle Finish'. As optimistic as I am about Newcastle, my pocket does rule my heart on bets like this. Everyone above Tottenham are just about out of reach and Spurs are now in a rich vein of form, so it looks unlikely that their position will have improved on 11th May. Looking over the shoulder, only Middlesbrough and Bolton have any realistic chance of catching them but I think Newcastle have enough to keep both of those at bay. Tenth to 13th looks a cracking bet but due to the lack of liquidity in the market I'll be posting at [2.0] and hoping for a match. There is also a market for the total points that Newcastle will gain this season. If they were to average the same as they have thus far they would end up with 42.56. I expect there will be a slight improvement in their form and consequently I will be posting at [3.0] and cheering them on to a total of between 44 and 49 points.

My daughter is now at university and we both agree that if Newcastle are to be a force in the future they will need a goal scorer of the Shearer ilk. Can Michael Owen get those goals? I personally think that MO is no longer lush, I think he is another four letter word beginning with S and ending with T. I think he is "soft" and no longer has the raw, hard edge that fuels desire. He is a multi-millionaire and has achieved so much in his short career but his best days, those moments of electric pace, are gone for good.

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