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OWEN SET TO RETURN TO GOLDEN WAYS

December 5th 1999
Michael Owen might have guessed his luck was going to turn a few hours before he became the youngest ever winner of the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award this time last year. Owen arrived at the glittering bash unruffled on the outside but angry with himself for having had a penalty saved by Neil Sullivan a few hours earlier as Liverpool slipped to a frustrating defeat at Wimbledon. Looking back, maybe that fluffed spot-kick was an omen.

Nearly 12 months on and Owen could be forgiven for thinking "good riddance" as he hands back the trophy next week. After all, it hasn't brought him the best of fortune in a year when hamstring injuries have blighted his career and his ability and even integrity have been questioned. When he did return from injury he was clearly ring-rusty. Suddenly fingers were being pointed and Owen was in unfamiliar territory for the first time in his brief but glittering career.

There was justified criticism for a reckless two-footed challenge on David Weir in the Merseyside derby when only referee Mike Riley's amazing leniency allowed him to stay on the pitch. Then after one ineffective game against Scotland, the kid feted as our finest footballing discovery for years found his ability to play at the highest level under intense scrutiny. On top of that, some ill-informed Liverpool fans wrote to their local paper in the build-up to the England-Scotland games questioning whether Owen was more interested in playing for his country than his club.

Then last week he was accused of "diving" on a miserable afternoon at West Ham when he missed a good chance, had a "goal" disallowed and was sarcastically cheered all the way to the bench by Hammers fans when he limped off with cramp. So now, nine days before his 20th birthday, England's golden boy is understandably feeling a bit tarnished, although he always knew this was likely to happen. After Robbie Fowler had damaged his cruciate ligaments back in February 1998 to wreck his World Cup chances, Owen said quite prophetically: "What has happened to Robbie sends a shudder down your spine.

One minute everything is going well for you, the next it can all turn sour. Everything has gone right for me so far, but I know one day there will be a downside. That is the way of things in football and I have to be ready for it." And Owen can rely on the support of Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, who is convinced he can bounce back as a player while emerging from the "low" period a stronger person.

"Michael is only young but he is strong-minded and he will come through this," said Houllier. "These setbacks help a player mature. It happened to Robbie and and I'm sure it will be the same for Michael." Significantly, Owen will be back in harness with a fit-again Fowler, at least for some part of today's TV clash with Sheffield Wednesday at Anfield. It will be only the second time this season they have figured together because of injuries and Houllier is hoping it can be the launch pad for a great partnership. "We're nearly halfway through the season and yet Michael and Robbie have only played 60 minutes together," added Houllier. "And even in the hour they had together Robbie was not fit. They are my first-choice strike-force, it's been frustrating not to have them both, but I'm convinced they will come back to their best. "The only answer they can give to their critics is through their football. People wonder if they can play together, but I know they can. They have different assets but can blend well and lay on goals for each other. I prefer to have the two of them rather than one." Both Owen and Fowler will have special reasons for scoring this afternoon. Owen, who will be making his 99th appearance for Liverpool, hasn't managed a goal at Anfield since February 20 while Fowler needs one to chalk up his 150th for Liverpool.

OWEN TO LAND BIG BOOT DEAL

December 5th 1999
Umbro are ready to kick rival sport companies into touch by giving Michael Owen the first £1million-a-season boot deal. The Liverpool striker has over two years of his current contract to run, but advanced bidding has already seen two rival firms place lucrative deals with his advisers, the Marquee Group. Umbro, who retain the talents of Alan Shearer, also represented by the Marquee Group, are expected to tie the Liverpool star to an extended seven-year contract. Owen's planned Umbro deal will smash the British boot record held by his Liverpool team-mate Robbie Fowler, who earns £500,000 a season with Nike. Owen spent last week with his sponsors testing out a revolutionary boot to be launched in February next year.

TOP TEN BRITISH BOOT DEALS
1) Robbie Fowler (Liverpool) Nike...................£500,000
2) Alan Shearer (Newcastle) Umbro................£480,000
3) Ryan Giggs (Man Utd) Reebok...................£475,000
4) Dwight Yorke (Man Utd) Nike.....................£375,000
5) Andy Cole (Man Utd) Nike..........................£375,000
6) Roy Keane (Man Utd) Diadora....................£280,000
7) David Beckham (Man Utd) Adidas..............£250,000
8) Jamie Redknapp (Liverpool) Nike................£250,000
9) Michael Owen (Liverpool) Umbro.................£250,000
10) Paul Scholes (Man Utd) Nike....................£225,000

OWEN FOR ENGLAND?

19th November 1999
The sidestep Michael Owen gave the Press corps in the Wembley tunnel on Wednesday night was achieved to masterful effect. As he came out of the England dressing-room, Owen adopted the posture that has been his hallmark on the pitch - head down and with only one target in his mind as he headed for sanctuary. His head did not move, even as the waiting media bayed for a word with the boy wonder. Nothing was going to distract him from his bid to get out of Wembley as quickly as he could. The shame for Kevin Keegan, England and Owen himself was that, for the second time in five days, the Liverpool striker had demonstrated none of that concentration of effort against Scotland.

When Keegan hauled him off after 63 largely ineffective minutes, sending on Emile Heskey in his place, the dominant emotion was one of pity rather than regret. Barely 17 months on from his unforget-table goal for England and Argentina in Saint-Etienne, which lit up France 98 and appeared to signal Owen's arrival as a genuine force in the game, it was difficult to escape the feeling that his game has gone worryingly backwards. Perhaps the problem was one more of Owen's own making. So desperate was the 19- year-old to play against the Scots that he declared himself fit, despite having played just 90 minutes for his club in the previous three weeks.

For all the bravado of youth, the insouciance that enabled him to tell England coach Keegan face-to-face that he was ready, the reality was that he was not. The possibility remains that he never will be fully ready again. The hamstring which tore so painfully and publicly at Elland Road last March is unlikely ever to heal 100 per cent, as even Owen conceded last week.

Pressed on his general condition, he said: 'We diagnosed that my hamstrings were doing a lot of the work to keep my body upright and that the muscles around my pelvis weren't working properly. So, when the hamstrings were asked to make me run, they were already tired from doing overtime. 'Before and after training, I spend half-an-hour stretching and strengthening the muscles. It's a process that I'll do for the rest of my career.' That is a long-term concern but there were short-term problems for Owen and Keegan to address after the Wembley debacle. While Owen's pace remains his major asset, speed over the ground is not in itself sufficient
to take on and terrorise international defenders. One-trick ponies do not win the gymkhana, no matter how clever that trick might be.

Owen's personal adviser Tony Stephens, who also represents Alan Shearer, has a justified reputation as an astute and sensible businessman in an arena more customarily identified with rogues. Yet, it has been claimed that since Stephens threw in Owen's lot with the Marquee Group, he has perhaps taken his eye off the ball a little and, while the youngster remains startlingly level-headed for one thrust so early into fame and fortune, some might suggest his time would be better spent improving the footballing skills which make him so marketable. What is so evident after Wembley is that - like too many of Keegan's squad - Owen remains staggeringly one-footed and believes that pure acceleration will be sufficient to unlock opposing defences.

Now what is needed is more guile, more craft, the unexpected something that sifts the greats from the pretenders. At the moment, for all that blistering turn of foot, Owen has become predictable, particularly at the highest level. Hampden and Wembley demonstrated that. Nobody would ever doubt that Owen is a gem but he is still a rough diamond yet to be polished. There are many who believe he will become truly priceless.

OWEN:"I'M UP TO THE JOB"

11th November 1999
Michael Owen insists he is the man to partner Alan Shearer in the Euro 2000 Battle of Britain. Liverpool's teenage star
says he is fully fit after a hamstring scare and ready to renew his international strike partnership with the England captain. The pair haven't started a game under Kevin Keegan but the England boss dropped a hint that it was his number one strikeforce - if Owen can prove he is match fit. Owen said: ''I hope to be the one who partners Alan Shearer. I'm confident in my ability to do it. I've played up front with Alan in the World Cup and I certainly enjoy playing with him. It's a massive match and one I'd hate to miss.''

Shearer and Owen have only started seven England games in tandem. They were thrown together by Glenn Hoddle in
Switzerland before the World Cup and again towards the end of France 98. But Howard Wilkinson was the last man to name them in the same line-up, against France, in February. And, despite, memorable moments from Owen in the World Cup, the duo have still to prove they can forge a total understanding.

Owen said: ''We haven't played together many times but we were reasonably successful in the World Cup against Colombia and Argentina. I think we both looked dangerous in those games. So, if those games are what we're judging by, I'd be reasonably happy. I'd go into the game full of confidence.'' In fact, the 19-year-old, who was a supporter in the Wembley stands when Shearer scored against Scotland in Euro 96, believes his own style can dovetail nicely with the England captain. Owen said: ''A lot of people say you need a target man and a small player who is quick and lively. He's a very good target man. He's strong, good in the air and I'd like to think it would work.''

Andy Cole sparked a storm when he claimed England's other strikers were vying for just one place alongside Shearer and Owen admitted the England skipper couldn't be dropped on current form. So Keegan must decide whether to risk Owen, who has started seven games since mid-April and completed just three of them, or go with Cole, who has been in terrific form for Manchester United but missed training yesterday because of a kick on the calf. ''Maybe we are fighting for one position but it's a position well worth fighting for,'' Owen said. If Keegan needs extra evidence of Owen's suitability for a place in the starting line-up the youngster will point him to his record against Scottish teams. Owen scored for Liverpool against Celtic in the UEFA Cup in 1997 at Parkhead - an occasion which the teenager describes as the best atmosphere he has ever witnessed in a match.

He scored against Scotland Under-16s and netted the goal he rates as the best of his life against Scotland at Under-15 level. Owen said: ''They had just scored to make it 1-1 and we needed to beat them. Straight from the restart, Kenny Lunt, who now plays for Crewe, tapped the ball to me and told me to run. I looked up at them and half of the team were still celebrating on the right-hand side of the pitch so there were only about five players to beat. I ran through and whacked it in the top corner. The camera shows me running from about 30 yards out but it was actually from the half-way
line.''

FOWLER'S FINISHING BETTER THAN OWEN -
RUDDOCK

11th November 99
Former Liverpool defender Neil Ruddock believes Robbie Fowler is a better finisher than Michael Owen - and reckon's
Owen would probably agree with him. In five seasons at Anfield, Ruddock watched the development of Michael Owen. He could be named as Alan Shearer's strike-partner against Scotland at Hampden Park on Saturday, if he can prove his fitness to Kevin Keegan. Ruddock said: ''You could see Michael Owen was a player going right to the top. I played in a reserve game with him when he was 16 or 17 and you could see the talent. But I'm a great admirer of Robbie Fowler. I think Robbie is a better finisher and Michael would probably agree with me.''

Owen To Partner Shearer If Fit' Says Keegan

10th November 99
KEVIN KEEGAN has revealed that Michael Owen will partner Alan Shearer against Scotland this weekend - but only if he can prove his match-fitness in the build-up to the Euro 2000 play-off. Keegan has never wavered from his publicly expressed conviction following the World Cup that Owen and Shearer would be his first-choice strike partnership. However, just as before England's three previous games, a huge question mark still surrounds Owen's match-fitness - and that could open the door for in-form understudy Andy Cole, while Kevin Phillips also lurks in the wings.

The dilemma is one of three major issues to be resolved before the first leg at Hampden as Keegan attempts to play down the hype, even though he admits that the historic fixture often means more in Scotland than it does south of the border. The England boss, who will not publicly name his line-up until just before Saturday's kick-off, must also decide between David Seaman and Nigel Martyn in goal as well as whether to play wing-backs or a back four. Seaman keeping his place behind a back five appears to be the most likely scenario but the situation is much less clear over the identity of Shearer's strike partner.
Keegan said: ''It's really a case of if Michael's fully fit then there has to be a place in the England side for him because he gives you something. You saw what happened against Belgium. Suddenly the defenders went back another five or ten yards because they're scared about the pace he's got. That helps other players.

''But you can't ignore the things that have happened either. You have to keep it in perspective. What's happened between the
World Cup and now is that the lad has been out for a while, he has missed a few games and he has gone out again. If you talk about him being 100% by Saturday, then in himself, yes I think he will be. He's a young lad and he's very fit. But if you're talking about being match-fit then that's where your slight doubt comes in because he hasn't played that many games.

"You could look at it two ways. You could say 'give us an hour' or 'you're probably not match-fit enough to start, what about coming on and giving us something like against Belgium that you did for the last 35 minutes?' Let's look at the rest of the training all week and judge it then, but he's certainly trained fantastically this morning. He's always got a lot of enthusiasm and that's never going to go. He always wants to play.'' Having come back from four months out with a hamstring problem, the Liverpool striker suffered the setback of a similar but unrelated injury against Southampton last month. But Owen insisted that he had only missed five days' training at his club and that, with his confidence boosted by his dazzling display as a substitute against Belgium, he was desperate to return to the England starting line-up for the first time since February. ''I've got no problems at all with my fitness. My hamstrings are totally cleared up and I'm not getting any stiffness or problems afterwards,'' said Owen. ''I'm confident in my ability to partner Alan Shearer. I've played up front with him in the World Cup and in all the games, so I certainly enjoy playing with him. It's a massive match and one that I'd hate to miss.''

Indeed, the irony on the first day's training at the England camp was that while Owen did take part it was Cole who missed the session for treatment to a knock on his calf. Keegan nevertheless remains confident that the Manchester United forward will be training again by Thursday and said: ''Andy doesn't miss games if you look at his record. When he gets kicked he comes back pretty quickly.'' The England boss also maintained that Cole's recent outburst against Shearer, when he expressed his frustration that the England captain had been an automatic choice for the past three national coaches, would not count against him. ''There's not a problem there. I know that if I put the two of them in the team together then they will play. That's the only thing that concerns me,'' he said.

Cole was one of six players who did not take part in yesterday's work-out, but Shearer, Jamie Redknapp and Martin Keown are expected to train tomorrow while Tony Adams, who only completed half the session, should also be fit for Saturday. Ray Parlour and Steve McManaman must meanwhile prove their fitness by Thursday evening, although Phil Neville and David Beckham would appear the favourites to start as wing-backs anyway if Keegan uses a back three. Even if he reverts to a back four, Keegan realises that at least one player will have to be used out of position and he accepted predecessor Terry Venables' words of warning to that effect given the restrictions forced upon him by injuries. The England boss said: ''I thought it was common sense. I've sat where Terry is now and have done the same thing so I can't turn round to him and say it's ridiculous.

''But I still think there's enough experience in there to ask one player maybe to play in a position that is a little bit foreign to him at club level. I'll not be asking him to do something he can't do. Just because it hasn't worked in the past doesn't mean to say that it won't work at Hampden. It's another game, another opportunity.'' The one thing that Keegan will not be doing just yet is fuelling the hype already surrounding the fixture, but even though his comments were more guarded than usual there was still room for just one minor note of controversy.''I sometimes think in Scotland that it probably means more than it does down here. I don't mean that to be unkind because they're big games to play in but it's the Auld Enemy and that sort of thing, '' he said.

LIVERPOOL 2-0 DERBY: HOULLIERS VIEW

8th November 1999
Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier welcomed back Michael Owen after the 2-0 win over Derby - and declared the Reds' season back on track. Houllier said: "Michael did well considering he was coming back from injury. I took him off in those final minutes to avoid a repetition of the injury which can come at the end of matches. "But he looked all right, more than all right actually. He's fully match fit for England, he wouldn't have started for me today if he hadn't been.

OWEN FIT FOR ENGLAND DUTY

Michael Owen was today declared fit for England action by Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier. Owen made his comeback following a hamstring problem in the 2-0 home win over Derby which elevated Liverpool to fifth place in the Premiership. The teenage striker played 80 minutes of Liverpool's fourth successive home win before being withdrawn from the fray. Houllier said: ''Michael did well considering he was coming back from injury. I took him off in those final minutes to avoid a repetition of the injury which can come at the end of matches. But he looked all right, more than all right actually. He's fully match fit for England, he wouldn't have started for me today if he hadn't been.''

Houllier, who celebrates a year in solo control of Liverpool at the end of the week, said of today's win: ''The virtue we showed against Derby was patience. It was not our best performance but it was a very, very good Liverpool performance. ''We had a fine start with plenty of chances, but then the game went a bit dead. In the second half we had to be careful but we never panicked or hurried our football. In a game like that you need some individual brilliance and that's what Danny Murphy provided.'' Murphy scored his first league goal for the club against a side he could easily have joined earlier in the season when he was out of the squad. Four minutes after Murphy's goal Jamie Redknapp broke away to clinch the points.

The victory marked Houllier's year in charge and he pointedly underlined the differences from his first match, a 3-1 home defeat by Leeds last November. ''In that game we were 1-0 ahead, some of our players were arguing in the penalty area and Leeds broke away to score and go on to win,'' said the Frenchman. ''Maybe a year ago we wouldn't have been able to win a game like this one against Derby, who are a much better side than their position (fourth bottom) shows.''

OWEN: Club before Country

4th November 1999
Michael Owen has insisted that he is not putting his country before his club. The striker, whose hamstring injury kept him out of Monday night's win over Bradford, said: "I can't help being injured for Liverpoolgames. I've also missed England games through injury and I've never thought of England before a Liverpool match. "The only thing on my mind now is our game against Derby. We've got ourselves into a nice position in the league and it will be very good if we can get another win before we go away on international duty. "I have just scored my 50th goal for Liverpool and I have made my name with Liverpool. I've been at the club since I was around nine years old. I am one of the most Liverpool people and I can't believe I should have to defend myself." His manager Gerard Houllier said: "There are still a few days to go before the Derby game and I will see how Michael shapes up in training. If does play I know he will give the maximum as he always
does.

"Michael is a good professional who is fully aware of his club commitments. But if he is questioned about the game against Scotland then it is only natural that he gives a relevant answer. "The England-Scotland matches are dominating press coverage, so its hard for him to escape being asked about it. "But everyone at this club knows what playing for Liverpool leaves to Michael and he will continue to show it."

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