Two years ago Owen was playing for a team that was troubled, but, everybody knew they were not far from glory. A couple of buys, a new manager and the team could have won the title. Owen was also an automatic starter for his country. He was the country's wonder boy.Two years later he warms the bench of a team of superstars. Some will insist Mickey has moved up in the world. Others will proclaim he has taken a step back. Worst of all, his downward spiral is yet to finish.
He fled the reds to taste more of the glory he had tasted with the reds. Whilst the reds were busy winning the ultimate club competition Mickey warmed the bench. Admittedly he came off it with aplomb but he would much rather be experiencing the chance to score goals over 90 minutes as opposed to the last 20/5 minutes.
All the goals little Mickey scored he managed to endear himself to a set of fans that are renowned worldwide for being hard to please. Certainly this can be recognised as personal glory. What about the collective glory footballers crave?
Unfortunately the collective glory he sought most his team and him failed to deliver. There was no league title. No domestic cup wins. Most salient was the ignominious exit from the European Champions League which his former bright red team went on to lift.
We all know about this part of the downward spiral. You possibly wonder: what still has Mickey in that freefall? He does not seem to be spiraling uncontrollably down towards a life of drug abuse, vagrancy and jail.
Not only do none of the top four teams want to pursue little Mickey's employment, even though he would jump at a chance to return to
Yet if Owen was to play a minute (due to being fourth in line behind the three R's) part in what ever Real achieve this year whilst Crouch exceeds expectations Mickey's place could be more than simply under threat but taken. admittedly Rooney would inherit Owen's role whilst crouch would inherit Rooney's.
Crouch plays an important role which all English teams seem to depend on. He is the big lad that can score and lay on goals for others (two assists in two games for
So for Rooney to become the fisherman he needs to be scoring regularly for the scum this year. Let us presume he scores more than 25 of which he is well capable of achieving. He will then have proved he has the tools to play as an out and out striker. This at present can be doubted by no one though it remains to be proved by the man himself.
Sven's hand wil be forced. Experiments will take place. Rooney and Crouch could gel and the goals start to come from all over the place. Owen would be ejected from his once taken for granted starting position. The unthinkable has happened.
Rooney has the power Owen lacks. This gives him an extra advantage of being able to get to chances owen could not reach. Rooney being able to finish from outside and inside the box is also a more complete fisherman than Owen. he uses the lake better. His floats are specialised further than 12 yards from the metaphorical biggest catch of all.
The last worry for our lil Mickey is the fact that Rooney is a better all round footballer than him. He is almost a complete player. Almost complete player definitely complete striker. Such a fact allows Rooney the fisherman to become crouch's feeder manipulating his finishing skills to the maximum. Imagine those half volley flying.
In my head if both Crouch and Rooney would form a far better partnership than Rooney and Owen or Crouch and Owen. Owen's spiral is not yet definite nor complete. To end the downward spiral now what he needs to be doing is playing to prove and remind us that this is not the case. Even if he is playing and Rooney and Crouch both perform Owen could find himself losing still more of what he holds dear.
One could never forget about Owen but one, and it only needs to be one, could see something else they liked more. An option that whets that person's interest. i have a feeling not only will Crouch succeed where once Owen succeeded in Liverpool but also for
No longer an automatic starter for
Good luck Mickey but I am praying for the first of many memorable seasons from Crouch. I know where my loyalties lie. The warning loud and clear also needs to be heeded by Rooney but I personally fear it is Owen who has more to lose to Crouch.
Tapeworm do it for yourself and for
3 comments:
Good post ! I pity the wee man, growing up and seeing the adulation of fowler he never achieved the same status and yet he deserved it so much. i guess he paid the price for not being a scally, a goader of fans and a Sniffer of the grass. what i do know is that every time he's been written off he's scored and scored and scored and deep down like the girl who dumped you but you still think about and miss but you want to be ok - I hope things work out for lil Mickey as you put it. i still jump high when he scores for England and I'm pleased when he scores for real. Should he come back to us in light of the impending and obvious departure of Baros? Who knows.
I think people jumping on the "let's knock Michael Owen" bandwagon are way off the mark. You talk about loyalty, how hypocritical. Owen prevented us falling to middle table standards for the best part of 2 years. Won us the FA Cup, European footballer of the year, 3 against the filthy Hun, scored some great goals and gave us 7 years of nothing but excitement in the first Liverpool first team.
He was at a club 12 months ago that under Gerrard Houllier (not knocking him), was going nowhere. We were no closer to winning the title than what we were when he took charge. 30 points behind Arsenal says it all.
I am Liverpool through and through, I could not dream of supporting anybody else, yet I can not blame Michael Owen for leaving last year. He had given us a good 12 years loyal service and brought joy to millions of Liverpool fans. He had the opportunity to join a much bigger and better club with better players and IF WE ARE ALL HONEST, a much better chance of winning the Champions league as it stood this time last year (if we had gone out in the group stages which we nearly did you wouldn't be saying this).
A new country, a new language - a massive challenge. If it was about the money it would have been different but that is not his motivation. I can't believe people are laughing at the fact that he is a regular substitute at Madrid. He has done the job when called upon (as he did Liverpool) and towards the end of the season earned so much respect that the manager had to play all 3 with Raul on the left.
Michael Owen is a world class footballer. And I want to stress World Class. He proves it all the time. Every big tournament he performs, World Cup 98, 02 in Japan even though he was injured, Euro 2000 along with a poor England team. This is along with playing great for Liverpool everytime he pulled on the shirt. Peter Crouch (as much as i will support and cheer him), has a hell of long way to go before getting to his level.
Middle of June next year, baring injury, if Owen isn't starting up front along with Rooney, i will eat my hat.
I was sad to see him leave, I would welcome him back with open arms. For his decision I cannot argue with and do not blame him at all.
Michael Owen YNWA.
I have always been a support of a small quick striker partnered by a big strong player who is good in the air.
However, I don't think Owen will lose his place in the England squad, because Eriksson backs his big name stars. Owen is a big name in world football, and with he sheer presence on the pitch will scare the opposition.
Whilst at Liverpool, when Owen was on the pitch. Opponents then to stand deeper, because of their fear of his electrifying pace. And on the many occasions where Houllier would bring him off to rest his legs, the opposition would suddenly have a strong grip on the game, and have more offensive purpose to their set up.
I like the way Eriksson sticks by his players. Even when they are not going through a great patch, he still sticks by them. This is good, because the last thing a footballer wants, is a manager who doesn't trust your ability, or be willing to back you through the bad patches.
I do feel though, that Rooney does not supply enough chances for Owen. It was obvious in the game against Colombia (I think), in that recent tour in America, when Owen was partnered by Crouch. Owen had so many more chances on goal, and he finished off his chances as well.
However, in the games where I have seen Rooney partnering Owen. Owen gets so few chances. I find it frustrating in many respects, mostly because I am hugely biast to Owen when it comes to their partnership. One of Rooney's goals against...someone in the European Championships, I can't remember who, he played a one-two with Owen. However, in that situation, Owen was clear through on goal. Rooney simply had to lift the ball over the top and he would have been one on one. Instead, he played the ball behind Owen, and made a darting run forward, in which Owen returned the pass, Rooney went on...one on one, and scored. Owen got one goal in that tournament, and set up about 3 of Rooney's goals. Rooney didn't set up a single chance for Owen. Maybe I analyse it too intensely? Maybe it was just a coincidence? But for me, from the actions that I saw, it makes me lead to the conclusion that Rooney is selfish and wants personal glory ahead of the team.
Another thing I noticed in the Euro Champs, is that Owen and Rooney made the same runs, but it was always Owen who would adjust his run to suit Rooney. If you have noticed it, then watch carefully in the future. Write it down on a pad now! Just in case you forget! Rooney makes the run and sticks at it, and Owen would suddenly change and fill another area.
Ok, Rooney is young, and wants to score goals. But a great player can do this, plus being able to help out your teammates, and be aware of your mates around you. This means setting up chances for your strike partner. Making runs ot benefit others. And NOT BEING SENT OFF!!!
He has been lucky that this has yet to happen, but he is sooo close at getting a red.
Now, as a striker, and a finisher, Owen is still way above Rooney. What Rooney has, is strength. That is his general ability. Being able to hold onto the ball, and use his strength. He can strike the ball well. He can hit the ball hard. And he has the skills that all footballers should have. I don't think he's terribly skillful. He is quite a direct player, and definitely plays to his strengths.
If England want to do well in the World Cup. The Owen-Rooney partnership has to be sorted. I don't think this is because another player may threaten their starting place. But more like, they need to combine better to get more goals. Rooney can score goals, but he is not as prolific as Owen, but Rooney is not giving Owen the chances.
I don't mind Rooney producing what he does best, but there are situations where he can play Owen in. If he can do this more, then we will get more goals. Rooney banging them in, and Owen run through and slotting home.
They have both proven they are world class. They just have to function better together.
I don't think the likes of Crouch and Defoe will be able to take their starting places, because Eriksson sticks by his men. And Rooney and Owen are his men. Because they have proven their class, and they have the massive reputation that will scare the opposition.
There's nothing better for an opposition to hear that the other side will start without their prolific goalscorer. That's an instant lift that you would give them when you don't start with Owen. And Rooney.
As said before, I admit I am biast towards Owen, so my views on Rooney may be slightly bitter, but I do know that I wouldn't have an issue with him if he hasn't done the things he has. I haven't made things up. I get an opinion on footballers from what they do on the pitch. So I try to be fair at all times.
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