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
