Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Owen is a Geordie

Ah, the joy of watching wor very own Michael Owen grab two goals in the dying minutes to snatch a fantastic victory for England over Argentina - especially as I was in the company of a Mackem, to whom I made sure to point out that while Owen's turning out for us they're expectantly awaiting the mighty Kevin Kyle's return from injury.

As ever, I was fearing the worst with regard to Owen, but not only did he emerge unscathed but he also got another full 90 minutes under his belt. That, added to his two late headers (it has to be said - where on earth was the marking?), should mean he's returned to Tyneside in buoyant spirits.

One thing's for sure: we'll need him to be at his predatory best this weekend if we're to have any chance of getting a result at Stamford Bridge - over the course of the last three seasons, we've lost 3-0, 5-0 and 4-0, so it's not looking too promising... That said, a good performance from Owen might persuade Mourinho he needs a goal poacher of Owen's calibre, and that could spell trouble for us come the summer. I think we all know he could be playing at a higher level - perhaps we should just enjoy it while it lasts and hope he can fire us to some kind of success this season.

Back to the Argentina match. I genuinely had very little interest in it before kick-off. The old enemy, yes, but only a friendly after all. Given recent competitive performances against Northern Ireland and Poland, I was expecting a dour and sterile affair, but I couldn't have been more wrong - fluent, exciting, end-to-end stuff with both teams going for the jugular from the word go. On the balance of play we perhaps didn't deserve to win the game, but there's no denying it was an excellent performance against a very good side. Let's not get carried away in all the tabloid euphoria, though, eh? What it means - if anything - in the long term is unclear.

So, there you have it. Black & White & Read All Over - always first with the news and views...
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