Mediocre Mike failing to live up to the hype

Norman Hubbard

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=434805&root=england&cc=5901
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Whatever absence does for the heart, it is a fail-safe method of elevating a reputation. Michael Owen, having made his England comeback in the incongruous setting of Turf Moor on Friday night, returns to the senior squad to face Brazil with Steve McClaren suggesting his impact is comparable to that of Thierry Henry. Once, the comparison would have flattered the Frenchman, but that has long ceased to be the case. McClaren's hyperbole is, not for the first time, misplaced. TonyMarshall/Empics Michael Owen: In goalscoring form before the World Cup. Yet Owen is younger than Henry. His problem is, in any analysis of his career, the standout period between 1998 and 2002 (Henry, in contrast, had a later, lengthier and arguably greater peak between 2000 and 2006). Owen's World Cup history has been of depreciating returns after a stellar start. It is the misfortune of those who ascend to the heights at a tender age that there is frequently only one direction left to go: downwards, accompanied by memories of an increasingly elusive best. Injuries, of course, have not helped. They are the prime reason why Owen has only 20 league goals in three seasons, a target he was capable of attaining in one. Yet his lesser status is reflected in his current club: Newcastle, which is also an indication of their enduring attraction to the famous, regardless of their suitability. That Tyneside was not Owen's preferred destination is well known, but extricating himself from St James's Park risks accusations of disloyalty and involves the risk of further rejection after Rafael Benitez opted not to re-sign him two years ago. But, after a mere 13 league starts for Newcastle, he is confronted by a third manager in Sam Allardyce. Beneath the cult of personality constructed around 'Big Sam' lurks a pragmatist and it is scarcely a revelation to proclaim Owen as one of Newcastle's greatest assets. But his presence requires an amendment to the 4-5-1 formation Allardyce perfected at Bolton; unlike the similarly speedy Nicolas Anelka, he lacks the stature or the involvement for the role of the sole striker that, for several seasons, was Kevin Davies' domain at the Reebok. Not that Owen, though returning heavier after missing the majority of the season, cannot be faulted for not possessing the physique of the abrasive Davies. But there are other facets of his game where there was a feasible scope for improvement. His emergence a decade ago was marked by a wonderful goalscoring instinct and searing pace that is now merely rapid. Yet, to draw a comparison with another teenage prodigy who emerged with pace, it is notable how much more Ryan Giggs' game has developed. Aided by an understanding that has enabled him to adapt to a variety of roles, he has excelled at Manchester United's one-touch passing and worked on his delivery in the final third. Owen, however, remains a frustratingly one-dimensional footballer. And it is why, even with the £9 million release clause that Freddy Shepherd culpably inserted into his contract, he is not the first choice of the four clubs he would surely be prepared to join. Recent rumours with Arsenal have been strongest, yet Arsene Wenger, despite his requirement for a predator, has long favoured more technically adept forwards. Unselfishness has often been a valued asset at the Emirates Stadium, sometimes to Arsenal's detriment, yet Owen is from the school of selfish strikers, hoping for a team configured with him in mind and preferring a strike partner, such as Emile Heskey, who operated on the same principle. Jose Mourinho has shown the least interest and not just because galacticos, even those confined to the bench at Real, rile him. His strikers, too, often require more than mere finishing, with changing formations requiring strikers who can operate in wider areas. Perhaps the most intriguing suggestion is that Sir Alex Ferguson has been alerted by his availability. Yet United's system, with the focus on fluency and varying between 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 requires a focal point of the attack such as Louis Saha provided in the first half of the season, who can act both as target man and a participant in passing moves. Ruud van Nistelrooy, a superior goalscorer, was sold partly to aid a more progressive style of football. Then there is Liverpool where Benitez has made clearest the need for striking reinforcements. Yet his gripes with Rick Parry about the chief executive's inability to sign his favoured targets hardly centres on Owen. JohnWalton/Empics Valencia striker David Villa: On his way to the Premiership? Now his reluctance to accept further cheaper signings counts against the Englishman. With players in the £30 million bracket - whether David Villa, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o or Dimitar Berbatov - among the most coveted strikers, Owen's would be the most prominent name on the second-choice shortlist that could feature fellow Englishmen such as Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent. Owen's recall to the international team, prefaced by the briefest of comebacks at Newcastle, can be seen as another of McClaren's desperate searches for a saviour (albeit overshadowed by his U-turn on David Beckham) as well as the inability of others - some through a lack of opportunity - to satisfactorily replace him. Against Israel and Andorra, Andrew Johnson's attempt to deputise made him appear the poor man's Owen. The original is, given his salary, very much the rich man's Owen. But his wages reflect his renown, rather than his recent impact. His lofty standing owes much to his devastating peak, cemented by the European Footballer of the Year award in 2001. A subsequent decline has escaped some; indeed, familiarity has bred favouritism among the former Liverpool players who invariably exempt Owen from any blame. In his absence, they have almost deified him. Although his presence provides a rare boost to McClaren and Owen remains likely to wind up as England's record goalscorer, his reputation was best protected by not playing.