Michael Owen - An Almost Liverpool Legend

So farewell then, Michael Owen. We will miss you. Or rather, we would have missed you had you announced your retirement in, say, 2008. As it is, we won't really notice the difference. But here at Fiver Towers you will always be cherished, however many people say you've spent too long trading on your reputation, making occasional substitute appearances, picking up wages and buying up racehorses to do the nasty with each other in the stables of the very expensive stud farm you also bought up.

A chill wind his blown through this nation these last few years. British brows are set to permafurrow as we fight through the foul fog of austerity and battle constant concerns about our gas bills, our jobs, our mortgage repayments. It was not always thus. There was a time, not all that long ago, when the sun shone, the economy boomed, Blair grinned, Iraq remained uninvaded and all an Englishman really had to worry about was the state of Owen's hamstrings.

Given the chance, many of us would probably love to return to the heady, happy innocence of 2001. Back then, Britons were so ready to look on the bright side that they considered a cover version of Mambo No5 by Bob the Builder such a good idea the single zipped straight to No1. The biggest-selling song of the year was Shaggy's It Wasn't Me. Bridget Jones' Diary was in the cinemas. The Office got its TV debut. In 2001, everything was funny. [The Fiver wasn't - Fiver Ed.]

And Michael Owen was great. Liverpool won three trophies – the least good treble, but a treble all the same – with Owen scoring a stunning brace as Arsenal were mugged in the FA Cup final. The following year he captained England at the age of 22 – of all players since 1900 only one, a certain Bobby Moore, got the armband sooner, and that by only a couple of months. Happy days. Good times.

If you could identify a precise moment when our world changed for the worse, what would it be? Sure, the textbooks will talk about the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the run on Northern Rock, the bailout. But the property market, at least in the US, peaked in June 2006. From that moment, widespread financial ruin in the west was inevitable. On 20 June 2006, Michael Owen collapsed in the first few minutes of England's World Cup tie against Sweden.

In that match Owen won his 80th cap. He was 26, and had scored 36 international goals. Bobby Charlton's record was just 13 strikes away. Until that knee buckled he was certain to become the greatest goalscorer the country had ever seen – a hero, a legend. After it recovered he would win nine more caps, the last of them five years ago next Tuesday, and totally change the way he is perceived, from expert goal-poacher to callous wage-thief.

So farewell then, Michael Owen. When life was good for you, life was good for us. Whatever it is you choose to do next, the Fiver, for one, hopes it goes well.

• Simon Burnton
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 19 March 2013 12.48 EDT

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Spurs One Man Team

Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur | Premier League match report | Football | The Guardian:
Liverpool 3 Suarez 21, Downing 66, Gerrard (pen) 82
Tottenham Hotspur 2 Vertonghen 45, 53
Much has been said about the brilliance of Gareth Bale and his goal-scoring exploits of late. What is rarely mentioned is his devious methodology which was readily apparent in this game. There was no feigned penalty appeal this time as in their last game, but there were other occasions when his alternative attempts at provoking the referee's goodwill shone through. An example was the "foul" by Lucas which earned the free-kick leading to their second goal. Before that, it was really surprising how quick he recovered from knack to get on-field and be involved in the first goal. Although Vertonghen's name appears on the goal-scorer's list, it was Bale who made both the goals. Poor Jermaine Defoe, his contribution was to assist Luis Suarez in getting the penalty that led to Gerrard's winner.
Coming back to Bale, he has earned more cards for simulation than Britain's famous scapegoat Suarez, yet the press seems to take great pleasure in vilifying the Premier League's top scorer. It seems foreigners are fair game, as can be witnessed by the various efforts to taunt Rafa Benitez. Or is it just for those with a connection to Liverpool?
Not to detract from this well-deserved, yet undeniably fortuitous win, which saw Liverpool leap-frogging Everton to go above them in the league for the first time this season. The players were a bit slow in their reactions at times, and this only changed  after Joe Allen replaced the faded Coutinho in the second have. This is evidenced that both mistakes that lead to the goals were as a direct result of pressure from the Reds.
It is now hoped that the winning streak continues away to Southampton this Saturday. After all the hype and jubilation, the all-too-familiar minefield of lower level opposition awaits. Let us provide justification to Brendan Rodger's words on the relentless improvement at Anfield.

Continuing where we left off

Wigan Athletic 0-4 Liverpool | Premier League match report | Football | The Observer
What has been irking me for some time now is the way the journos keep harping about Luis Suarez leaving Liverpool for one reason or another. Lately, QPR has been on the brunt of this sleazy reporting concerning their trip to Dubai. It seems sensationalism and controversy are the bywords of today's press. And what makes me taste bile is the easy way the presenters on TV parrot this stuff to the poor natives who seem ready to swallow any opinion so long as the colonial masters spout it. Coming back to the core of this rant, another favorite journo word, is the sublimity of Suarez in dispatching poor Wigan. This is bound to set off more Suarez departure headlines, but does not detract from the fact that this guy is probably one of the most gifted players of our time. Many were the times he left Wigan players for dead, and he even had the audacity to nutmeg Al-Habsi for his third. This is not to detract from other players' performances but if not for Suarez, well, it doesn't bear thinking about. After a nine day break from dispatching Zenit and Swansea, the lads continued where they had left off. Although this was not the smooth oily performance of the previous two games, there was many positives here. It has to be admitted that Liverpool's job was made easier by the woeful home side. Let's hope that Brendan addresses the negatives.
My favorite moment of the game had nothing to do with things on the park, rather, I found myself singing along to chants of Ra, Ra, Rafael, with a silly smile on my face. That's Liverpool for you. Here's looking forward to next week's triumvirate of Suarez, Coutinho and Sturridge for the Spurs visit.

Achilles Heel

Liverpool 3-1 Zenit (3-3; Zenit win on away goals) | Europa League | Football | The Guardian
From the first time I watched Liverpool play, and increasingly as telecasts became common and pandemic, the back pass to the goalie has always seemed cringeworthy. This has always tended to derail all the good effort of teams in the past. This Achilles heel came back to haunt Liverpool last night with Jamie Carragher at the center of the issue. It had to be, of course, with him playing in his 150th and possibly his last European tie. Thus, Jamie wrote himself into history by being the catalyst for departure from Europe in his last season.
In truth, this departure was already set in the first leg. The hero of the second leg, Luis Suarez, was culpable of at least 5 misses in Russia, any one of which would have swung the tie Liverpool's way. Not to say that the rest of the team was blameless, with defensive lapses being the norm of this team.
Positives from last night included Ossama Assaidi's display and the inspiring comeback of the team from adversity. Now we need to build on this release from European burden to chase back to the continent next year. And to finish above Everton, of course.

Flip-flop

Liverpool are not far from being a real force, says Brendan Rodgers | Football | The Guardian
Liverpool's credible performance once again led to journos reaching for their pen and paper. Brendan Rodgers comments of media creation behind the phenomenon of Liverpool being unable to beat opposition higher than themselves. Well, this is another one. One moment they stink, and now they are one step away from greatness.
Looking beyond this, there has been evidence of steady progress all season. i have always reiterated that Liverpool will finish strongly, as a result of a steady hand at the tiller and sane management at the club. Nothing spectacular, but work in progress, with more of the same the next couple of seasons, and then there should be great expectations. Although the Champions League is a realistic aspiration, inhabiting the Europa seems more probable.
One other thing, poor Cup performances have always been caused by managerial tinkering. Putting out a second string may be a logical force protection measure, but our reserves aren't really there yet mentally. Nevertheless, we are all tarred by the same brush, although misguided faith in the young uns should really be the fault of the manager, methinks.
Raheem Sterling is in a different place right now, having grown too fast. No appearances the last 2 times suggests some cooling off measure and I hope he benefits fully from this

Liverpool's Comedy Hour

Brendan Rodgers questions mental strength of Liverpool's youngsters | Football | The Guardian
This seemed to be the case the first hour of the FA Cup tie away to Oldham. In what is now a regular occurrence, Liverpool's second string failed to live up to expectations. Most of the young players drafted in to allow the seniors rest for the upcoming demanding Premier League programme failed to perform as expected. Of particular concern were Raheem Sterling, whose attitude must really be questioned, and Sebastian Coates. The midfield did not command and Daniel Sturridge failed to do a single thing right all night. The heroics of Oldham even masked a comedic second half free kick when the Oldham player contrived to fall over the ball and send it into touch with his attempt. And Brad Jones. Now we know why he is the back up. An atrocious spill lead to the second goal just prior to half time and he seemed shaky the whole game. Good performance by the subs but I think Brendan Rodgers needs to throw the book at some people. The 2-3 scoreline was a good reflection of another "I give up" moment this season for me. Congratulations on achieving mediocrity. Hope this kick up the backside works against Arsenal tonight.

Batman and Robin?

Liverpool 5-0 Norwich City | Premier League match report | Football | The Observer

Liverpool 5	Henderson 26,  Suárez 36,  Sturridge 59, Gerrard 66,  Ryan Bennett (og) 74
Norwich City 0

What more to say except that they should be doing this every week. Good link-up play between the two strikers with what looks like the dawn of a new double-act. The commitment displayed by the rest was superb and Stewart Downing looks to have rediscovered his manliness.
We wait to see if this level continues with the forthcoming visits to Highbury and Maine Road. Or wherever it is they play these days. Meantime, we shall enjoy being 7th.