Owen's Most Important Goal In A Toon Shirt!
Last updated : 18 March 2008 By Footy Mad - Editor
We don't know what the remainder of the season will hold for us, but we could be looking back at that strike at St Andrews as the moment that transformed our season.
The first half was shocking for Newcastle, as the players continued to battle with their own beliefs rather than give this ragamuffin side a trouncing.
Let's be honest here, Birmingham are rubbish! They are down there because they are crap! Man-for-man we should have taken them to the cleaners, but again the confidence in the Toon side looked shot to bits.
Brum were ahead at half-time, and deserved it, and I don't know if Keegan stood up like Sir Winston Churchill and told them to "fight them on the beaches", but the goal from Owen transformed the match.
As David Kelly once said "I don't think of piledrivers ... a handful of raggy-arsed goals will do me!"
Owen's scramble was indeed a raggy-arsed goal ... but how important will it be to this club?
Kevin Keegan insisted Michael Owen is "still a world-class player" as the striker grabbed the vital equaliser in the 1-1 draw.
Keegan: "I've said for five or six weeks now that Michael is getting back to full sharpness - but every time he doesn't score, people say he is not the same player.
"Before you criticise Michael too much, you have to put all the facts into the mix but he is fit now and he is a determined character. That is what I like about him.
"Everyone needs a few games to get back to full sharpness. He is human.
"Goalscorers need to get in the positions just to familiarise themselves with how it was like when they've been out for along time.
"You don't just suddenly get match fit and then suddenly go and score goals. No striker does. It takes time but he is getting there. This is the first time he's got to eight games in a row for about two and a half years with the injuries.
"I think some people in this country might be losing a bit of faith but just look at his record. Even for Newcastle, his record is fantastic by anyone's standards.
"He is still a world-class player. I don't know what the England manager thinks, but that's what I think."
