Saviour Owen spares Tyne blushes
Had the experienced England international not headed Newcastle United into a 60th-minute lead there is every probability that this would have been a third successive defeat for the Magpies’ new manager and a fourth game without a goal under his far from convincing guidance.
Owen saved his team a point but there is no underestimating the longer-term value of the forward’s first Premier League strike since October 7.
Had Middlesbrough won this turgid affair then Keegan could have reasonably expected to face the frenzied criticism reserved for his more unpopular predecessors. Instead he was able to gloss over another listless display by extolling the virtues of a proven goalscorer and emphasising his endearing value to club and country.
“Michael Owen will score goals for Newcastle United but only if we create chances for him,” said a clearly relieved Keegan.
“He should have had two against Middlesbrough. I still can’t understand why [the referee] Mike Dean didn’t give the first.
“I said to Michael before the game that he would get a brace and he did. It’s just one of them was chalked off by the referee. He is such a big asset for club and country and you only have to look at his international record to see his value to Fabio Capello.
“He’s very fit and very strong. He hadn’t scored in my three previous games here and because of that there’s been some criticism. But big names make big stories. Michael has worked very hard for me and I’m not worried about him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he scores for England in midweek.”
Owen will start against Switzerland on Wednesday as the Capello era finally gets underway and he will surely be looking forward to reacquainting himself with the notion of creativity in the wake of this barren affair.
“Confidence is a big thing in football and, if you are not scoring goals, then everything seems to fall away,” he said. “Hopefully now, I will go on a nice little run.”
“No doubt there will be a busy summer but he has said to us he likes what he sees and he has every right to because there are some good players here. I think a few of us, myself included, have not quite played to our full potential but that spark will come with a win. I am sure we will do well after that.”
For those who favour derbies awash with goals this always appeared to be one to avoid as two of the Premier League’s most lame forward lines attempted to make an impact in the attacking third.
In Owen and Alan Smith, two England internationals with significant pedigree at the highest level, United should be rolling teams over at will.
Yet the fact remains that the former faced Middlesbrough with just one successful strike in 12 games and the latter was still hoping to open his Newcastle account 25 matches into an increasingly insignificant United career.
Gareth Southgate’s attack, of course, is equally lacking in the potency required to make a major move up the table. Using Jeremie Aliadiere as a lone forward is tantamount to accepting a goalless draw is the limit of your ambition but Middlesbrough’s manager needs every point he can get.
By reverting to a five-man midfield there was no doubting Southgate’s intentions and the prospects of either team breaking the deadlock diminished rapidly as a result.
Incredibly Owen did score, from all of three yards, within four minutes but any relief was short lived. Dean decreed that he had impeded Mark Schwarzer en route to steering the loose ball home when, in fact, Middlesbrough’s goalkeeper had simply dropped Duff’s corner. Owen was livid, Keegan furious.
That the Magpies’ best chance of the half came so early was indicative of the crisis of confidence gripping Keegan’s wayward squad. Middlesbrough had fared little better during a doleful first half but the initially cautious Teessiders had every right to feel this was a fixture there for the taking after the break.
Sure enough Boro dominated from the start of the second half, creating three clear chances before Owen struck on the hour. A hotly-contested free kick was floated goalwards by Emre and one of the smallest men on the pitch met the ball ahead of Middlesbrough’s towering defenders.
“It was disappointing to see Michael get so much space in amongst the giants,” said Southgate. “But I didn’t think it was a foul by Luke Young on Charles N’Zogbia in the first place.”
Newcastle’s goal was against the run of play and for all of Keegan’s protestations this was not a derby United deserved to win. Middlesbrough claimed their equaliser in the 87th minute when Robert Huth, headed home Julio Arca’s cross. Had Stewart Downing’s last-minute free kick crept in off Shay Given’s post there would have been no avoiding talk of a fresh crisis on Tyneside.
Fortunately for Keegan, that man Owen will now dominate this morning’s headlines.
Given 6, Carr 5, Taylor 7, Cacapa 6, N’Zogbia 7, Barton 5, Butt 5, Emre 6 (Milner 65, 5), Duff 4, Owen 7, Smith 4 (Viduka 67, 4).
Forster, Edgar, Ameobi.
Schwarzer 7, Young 7, Huth 8, Wheater 7, Pogatetz 7, O’Neil 7, Cattermole 5 (Lee 71, 4), Rochemback 5 (Johnson 80, 5), Arca 8, Downing 7, Aliadiere 4.
Turnbull, Grounds, Boateng.
Mike Dean (Wirral) 4: Disallowed a perfectly good Michael Owen goal after just four minutes and never quite recovered his confidence or poise.
* Until a late Middlesbrough rally this was a truly dire derby match and a game neither team deserved to win. Lacking quality, class and conviction, there can rarely have been a poorer advert for the region.
Amount in Euros Newcastle have paid for each Michael Owen appearance since his €24million move in 2005
Goals per game scored by Owen at St James’ Park (12 in 34)
Owen’s weekly wage, in Euros
Months remaining on Owen’s current Newcastle contract.
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