LATEST NEWS!

EXTENT OF OWENS INJURY BECOMES CLEAR

February 2nd 2000
Michael Owen's hopes of spearheading England's Euro 2000 campaign were hanging by a thread yesterday as he faced up to another six weeks on the sidelines in his protracted battle to conquer persistent hamstring trouble. After spending much of the day consulting Liverpool's medical staff and poring over the latest findings of an independent specialist, manager Gerard Houllier was forced to concede that his injury-haunted striker needed more rest. He stopped short of withdrawing Owen from the firing line for the rest of the season - and effectively ruling him out of this summer's European Championship finals - but is unlikely to consider him again until the middle of next month. It is another bitter blow to the Liverpool camp after also losing Robbie Fowler to a long-term injury and drawing a blank in their painstaking quest to secure a striker on loan for the remainder of the Premiership programme. England boss Kevin Keegan is sure to view the latest synopsis on Owen's search for a cure with equal alarm as he ponders his options. A fully-fit Owen in top form would be Keegan's first choice to start alongside Alan Shearer in the England attack. But there seems little prospect of the 20-year-old being back in prime condition by the summer. The latest setback, after less than half-an-hour of Liverpool's home match with Middlesbrough 11 days ago, led to the clearest hint so far that Houllier was ready to ditch his policy of rushing Owen back at the earliest opportunity. 'The problem keeps returning, and we cannot continue playing hide-and-seek with it,' he announced. 'We must tackle it properly.'

£12MILLION HESKEY READY TO STEP IN?
Emile Heskey could be just one game away from a dramatic £12 million transfer to Liverpool. Leicester's 22-year-old England striker was expected to move to Anfield in a £10 million deal at the end of this season. But if Leicester lose in tonight's Worthington Cup semi-final showdown with Aston Villa, Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier will boost his threadbare attack almost immediately. And with fears that Micahel Owen may not play again this season due to his chronic hamstring injury, Liverpool's search for a striker has become desperate. Owen has been ordered to take a complete break from football for at least a month after a visit to a top London specialist. Liverpool are praying that the 20-year-old will then be allowed back in training in time to face Manchester United on March 4, but Owen has been warned that he may be forced to rest for much longer as he attempts to resolve a problem with his lower back and pelvis which doctors believe is the cause of all his troubles. With Robbie Fowler also struggling with injury, Heskey's arrival at Anfield would provide an immediate and much-needed remedy to Liverpool's problems up front. Leicester manager Martin O'Neill is keen to hang on to his prize property for as long as possible, certainly while any relegation fears linger after a Premiership slump which has produced just two points from a possible 27.

But the lure of an extra £2 million from Liverpool is likely to persuade O'Neill and his board to part company early with the powerful Heskey, who has always expressed a wish to join the Anfield club. Earlier this week, Houllier revealed he had cut short efforts to borrow a top foreign star. The likelihood of Heskey switching clubs is also behind O'Neill's surprise decision to open transfer
talks with Villa's £7 million misfit Stan Collymore. O'Neill and Collymore have already met twice, and the Leicester boss said: "Something could happen. I'm not claiming I am the person who can resurrect Stan's career, but I definitely believe he
possesses the ability to do well for us." The news of Owen's setback is a bitter blow for Houllier, who was hoping to steer Liverpool into the Premiership top three and a place in the Champions League. He admitted: "It's a big setback. Obviously we were hoping after the initial injury that Michael would be back quite soon.

"It is especially a problem because we have Robbie Fowler injured as well. It is hard to believe that we have had the pair of them together for only 60 minutes or so this season. "But the important thing is that we get to the root of the problem. We are still hoping that Michael is playing again by the beginning of March."

SPECIALIST REPORT COULD KO OWEN

February 1st 2000
Liverpool fear a specialist's report today could rule out injury-jinxed Michael Owen from Saturday's clash with title-chasing Leeds United, and probably for the immediate future. Owen has not trained for ten days since damaging his hamstring again against Middlesbrough on January 22, and has visited a Harley Street specialist for another check on his continuing injury problems. Even if the report is optimistic, boss Gerard Houllier has vowed not to rush Owen back into action after five hamstring breakdowns since last April, and he will clearly not be anywhere near the fitness level required for a Premiership game this weekend.

OWEN WARNED NOT TO RUSH BACK INTO ACTION

January 25th 2000
Michael Owen will never fulfil his huge potential if he does not take time out now to recover properly from his hamstring problems, a leading physio has warned. And as the striker admitted his fears about his continuing injury nightmare, both Owen and Liverpool have come under fire from the man in charge of the Professional Footballers' Association's medical centre, who suggested he is paying the price for being rushed back into action. The 20-year-old looks set for another spell on the sidelines after feeling a twinge in his hamstring and going off 28 minutes into his side's goalless draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday.

OWEN INJURY

January 24th 2000
IF THERE is a painful sight in football, then it is that of a player brought to a convulsive, electric shock halt by a muscle injury. As Michael Owen was reduced to that sickening shuffle, barely 30 minutes into this match, shaking his head and mouthing the dreaded word "hamstring", we knew that something near a tragedy was unfolding at Anfield. Gerrard Houllier, with the protective instinct of a decent manager, has tried to prevent the full implications of his Liverpool striker's recurring injury problem from exploding about him. So far this season, tiredness, cramp and muscle spasm have all variously been used to explain away early exits for Owen.But against Middlesbrough, even Houllier's protective arm couldn't quite extend completely around the youngster's shoulder. "I don't think it will be serious," the Liverpool manager began, before allowing just a hint of doubt to enter his thoughts, and then the final confession: "Yes it is worrying." It is more than that.

The word tragic is too often misplaced in football, but in the case of this supremely talented youngster, what has happened over the past 10 months so soon after the fairy-tale start to his career has been nothing short of Grimm. In the space of those 10 months, Owen has suffered no fewer than six hamstring injuries, major and minor, the unfortunate sequence beginning with a strain at Derby last March. That is bad enough for a player who uses pace as one of his main weapons, but what is much worse, far more menacing, is the fact that so far no one has quite managed to get to the bottom of the problem. It could be that he has a back weakness, or a pelvic weakness, related to the hamstring muscles, or even just that he requires a longer period of rest - to heal fully - that Liverpool's stretched resources have allowed. But the underlying fear, of course, is that the 20-year-old quite simply has congenitally weak hamstrings and that there is no 'cure', just an acceptance that he will pick up injuries at depressingly frequent intervals. There is a medical term: Giggsitis. If that is the case, then that is where the word tragedy comes in. Liverpool need him, England need him, and let's face it, the nation needs a clean cut, boy-next-door hero. He will be out for at least three weeks now, probably longer as the Anfield medical staff attempt to finally get to the bottom of this sorry mess.

But who knows what psychological scars have been carved in the youngster's mind. And who knows how it will affect his career. After so many injuries in such a short space of time, every little tweak and spasm will feel like a visit from Blind Pew, come to deliver the Black Spot. Or to put it another way, he'll be bloody worried. It is a fear that is shared by Owen's team-mates, as skipper Sami Hyypia admitted after this sterile draw. "Mentally it is very hard for Michael, because I don't think he knows exactly what is wrong," he said. "When you don't know what is wrong, there is always a concern playing on the mind. Every time you feel it, you never know how serious it will be, and how long you must rest. It is a great worry." It was a sentiment echoed too, by Owen's former Liverpool team-mate Paul Ince, who, given his less than amicable departure from Anfield, wasn't going to be diplomatic in offering his forthright and painfully honest opinion on the same subject. "It is worrying because it keeps happening - he's only been back a few days from the lastinjury," said Ince. "Either something is badly wrong, or they're not getting the treatment right. Whatever the reason, they have got to get to the bottom of it, because for it to keep happening to someone so young is a major worry." That is the crux of the matter. As Manchester United's Ryan Giggs has already illustrated,once a problem like this arrives, then it is always there, lurking in the background like some malicious virus. With Robbie Fowler still recovering from his second operation, Owen is vital to Liverpool's fortunes. While he was on the pitch, Liverpool looked dangerous. When he left, there was more chance of someone scoring in a nunnery. The Reds can kiss goodbye to their Champions League aspirations, if they are forced to play many more games without Owen and Fowler.

Vladimir Smicer is not a forward, and Liverpool lack the guile in midfield to compensate for their two strikers' absence, particularly with Jamie Redknapp also under doctor's orders. Only the industry of David Thompson and the clever movement of Danny Murphy, when he appeared as a late substitute, threatened to unhinge Boro. But if this was a bad result for the home side, then it was quite the opposite for Boro. This was a triumph of will for Bryan Robson's men. They defended stoutly despite the obvious lack of fitness among some of their key men. Gary Pallister was excellent throughout, even though after five minutes he was breathing heavily enough to menace somebody over the phone. So was Ince, who made a small point to his former club by comprehensively winning the midfield battle with Hamann, even if he was reduced to walking pace at times by his lack of match fitness. In truth, the Teesside club were comfortable for all but the final frantic few minutes of stoppage time, when Patrik Berger was unlucky not to score, and Murphy should have done. The visitors had little possession, but probably the best chance of all, when Ince was clear but paused, waiting for a whistle. "I was so high up the field, I got a nosebleed," he conceded afterwards. Still, the point was Boro's first of the Millennium, and should relieve the pressure on Robson a little. Let us hope that the medical bulletins next week do the same for Owen.

HYPPIA: OWEN INJURY WORRYING

January 24th 2000
Sami Hyypia has revealed that Michael Owen's ongoing injury problems are a source of great worry for the England striker's team-mates. While the Finnish defender has enjoyed a magnificent first season on Merseyside, it has been a season to forget for Owen after another injury forced him to leave the action against Middlesbrough after just thirty minutes on Saturday. Says Hyypia, 'Mentally it is very hard for Michael, because I don't think he knows exactly what is wrong. When you don't know what is wrong there is always a concern playing on your mind. Every time you feel it you never know how serious it will be and how long you must rest. It must be a great worry.'

HOULLIER LINKED WITH STRIKER

January 24th 2000
Despite playing down Michael Owen's latest injury, Gerard Houllier has been linked with a loan move for Dutch striker Pierre Van Hooijdonk. The 30 year old former Celtic and Nottingham Forest striker joined Vitesse Arnhem in the summer but is said to be ready to prove his critics wrong by returning to the English Premiership. With Robbie Fowler expected back into action until March at the earliest, Liverpool are certainly short of a top class striker and, should Owen break down again, the alarm bells would certainly be ringing. The Reds have failed to score in three of their last four games and Gerard Houllier may want to move quickly to solve the problem.Getting Van Hooijdonk on loan from Vitesse Arnhem, from where he signed keeper Sander Westerveld, may well be the answer. One word of warning, however: These reports contain no quotes or any concrete information as to whether Houllier does actually want Van Hooijdonk.

OWEN NEEDS TIME TO BEAT HAMSTRING HELL - LINEKER

January 23rd 2000
The advice battering Liverpool's ears is booming and clear - you must sort out Michael Owen's injury nightmare once and for all. It has come even from Roy Evans, the man Gerard Houllier replaced as Anfield manager 15 months ago. It has come from pundits like Gary Lineker and Trevor Brooking on Match of the Day, it has come from many observers, and probably from every punter in every pub in every bar on Merseyside, and beyond. It is reaching the point when five different hamstring breakdowns since April is too much for 20 year-old Owen to be allowed to take and continue to comeback from. The root cause of his problem must be discovered, treated extensively and then he must be allowed months, not days or weeks, of rest and recuperation otherwise the finest young striking talent this country has produced in decades could be ruined. That may not be what Liverpool want to hear with Champions League riches and a European return so tantalisingly near, particularly when they know they will be without Robbie Fowler until the end of March and Jamie Redknapp until late February.

But for the young man's sake, and now quite clearly for England's sake - Kevin Keegan sat in the Anfield directors' box to witness the agony - this ongoing saga of the Owen hamstrings cannot be allowed to continue. Houllier talked after this bitterly frustrating game of Owen maybe being OK to return in two to three weeks, just missing Saturday week's home game with Leeds and
returning at Arsenal on February 13. The initial left leg problem that started at Leeds on April 12 last year caused him a pre-season breakdown and he missed the first four games of the campaign. Since then the right leg has been damaged three times. The stark facts prove the depth of the problem. Owen has, remarkably, figured in all five of England's internationals this season, and for club and country has started 24 matches. But he's completed 90 minutes on just SIX occasions. That says it all. Owen will have treatment and top class medical assessments this week, maybe another trip to see his German specialist. But the best medical
minds can only tinker with the problem when a long-term solution is needed. The bottom line is the youngster could do with the rest of the season off and to forget about England friendlies and even Euro 2000. That is the unpalatable fact that nobody seems prepared to face in this cash conscious, professional industry. Evans, the boss who nurtured Owen through his schoolboy and youth soccer years, was pretty clear in his assessment. Evans said in a TV interview: ''Michael's first hamstring injury created a lot of problems. Now instead of trying to cure it they have got to find out what is causing it. That now must be the prime target.

''He didn't have any problems before, he's only picked this up at the end of last season and it's been very disappointing for him."
Alan Hansen, maybe playing devil's advocate, put the opposite point of view when he underlined the desire to get Owen back playing. Owen may be viewed as necessary for a prompt return in matches in a couple of weeks because of the pressures of needing European qualification and the riches from the Champions League. Hansen said: ''It's a dilemma for Liverpool. Do they think
short-term or long-term? They are doing really well with a good chance of getting into the Champions League." Lineker believes Owen's cure involves a lengthy lay-off saying: ''I think they should look long-term,'' he said. And Brooking said: ''You have to get to the problem, he's had it now for the best part of a year...Kevin Keegan must be worried.'' The situation over Owen overshadowed everything else in what was supposed to be Paul Ince's return to Anfield and trial by fire and fan fury. In fact Ince was a mere sideshow, even if Keegan was able to leave knowing the veteran is still at his abrasive best. The contest with teenager Steven Gerrard was excellent and will end with them both in the England boss's next squad. And Ince could easily have won the game had he not delayed a run on goal when he was clear and thinking that he was offside. But Ince lost the ball, even if his battling display helped Boro to a welcomed and crucial point with Bryan Robson under so much pressure.

Ince said: ''I just presumed I was offside because I was in so much space. But I'm gutted to have missed it. I have got a bit of a reputation for scoring against my old clubs, I did it against West Ham and Manchester United and I wish I'd managed it here.
''However, I think we deserved the point for the way we battled. It's been a hard couple of weeks for the gaffer and I felt we deserved something out of the match.'' And on that return to Anfield, he added: ''I still enjoyed it. The fans have been great to me even though I got a few boos, which you expect. but I still live is Heswall across the Mersey and the fans have always been OK with me and I really enjoyed coming back.'' But while Ince went away happy and Robson with some breathing space, Owen's mind must have been in a turmoil or worry and disappointment. Houllier has got plenty of soul searching before he risks playing him again.

OWEN SUMMONED FOR TREATMENT

January 23rd 2000
Michael Owen was called in for intensive treatment today less than 24 hours after his fifth hamstring problem in nine months. The Liverpool star spent this morning with the club's physios and medical experts at the Merseysiders' Mellwood training ground. Liverpool spokesman Ian Cotton said: ''Michael has had treatment today, but we still believe that the problem is not a serious one. We do not have a game for a fortnight now, and we are hoping he will be fit for the next match at home to Leeds on Saturday week.'' Owen will have further treatment tomorrow when his team-mates are on a day off, but there are no plans at the moment for him to return to see his German specialist. Meanwhile Roy Evans, the man Gerard Houllier replaced as Liverpool manager, has warned that Owen should not be rushed back until the problem has been cured. He said: ''It's not right from Michael's point of view to miss a couple of games and then to play again. Liverpool need to find out the source of the injury, Michael needs for it to be cleared up and get on with his career.''

MORE INJURY WOE FOR OWEN

January 23rd 2000
Michael Owen faces another three weeks on the sidelines after yet another breakdown. Liverpool chief Gerard Houllier tried hard to be positive after the 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough - but admitted his star youngster could be out until the trip to Arsenal on February 13. That's three weeks away, and although Liverpool have no game next weekend because they are out of the FA Cup, Owen is highly unlikely to be fit to face Leeds on February 5 - Liverpool's next match in a tough programme that sees them confronted by Leeds, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sunderland before mid-March. Houllier tried to play the problem down, but admitted that Owen's injury is linked to the hamstring and muscle problems he has had in his right leg all season. After the England striker's third breakdown with that particular injury, Houllier said: ''Michael has had a slight twinge in his right leg, it is not the same muscle as before, but it is a muscle close to it. They are in a group and it is a similar problem. ''It is not too serious and he will have treatment tomorrow. He now knows that if he feels something in his leg he has to say so, it was the right decision on his part. Because we are out of the Cup we don't have a game next weekend so we have a fortnight to get him fit.

''He may be ready for the Leeds game, but it could be the Arsenal match. I can't take any further decisions until the medical people have had a look at him and worked with him. Let's look on the positive side, it is only a slight tweak and we hope he will be OK with treatment.'' But whatever Houllier said to try to put a gloss on the situation, this could be another massive blow for club and
country. For the first time Houllier talked in terms of Owen maybe having a back or pelvic problem, and that could put strain on either hamstring. He said: ''We have thought it could be a back problem, and we are working on that with him.'' What is blatantly clear now is that Owen, still just 20, has a clear weakness in both hamstrings. The left one was severely damaged at Leeds last season and despite a summer of treatment, broke down again in pre-season training with the same injury. Since then he has been nursed back to fitness, and this is the third time that Owen has had a problem with his right hamstring. The incident cast a massive shadow over a match that Liverpool dominated but could not find a breakthrough against a massed Boro defence. Houllier said: ''They came to defend, and that's what they did. It was a very Italian-style game with one team sitting back and the other trying to break them down. It was very frustrating because we dominated the game and just could not break them down. We have had our two main strikers - Robbie Fowler and Michael - for only 60 minutes this season. Does anybody know of someone who can score us a goal?''

OWEN KEPT UNDER WRAPS

January 5th 2000
Gerard Houllier has admitted he is virtually keeping England striker Michael Owen wrapped up in cotton wool to protect him for Liverpool's FA Cup bid - which continues with a fourth-round tie against Blackburn next Monday. Even though a new injury prevented co-striker Robbie Fowler making his long-awaited full comeback from an ankle operation - and is likely to keep him out of the cup-tie as well - Owen was also rested from the side which lost 1-0 at Tottenham on Monday.

The result extended Anfield boss Houllier's dismal record of never having won a Premiership match in London. And after sparking fresh speculation that Owen is still having problems with the hamstring injury he first suffered in April, by substituting him 25 minutes from the end against Wimbledon a week ago, the Frenchman now insists: "There's no big concern over Michael. "To be fair, he may have been able to play against Tottenham because the injury which he has now is not in the same leg as the one he damaged before and it is only a minor strain. "I just didn't want to take the risk of him doing something more serious that could put him out for six or seven games. "Looking at the wet weather and the heavy pitch at Tottenham I think it was a good decision. Because he's so young I want him to have the chance of a full recovery." The absence of Owen and the equally prolific Fowler left Liverpool toothless in attack against Spurs, who became only the second team to beat Liverpool in 13 matches. West Ham were their previous conquerors at Upton Park in November and Houllier said: "I must be cursed in London. I've never won a match there." This latest defeat wrecked hopes of climbing above Sunderland into fourth place in the Premiership, but the FA Cup could offer Liverpool a new route into the Champions League next season. UEFA are currently considering a proposal that teams who win their national knockout trophies should play off against third-place league finishers for a place in the Champions League. After six Premiership defeats already, finishing third looks a tough prospect for Liverpool, but Owen's return to goalscoring form - four in his last three appearances - could be the key to a successful FA Cup campaign.

OWEN MISSES TRIP TO TOTTENHAM

January 3rd 2000
Michael Owen misses Liverpool's Premiership encounter with Tottenham, sparking fresh fears about the extent of the hamstring injury he has endured for the last nine months. The England striker, who asked to be substituted during Liverpool's victory over Wimbledon at Anfield last Tuesday, has been left out of the squad for the trip to White Hart Lane after failing to convince manager Gerard Houllier of his fitness. Owen's partner in attack Robbie Fowler is another absentee with soreness in the ankle on which he had surgery in September. 'I don't want to take any risks with Michael and the muscle above Robbie's ankle is sore,' said Houllier.

Last week, Houllier attempted to allay fears about Owen's injury by insisting the youngster was simply tired after two games in three days. It is a tactic he has used already this season, most notably at Southampton last October, only for Owen to break down again. The excuses are beginning to run thin and the worries are two-fold. Firstly, for the player himself. He turned 20 last month but is risking causing himself permanent damage by continuing to play and putting too much stress on other muscles to ease the strain on the hamstring. Secondly, how can England coach Kevin Keegan safely select Owen for his England 2000 squad with a possible six games in 20 days if the Liverpool youngster's hamstring cannot cope with two games in three days? Owen's problems began when he pulled up during the Premiership match at Leeds on April 12. He eventually returned to the Liverpool side in late September after five months of treatment under club physiotherapist Mark Leather, who was sacked by Houllier in August, and in Bavaria under German doctor Hans Muller-Wohlfahrt. This latest chapter in his stuttering season comes just as he had regained form with four goals in his last three appearances against Coventry, Newcastle and Wimbledon. Fowler also scored in the 3-1 win over the Dons, coming on as a second-half substitute, but was left out of the squad which travelled to London with next week's FA Cup fourth-round tie against Blackburn in mind. The injuries are a blow to Houllier as Liverpool aim to continue their recent run of fine form which has seen them lose just once in their last 12 matches.

Previous NEWS

HOME