Damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t

The storm in a teacup which has brewed up over Michael Owen is perplexing at least, downright hypocritical at worst.

In an era where English footballers are frequently criticised for undervaluing the honour and importance of playing for their country, it seems slightly perverse that Owen is being questioned for declaring himself fit to play in England’s two vital Euro 2008 qualifiers over the next week.

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce had expressed his concern about Owen’s fitness to play for England, having had surgery on September 28th, restricting him to a brief substitute appearance on his return last Sunday (during which he scored).

Allardyce’s concern is at least understandable. Owen has, to say the least, a chequered history with serious injuries and ongoing niggles, which has restricted him to just 21 appearances for Newcastle in the two-and-a-bit years since he signed for the club.

But if some factions in the media are to be believed, Owen stands accused of rushing back to play for Newcastle solely to further his chances of playing for England and a selfish pursuit of Bobby Charlton’s England record of 49 goals. And there is a right royal bust-up developing between Allardyce, Owen and England boss Steve McClaren.

In other words, the finger is being pointed at Michael Owen because he is the antithesis of so many of his peers: he (allegedly) prioritises country over club.

Owen has defended himself strongly, telling BBC Radio 5 Live, "I'm fine now and there's no risk. If you listen to the surgeon, they will say there is absolutely no problem. The surgeon has said that it is a short rehab time when you get back playing. There is no problem with playing both games. I'll listen to the surgeon and nobody else because she knows what she is talking about. I don't see why I can't play - the surgeon tells me nothing can go wrong."

I can’t help but side with Owen. He clearly values playing for England, and is sensible enough to know that to do so he needs to demonstrate form and fitness for Newcastle – club and country go hand in hand. So whatever his personal motivations, Michael Owen simply wants to play football, whether it is for England or Newcastle. And for that alone, he should be praised rather than pilloried.

It’s difficult to say how much of the reported tension between Allardyce, Owen and England coach Steve McClaren is real and how much is media exaggeration, but to focus solely on what is happening now is to miss the point. Given the injuries he has suffered, lesser men than Michael Owen would have walked away from the game altogether, or returned less hungry and greatly diminished as a player. The fact he has returned at all - let alone score three times in England’s two most recent games against Israel and Russia - is testament to his strength of character and determination.

It’s sad that Owen feels he still needs to prove himself to his doubters. By returning from his most recent setback so quickly and so positively, you would think everyone would be rushing to praise him, but he had it spot on when he said, “I thought people would say 'how has he got back in eight days? That's fantastic'. But people have turned it into a negative, saying 'you've only done it for England'. You can't ever win."

He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. And that just isn’t right.