Michael Owen is a striker in decline, according to the man aiming to shatter his FA Cup dreams on Sunday. Crystal Palace goalkeeper Alex Kolinko insists the Eagles have nothing to fear from Liverpool's top marksman because he is not the player he was two years ago. It is exactly that long since the Eagles coped comfortably with the England international to win a Worthington Cup semi-final first leg 2-1 at Selhurst Park, and Kolinko is convinced a new-look Palace defence will do so again this weekend. The Latvia international said: ``I don't think he's as good a player as he was two years ago. ``You have good times and bad times and it's hard for him at the moment. He's still a good player but I think our defence will be good. ``Tony Popovic, Kit Symons and Hayden Mullins are good players and I think Mullins is ready for the Premiership. Liverpool are strong in every position but we think we have a chance.'' Kolinko's confidence may be unfounded as he was sent off in the second leg of that semi-final, which ended in a 5-0 win for Liverpool at Anfield, but Owen was absent for that game. The 23-year-old striker is currently struggling to find the net on a regular basis despite being his side's main threat. Owen has scored a healthy 17 goals for Liverpool this season, but his winner against Sheffield United in another Worthington Cup semi-final this week was only his second strike in nine games. The Merseyside giants were taken to extra time at Anfield in that clash and Kolinko is convinced Palace will have the edge at Selhurst Park for their FA Cup fourth-round tie after a six-day rest. The 27-year-old is currently Palace's first choice in goal with Matt Clarke injured, and declared himself fit for the game this week following a hamstring injury. He said: ``I'm fit to play and we should be physically stronger because Liverpool played on Tuesday.'' By contrast, Eagles manager Trevor Francis believes the timing of this tie could not be worse for Palace after Liverpool ended their 11-game winless Premiership run with back-to-back victories. He said: ``We are looking for perfection from Liverpool. The confidence hasn't been there and gradually it's coming back. Owen is the type of player who can return to form in a flash.''
This Palace goalkeeper must be a guy who would stand at the edge of a precipice with a bunch of Hell's Angels walking by him... What a moron. I bet Owen gets a hat trick!
Talk about having a brain melt before the match.... I bet his manager is "real" pleased with his goalkeeper's comments!!
I can't believe I'm biting at this, but here goes... Owen does not "suck"...all players have dips in form. If you watched the game yesterday (and I'm assuming you didn't, due to your above comments) you would have seen Owen showing that he's regained just about everything that makes him great EXCEPT for the very last touch.
Sell him NOW--he's obviously past his sell by date. I mean what is he now, 22...geez, the way these players let their careers linger when it's so obvious they need to call it quits.
The way they talk you'd think he was my age... Mikey is lacking in confidence right now. Trouble is, that game with the arse showed we don't have anyone who can come on to give him a rest.
Ok, OK..! So it's off topic but the topic sucks anyway. Lighten up... http://www.democracymeansyou.com/images/iraq-explained.gif
Funny stuff, if you haven't seen this site yet, read all 18 pages: http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/war.html
Kolinko update: His future with CP is in doubt after he refused to play in Saturday's match. He is claiming he is owed money by the club and, unless it gets resolved soon, it looks unlikely he will play on Wednesday. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=256866&cc=5901 What a chickenshit...