Stoke City: Michael Owen fit to take on Everton
MICHAEL Owen has declared himself fit to play for Stoke ... and desperate to make up for lost time.
Since joining City at the start of September, the former England striker has only made four substitute appearances, the last of which was against Sunderland on October 27.
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Stoke City striker Michael Owen says he's fit for action.
But he's now overcome groin and hamstring problems and has revealed he is available for Saturday's home game with Everton, the club he supported as a boy.
Owen, who will work on his match fitness by playing in a behind-closed-doors friendly today, said: "I am healthy and raring to go.
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"It depends on me now to stay fit and perform. I have to wait for the opportunity, but hopefully I can take it when it does come.
"I've had muscular problems which have probably come from not having a solid pre-season.
"But that's gone; I want to look forward and hopefully iron out the niggles and get on with playing some games.
"It's a key period because the games are coming thick and fast and there are a lot of points to be had around Christmas.
"I just want to get going because it has been a stuttering start so far for me.
"I just want to be fit for a period of time and show the fans what I came here to do."
Owen's availability will leave Tony Pulis with plenty of options up front on Saturday.
Peter Crouch and Cameron Jerome started on the bench in Saturday's draw at Villa.
However, Crouch could replace Kenwyne Jones in the starting line-up on Saturday.
Owen added: "I possibly could have been okay for the Aston Villa game, but we had Crouchy coming back and Kenwyne had done well lately so the manager decided to let me have a few more days training. Hopefully that puts me spot on for games coming up."
However, Owen accepts he can't take a place for granted, adding: "It is a big squad for a club that is not one of the Champions League sides. We have a lot of cover in a lot of positions and the strikers are no different."
Owen was among the Stoke players who visited children at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire yesterday.
Stoke split their squad as half the players visited the hospital and half joined youngsters at the Donna Louise Children's Hospice at Trentham Lakes.
Owen said: "Hopefully we can give the youngsters a bit of cheer. From our point of view, it reminds us of how lucky we are to do what we do."
STOKE have appointed former football agent Mark Cartwright as their new technical director.
Cartwright, a former professional goalkeeper who also managed Leek, has worked as an agent for the last 10 years.
He has been appointed to work closely with manager Tony Pulis and chief executive Tony Scholes to head the club's scouting and player recruitment department.
CITY play in the FA Youth Cup third round at Brighton tonight (7pm).
Comments
by jswords
Sunday, December 16 2012, 4:33AM
“Johnson/Boothernender
It takes a lot to rattle my cage
but nothing said by a complete nonentity like you
would disturb me.
Go back to your imaginary world where you believe
you have some kind of life.
Leave this forum for those people with sensible comments to make.”
by Davejjohnson
Saturday, December 15 2012, 7:00PM
“I seem to have rattled jswords cage again. Good.”
by LiamOSullivan
Saturday, December 15 2012, 11:41AM
“And he probably doesnt even earn 25.000 to begin with.”
by LiamOSullivan
Saturday, December 15 2012, 11:38AM
“The Sun is a perverse paper, everybody knows that. Owen gets his 25 grand for turning up at training and/or the physios on time and for taking part in the communal activities which are part and parcel of Stoke City. When he plays he gets an altogether different sum of performance related money, and no one including the Sun knows how much that is. No wonder Owen declares himself fit to play, John Terry also did that 3 weeks ago, but the doctors there also were having nothing of it. Of course the manager listens to the physio before the player, what else would the point be of having them? The Sun is a perverse paper, anybody who bases his opinion on that rag is a pervert too.”
by LiamOSullivan
Saturday, December 15 2012, 11:37AM
“The Sun is a perverse paper, everybody knows that. Owen gets his 25 grand for turning up at training and/or the physios on time and for taking part in the communal activities which are part and parcel of Stoke City. When he plays he gets an altogether different sum of performance related money, and no one including the Sun knows how much that is. No wonder Owen declares himself fit to play, John Terry also did that 3 weeks ago, but the doctors there also were having nothing of it. Of course the manager listens to the physio before the player, what else would the point be of having them? The Sun is a perverse paper, anybody who bases his opinion on that rag is a pervert too.”
by exlongtonian
Saturday, December 15 2012, 5:30AM
“What has Clueless got to lose by starting with Owen? He can't score any LESS goals after all! If it isn't working, O'K bring him off....Tone...if you don't try, you'll never know!!! And please, please Tone...play like we are the HOME team for a change, you are allowed y'know! After all, you might LIKE it....then you can do it again next week!!!”
by Pottedrengen
Friday, December 14 2012, 11:18PM
“The FACTS are there, you're the only one who cannot see them. And tell me who but a fool puts his trust in the Sun?”
by Stars-stripes
Friday, December 14 2012, 10:30PM
“Mr pulis who picks the team says he's not fit. So he won't be playing”
by summertime
Friday, December 14 2012, 9:39PM
“pottedrengen, you really are a strange, strange man aren't you ? Once again, you are one of those who totally ignores fact and the truth to enhance your own really bent agenda. It is common knowledge, not speculation that Owen is on 25,000 a week, but nobody ever really drilled it down and presented it to what that pays him per minute the way The Sun did for the whopping 53 minutes he has played in a Stoke City shirt. Damn right I'm jealous, I wish I earned 7000 quid a minute, what intelligent person wouldn't and Pottedrengen, I did say intelligent !
Dougalcross, Sorenson couldn't do any worse than the strikers we have now and for that matter, neither could Owen. When was the last time one of our strikers scored a goal ??”
by dougalcross
Friday, December 14 2012, 9:28PM
“Will someone please remind me when Owen last scored a goal? For anybody? I'd rather play Sorenson as a striker than the Invisible Man!”