Birmingham City 1, Newcastle United 1

Mar 18 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

IT was a goal which rubbished the notion he does not care about his club, but it was also one which will have given a timely reminder of what he can offer for his country.

There has been plenty said about Michael Owen’s commitment to Newcastle United almost ever since he signed from Real Madrid for a club record £17m in August 2005, but if anyone still questions it they should look at the video tape of last night’s game.

Having just missed a one-on-one chance with Maik Taylor, Owen’s head could have dropped, but he has been around the block too many times for something like that to get him down. Five minutes later he had the ball in the back of the net and Newcastle’s survival bid was finally stuttering back into life. And what a classic Owen effort it was, bursting past three defenders after Obafemi Martins’ shot had been spilled by Taylor, to toe-poke it in from inside the six-yard box.

It was a typical goal poacher’s effort in front of the new England manager, Fabio Capello, who shifted a little in his seat as the highest-profile casualty of his international regime celebrated in front the travelling support.

The Italian may still doubt whether Owen can be a regular starter in his new-look national side, but few will care about that on Tyneside this morning after Owen’s goal had saved a point in a game they may well have lost after a poor first-half performance.

It could yet prove to be one of the most important points in the club’s Premier League history and it is still only the third point of Kevin Keegan’s second spell as manager. This was a task that was never going to be as easy as Birmingham’s league position suggested.

Although the Blues had only won three out of 15 games under manager Alex McLeish they had lost only one out of six on home soil, and that was only by a solitary goal to league leaders Manchester United, a team which smashed 11 goals past the Magpies in two games this season.

As for Newcastle, they have simply forgotten how to win. Most people had not even finished their Christmas shopping when United beat Fulham at Craven Cottage on December 15 and it’s been 12 frustrating and, at times, plain infuriating games since they collected three points in the league.

It is a dreadful run of form which has brought back nasty memories of Ruud Gullit’s short and unsuccessful stint as manager in 1999. A run of 14 games without a league win was enough for him to quit, under pressure from former chairman Freddie Shepherd and the club’s star player, Alan Shearer.

Keegan has tried the softly, softly approach without success and the manager showed a harder edge with his team selection as both Alan Smith and Damien Duff were dropped. They were two decisions which will have been largely welcomed by those who travelled to the Midlands last night, as well as those watching nervously on television.

In came Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins for their first start under Keegan in a bold 4-3-3 formation, but if United fans expected to see their team provide some more attacking verve they were to be disappointed in a dismal first half.

United managed one shot on goal, a long-range effort from Owen over the crossbar and were largely impotent as an offensive force, except from the occasional flash of skill from Viduka.

The Magpies could barely string more than three passes together and Birmingham, little better, were constantly presented with the ball back at their feet just a few seconds after they had lost it.

Newcastle could have been behind long before McFadden gave the home side the lead. The Scotland international has been the sort of inspired signing Keegan dreams of making in the summer. But Birmingham failed to hit the target with good opportunities inside the first 10 minutes, the first when Steven Taylor’s poor clearance fell straight to McFadden on the edge of the area and the second when the same defender had been turned by Mikael Forssell, who teed up Fabrice Muamba, only for the former Arsenal man to scoop his effort over the bar.

Forssell might have made the breakthrough soon after but his stabbed shot from the edge of the area dribbled just wide of Steve Harper’s right-hand post.

Harper must have felt his goal was leading something of a charmed life, but the spell was broken in the 33rd minute when McFadden nicked the ball off the alarmingly static Abdoulaye Faye and steered it past the stranded Newcastle goalkeeper.

Given the lack of opportunities they created, Newcastle needed some help and they almost got it in first-half stoppage time when Stephen Kelly strangely decided to hook Joey Barton’s cross over the bar and hit it straight at Maik Taylor.

Half-time brought a big chance for Keegan with his team-talk, and his words seemed to do the trick as United finally found some sense of momentum after the break, Owen forcing an excellent save from Taylor before he grabbed the equaliser after 56 minutes.

Taylor also saved sharply to deny Martins, but a draw was probably a fair result for two teams who are still in relegation trouble.