Injury thread

[kennethlindheim]

Glenn Roeder is happy with Michael Owen's progress and has suggested he could be fit to resume his Newcastle United career by the end of next week.

The England man has been on the sidelines since fracturing a metatarsal against Tottenham Hotspur on New Year's Eve.

Owen's forecast return date has continually been put back, but there would finally appear to be light at the end of the tunnel.

"At the moment, Michael has done everything our medical team and fitness coach Paul Winsper have asked of him in the past couple of weeks," Roeder told the club's website.

"He is now running in a straight line and striking the ball with pace and tomorrow, we are hoping to hear from his surgeon that he can start twisting and turning again.

"This would mean he could train properly with the first team again from the start of next week and by the end of it, be close to being fit."

Newcastle face Birmingham City a week on Saturday, with Chelsea making the trip to Tyneside on May 7, and it would be a welcome boost to Magpies and England fans to see Owen make a return before the end of the season.

Strikers are thin on the ground for Newcastle at present, with Alan Shearer undergoing a scan on Thursday to see if he can play again before retirement, but Roeder will not force Owen into a rushed return.

"We will not rush him and even with Alan Shearer injured, there is no question of us putting any pressure on him," added Roeder.

[kennethlindheim]

GLENN ROEDER has promised Kieron Dyer that the club will not give up on him. Newcastle's caretaker boss admitted after Saturday's 3-0 home win over West Brom - in which Dyer played no part - that the England international's season is over.

A hamstring strain is the latest injury to keep Dyer out of action and Roeder is adamant that United must get to the root of his long-standing injury problems.

"We have taken lots of opinions recently and we won't stop doing that," said Roeder.

"There has to be an answer as to why he keeps breaking down and we are trying to find it."

"Kieron played two games in three days and got through them well. He had a couple of days rest before he came back in for light training on Friday but he felt that the hamstring was tightening up and he took himself out of the session.

"He will not be fit for our last two games, he has finished for the season and it is all about getting to the root of the problem and getting him back for pre-season."

Meanwhile, better news on the injury front is that Michael Owen IS expected to be involved at Birmingham on Saturday, for his long-awaited comeback after recovering from a broken metatarsal bone in his foot.

[kennethlindheim]

Emre was back in training today after being given compassionate leave by Newcastle United. The little midfielder has been back in Turkey having treatment for a groin injury sustained in training the day before the Wigan Athletic match.

But his return to Newcastle was delayed by the death and consequent funeral of his grandmother back in Turkey.

Caretaker boss Glenn Roeder told me today: "Emre is a proper professional and he has kept us informed all the way about what is happening.

"The rest of our first-team squad are off today, but he will be in for a spot of work and I will be disappointed if he is not with us when we go to the Midlands on Friday afternoon."

Roeder is also monitoring the way Michael Owen trains this week, and the England striker is likely to be involved somewhere along the line at St Andrews on Saturday against Birmingham City.

Roeder also has Steven Taylor available again, but while he wants his England Under-21 defender to get in some action before the end of the season, it is hard to see where he can fit him in against Birmingham or Chelsea.

[kennethlindheim]

The club issued the following statement on Sunday:

"...following yesterday's game at Birmingham, Michael Owen went to see the specialist first thing on Sunday morning where he had an x-ray and various tests.

"The news was positive, and there is no damage.

"In fact, the specialist told Michael it was quite normal to experience a certain level of pain in the first couple of games back playing after an injury of this kind.

After the game Owen had been quoted on the official site as saying that:

"My foot does not feel right.

"I felt something go after 10 minutes. But it's not the kind of pain I experienced when I needed a second operation.

"I will have to go and see the surgeon. Until then I don't know how serious it is. It doesn't feel perfect.

"Is it pain? I don't know how to explain it. There is a numbness there.

"It wasn't a crack or the pain I felt when I first did it on New Year's Eve. But it is obviously not ideal.

"I can't say I rushed back too soon. I've been in full training with the first team all week and was fully prepared to play a full part on Saturday.

"I haven't felt a single twinge throughout the week. I can only repeat, I'm not going to panic."

[kennethlindheim]

SCOTT Parker has started his quest to be fit for Newcastle United's Intertoto Cup campaign after taking the first steps on his road to recovery.

While many of his colleagues are relaxing on their summer holidays, the 25-year-old began doing some light running on Thursday as he looks to return to top condition after a bout of glandular fever.

Parker missed the last seven games of the 2005/06 campaign, but his never-say-die approach won him huge backing among Geordie fans during his maiden term on Tyneside.

And boss Glenn Roeder says the Londoner will "be even better" next season - when he wants to free the former Chelsea and Charlton man from being "pigeon-holed" as a defensive midfielder.

The Toon gaffer told nufc.co.uk: "While most of the boys are now taking their holidays before coming back on June 28, Scott has already had his break in some ways while recovering from glandular fever.

"He has started his return to fitness by doing some light running. It's very gentle at the moment and I would think he will pick it up gradually between now and June 28 when the players come back.

"Knowing Scott, and his self-motivation, I would expect him to report back as near to full fitness as the other lads. He keeps in regular touch with myself and particularly Derek Wright.

"Scott's target will be starting in our first Intertoto game, like it should be for all the other players. That's the goal to aim for."

Parker made 32 appearances for Newcastle last term, even skippering the side in the absence of Alan Shearer during Roeder's caretaker regime. His final action of the season came at former club Charlton, when he signed off with a 30-yard screamer at The Valley for his second goal in a black and white shirt.

Many fans have already earmarked the midfielder as a future captain, and while Roeder has still to decide who will take on the skipper's armband following the retirement of Alan Shearer, he believes we are still to see the best of the schemer.

He added: "As well as Scott did in his first season, and he was terrific, people should trust me when I say he will be even better next time.

"I saw the response he got from the fans when he played at St. James' Park last season when he was running round making tackles, displaying such effort and commitment."

Although mainly used in a deeper role last term, Roeder also believes Parker is at his best when, like in his Charlton days, he was a box-to-box performer.

He said: "I don't want Scott piegon-holed as a holiding midfielder. Scott Parker is not that.

"Scott has the ability to get forward and to score goals from around the penalty area. The goal he scored at Charlton last season is an example of the shooting ability he possesses, so I want to see him around the box.

"When he was at Charlton, the reason Chelsea paid so much money was because he was Charlton's driving force, a bit like Steven Gerrard is at Liverpool.

"If Scott Parker played well, then Charlton played well. I saw them a lot in Scott's last season at Charlton and he was their Steven Gerrard, the one driving them on.

"He's a player who commands huge respect in the dressing room. He's an intelligent lad and that makes him a potential leader."

Excellent news, glad to hear as well he will be able to play his more natural game next season

[kennethlindheim]

SHOLA Ameobi has handed Glenn Roeder a pre-season boost by revealing he will not require an operation this summer to cure his long-standing hip problem.

It was thought that the towering striker would have to go under the knife to rectify the injury, which flared up several times over the course of last season.

Had Shola needed surgery then Roeder would have had to rule him out of the Intertoto Cup games on July 15 and 22, and with Alan Shearer having retired, Michael Chopra departed and Michael Owen's participation depending on how England do in the World Cup, then the manager would have been facing a problem in attack.

But Ameobi contacted the manager this week to give him the latest news after a trip to see the specialist, and Roeder said: "It will not be necessary for Shola to have any operation.

"Instead he has had a scan on his hip and highlighted the problem and in the end gave him an injection which we hope will clear everything up for once and for all.

"This means that Shola will be available for our Intertoto Cup match in the middle of July which is good news because if he hadn't as things stand we would have been left with just one recognised striker in Albert Luque."

I think this is a good news despite him not the very favourites of strikers.In the situation we are right now,with 3 strikers,or should I say 2,we need Shola to be fit.

[Pennywise]

Reports says that Michael Owen can be out for six months and then it will take one to two months to get 100 % fit again.

Not surprising news for the supporters of the mags.

We bought Owen for £20 million or something and he is A L W A Y S injured. If this injure reports is right, N'castle need two new quality strikers this summer. But what about the money? And what about Owen? He will probably miss next season.

FUERO!

[kennethlindheim]

Absolutely gutted.
aren't we entitled to a compensation or something?

Typical Newcastle United. The fixtures aren't even out yet and we're already reeling from a massive hole in our already-depleted squad for next season.

A quick recap on our striking options:

Alan Shearer: retired
Michael Owen: injured
Shola Ameobi: expected to have an operation on his hip - instead having injections. Have we not been here before?
Albert Luque: a big, big ask on his form, attitude and fitness to date.
Michael Chopra: not good enough, gone.
Carl Finnigan: unproven

Sometimes I just want to shoot myself with a shotgun.

[hanuma]

Don't do that....you still have 5 players coming in allegedly.

[kennethlindheim]

We have to make a move for Kuyt asap before Liverpool snatch him. If not, We will look at Defoe,RVN,Ashton or maybe Anelka. We have to have atleast one striker ready before the intertoto cup.

[Pennywise]

The thing is that N'castle used £20 million on Michael Owen. That is very much money for the club. Now he is gone until christmas and it will take time to build him up from the injure too.

What a stupid injure he got too. So typical Magpies and Michael Owen.

Real Madrid and Newcastle are even now when it comes to Woody and Owen.

Owen was the big replacer and name for Shearer and both of them are gone. If I am right, he will miss 80 % of the matches for Toon next season.

And its almost impossible to get good strikers too. Why? They're expensive and its impossible to get them from the other clubs. And why shall they pick Toon? If they have offers from the reds, Bayern Munich or whatever...

Newcastle is the injure and unlucky club number 1 in Europe.

El Tragico

[Morrison]

Sue the fucking FA, Svennis, Blatter, FIFA, Germany and Koln!!!

[kennethlindheim]

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has confirmed that the club will receive compensation from the Football Association for Michael Owen's injury.
Owen was ruled out for several months with knee ligament damage after falling awkwardly in the draw with Sweden.

The England striker has returned to the Newcastle to begin his rehabilitation.

Shepherd said: "The FA insures England players when they are on international duty should compensation issues arise and that applies in Michael's case."

FA spokesman Adrian Bevington agreed: "We have an insurance policy in place for all players that covers their salaries while they are injured."

And Shepherd is thought to have taken out additional coverage with the FA against a serious injury to his £17m signing.

"If you lend tools to someone and they come back broken you shouldn't have to pay for the repair and that is what happened to Newcastle," said Shepherd.

"The FA have a level of compensation and we insured Michael above that but compensation isn't high enough in my opinion."

"I nearly vomited when it happened. You can imagine, we've just got him fit for England, he's played very well for Newcastle this year, he plays two games for England, and he is substituted.

"And now he's sent back to Newcastle for us to more or less pick up the pieces. So we don't think any manager, or chairman, or supporter, is going to be very happy with that."

Very well. A little comfort.

[hanuma]

Personally I don't get this situation...if it was a bad tackle then fine...but it wasn't it was an awkward fall...it could have happened in every day life...he could fall down the stairs or out of the shower.

[ToonMonster]

well if he didnt play he wouldnt be injured would he?