Priority report

"I shall cling to the hope I can play for England but people must accept that Newcastle have to come first at the moment. They pay my wages and I have missed far too many games since joining them to put them at the back of the queue as far as priorities go".

Good on Michael Owen for at least trying to set things straight with the national media.

There does, however, seem to be some disagreement about whether he'll be fit to face Everton next Saturday. Fat Sam says there's a reasonable chance but Owen himself says almost definitely not, adding that "I'd rather remain cautious than set unrealistic targets". Would it be reading too much into it to suggest there may be a rift developing between the two?