With Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole missing through injury there’s a chance for some of England’s other strikers to stake a claim for a World Cup squad place alongside definite traveller Wayne Rooney. Peter Crouch doesn’t seem to have convinced Capello yet of his abilty but for me he can have as big an impact at the World Cup as Rooney or Gerrard. He is so much better than all the other strikers England have available to play his role and I’m certainly not convinced by Emile Heskey even though he is currently first choice under Capello.

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Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that Manchester United’s transfer window business is now over after the arrivals of Luis Antonio Valencia, Gabriel Obertan and Michael Owen but to be honest I don’t believe him. United will still be pursuing targets as they need to strengthen further after losing two of their main men.

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Newcastle’s win over Middlesbrough on Monday night emphasised just how poor Hull’s form has been for two thirds of the season. If Alan Shearer’s team are to survive and I think they will, then the standout factor will have been Hull’s demise rather than what Newcastle have done themselves. The form of both Newcastle and Boro has been incredibly poor and in all honesty they should be already down as a result. How on earth can a side that had gained just four points from the last 30 available jump out of the bottom three following their first home win of 2009? The answer is Hull have given Newcastle their biggest ‘get out of jail’ card ever!

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I’m afraid Newcastle are now paying the cost of terrible decision making at the club for the past two years. Every decision made seems to have been contrary to what was actually needed. I’ve nothing against Alan Shearer but the decision to go for yet another big name to get them out of trouble was an awful one.

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Much has been made of Newcastle’s failure to pick up a win under Alan Shearer in his three matches in charge but for me, that’s completely unfair considering the fixtures he has had to deal with.

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A football season which saw Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson lock horns in a titanic Premier League title race and ended in David Beckham being demonised by a nation, has been identified as the greatest of them all in a new study published today.‘The Ultimate Season’ Football Fever report, produced by statisticians at The New Football Pools, has pinpointed 1997-1998 as the most entertaining, dramatic and memorable season since 1966, when English football was at the pinnacle of the world game.

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Former QPR and Manchester United star Paul Parker has given his views on the exclusion of Michael Owen from the England squad despite a number of injuries whilst a guest on Chappers’ Premier League Podcast this week.

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Newcastle are a massive club but they certainly aren’t too good to go down. It’s been a real rollercoaster season for them with managerial change, disputes with the owner and injuries but one thing that could see them safe is the return of Michael Owen.

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It was a vital win for Arsenal at Chelsea - do you think the three points they gained were more significant in the title race than the three points Chelsea dropped?

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Michael Owen once again is getting too big for his boots. Since moving to Newcastle in 2005, Owen has made just 37 starts and with his £16m transfer fee from Real Madrid, that basically translate as approximately £450k per start! Or, if you prefer near enough £900k a goal! And now, the little superstar is threatening to quit the Toon after rumours regarding a £2m cut in his wages.

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