hey fellow NUFC supporters. i'm from the grand ol' US and just heard on ESPN news hotlist that little micky is having hernia surgery and will be out for an extended period of time!!! anyone else heard this?? i hope it's just poor reporting but ESPN is about the most reliable source for sporting information over here. i'm dupped, this will be a huge hit to our team if it's true.  end all obafemi martins situation topics and posts......   FUCKKKK

i'll look like a real ass if it's not ture and for once i hope that's the case, but it was post-game from champions league on ESPN2 after the liverpool-porto match.  the reporters were discussing how big of a blow this was going to be for ENGLAND.  no mention of newcastle those bastards, they should have me reporting


new:
Owen facing new op blow
Sep 19 2007 by Alan Oliver, Evening Chronicle

MICHAEL OWEN needs an operation to on his troublesome hernia – and the Newcastle United striker will have to have it sooner rather than later.

Owen himself is determined to carry on playing – but sources close to the striker said last night he is resigned to the fact that he faces yet another spell on the sidelines.

Owen had a scan yesterday – and when the results are known they will confirm what United have known for the past fortnight – that their £17m man will need an operation in the not-too-distant future.

And this will mean that Owen will be out for at last a month, and possibly five or six weeks before the turn of the year.

Owen is likely to head for Munich and top German surgeon Dr Ulrike Muschaweak, who operated on both Alan Shearer and Steve Harper in the past couple of years, and both players made a successful recovery.

One of the reasons United will insist on Owen having his operation sooner rather than later is because they will be without Oba Martins in the New Year.

The Nigerian striker will be away on Africans Cup duty, as will Geremi, Habib Beye, Abdoulaye Faye, Matty Pattison and possibly Celestine Babayaro.

Owen came off in Monday’s depressing defeat at Derby County after 55 minutes with what was described as groin trouble, and United are playing down all talk about an operation.

Obviously there is a difficult decision to be made here by Owen, Sam Allardyce and United’s medical staff, and it is bound to be a touchy subject.

England have two important Euro games with Estonia and Russia on October 13 and 17 respectively, and there is no doubt the little striker is needed by country.

But at the same time, United would be well within their rights to let Owen carry on playing until the game with Everton at St James’ Park on October 7 and let the hernia operation go ahead during the international break.

But this would not go down well with Owen or England boss Steve McClaren.

Allardyce has not ruled Owen out of Sunday’s game with West Ham at St James’, but there has to be a big doubt whether the England man will be given the chance to repeat the winning goal of his last home appearance.

Sunday sees the start of a spell of three games in six days, with the Carling Cup tie at Arsenal on Tuesday night and the visit to Manchester City on the Saturday lunch-time.

And Owen’s latest problems could not have come at a worse time for all concerned with the club.

Well that lasted long! (If true).

Same kind of trouble Shearer had during his first season at Newcastle no?

If so (and if true) then let's see, Alan was out for just over a month, so Owen could be out for a year!

Good news for wor Oba

https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article2484937.ece

From The Times
September 19, 2007
Michael Owen shows optimism after another injury scan
George Caulkin

Michael Owen had a scan yesterday to determine the extent of his niggling groin injury, but the Newcastle United striker is optimistic that surgery can be avoided, minimising disruption for club and country. The 27-year-old has been inconvenienced rather than troubled by the problem for a number of weeks, during which time he has been in excellent form.

Owen was substituted in the 55th minute of Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat away to Derby County on Monday night, having complained of discomfort at half-time. While he was prepared to play on, Sam Allardyce, his manager, took the precautionary decision to withdraw him from the fray, raising concerns that his fitness was once again an issue.

With vital matches against Estonia and Russia next month, there would also be ramifications for England. Owen scored three goals in his most recent international appearances, against Israel and Russia last week, and Steve McClaren, the head coach, has already lost Emile Heskey for the next round of European Championship qualifying fixtures.

The results of Owen’s scan are still be pored over, but the striker remains in positive fettle, no operation has been planned and if one became necessary the procedure would be routine, necessitating an absence of less than a fortnight. He expects to be involved against West Ham United at St James’ Park on Sunday.

However, given the extent of Owen’s injury history on Tyneside - he has started only 15 league matches since joining Newcastle from Real Madrid in 2005 and has been hampered by metatarsal, anterior cruciate ligament and thigh problems – caution is necessary. Allardyce has conceded that Owen will require rehabilitation for the rest of his career after his lengthy recuperation in the wake of the World Cup finals.

In football, on the pitch as well as off it, quick fixes are unusual and Allardyce has played down his side’s prospects this season. After a successful summer in the transfer market and a sequence of five matches without defeat, the mood among supporters on Tyneside had been healthy, but a limp performance at Pride Park confirmed that hard work is still required.

“Top six? We are not talking about the top six,” Allardyce said. “Newcastle finished eighth-bottom last season and we have come in and changed a lot of things around and that has showed in our performance at Derby. We didn’t go there expecting to win. A draw would have been a good result.”

Their subsequent loss was anything but; yet players refused to grasp at easy excuses. “The game was a bit of an embarrassment,” Nicky Butt, the midfield player, said. “No disrespect to Derby, but they’re not one of the top guns. We didn’t prove ourselves against them and we’ve only got ourselves to blame for that.”

Utter s****. And I'm an Allardyce supporter.

Er... it is.

No so sure, Sam will probably have Viduka and Ameobi start.

I disagree with the last bit and feel that we should have went there looking for a win, but the first bit I agree. We should be looking at maybe the top ten as decent, it'd be nice to see us improving on last season and then improve next season on this season. Allardyce knows that we are expecting alot but I don't think we should be, once the players settle in and Sam has stamped his authority we should be looking to get into the top 6. But aye, definately agree that we should be beating teams like Derby. That's what has let us down last season.

What's that from again?

That's going to do my head in until I can remember, grrrr!!

The Simpsons - Radioactive Man.

GAY!