I have always been a great admirer of Michael Owen.

From the moment he burst onto the scene at the 1998 World Cup, he has been, in my opinion, one of England's finest ever strikers. He is occasionally spectacular but always in the right place at the right time, which is a rare and unique talent in itself.

When he scored that goal against Argentina, he thrust himself into the limelight where he has remained pretty much ever since. Hardly surprising considering that goal has been joined by 39 others for his country.

Away from the international scene his statistics are equally impressive: 158 goals for Liverpool, 16 for Real Madrid and 29 for Newcastle.

He has, of course, got his critics: People go on about his injury record and there's the fact that he spends more time hanging around inside the box than your average Jack.

But, when you consider that, despite everything, he has scored a goal every other game over the past 10 years, he has to be up there with the very best.

Right now, though, Owen is at the crossroads and faces possibly the most important decision he has ever had to take: To stay at Newcastle or move on again.

Since his arrival at St James Park, his injuries have reached epidemic proportions and he has only played in a quarter of their matches. Despite that, he has still managed to find the net 29 times (once every two games), has been made club captain and is starting to get a decent run in the side this season.

However, his contract is winding down and in the summer he will be able to walk away, essentially writing his own pay cheque at another club who can have him for nothing.

Having just turned 29, his next move, if he makes one, is going to be his last. And, having lost his place in the England team, he needs to get it right if he is to finish his career at the very top level and not just fade into obscurity.

The likes of Manchester City and Aston Villa are rumoured to fancy him, and there are near constant rumblings that Liverpool may be interested in taking him home. This is something they frequently deny but which I believe is still a distinct possibility.

A move must be a huge temptation to the diminutive striker. Newcastle have under-performed for years and the little man must be desperate for some more silverware before he hangs up his boots.

Yet there is another side to this story. One of loyalty. Newcastle paid Real Madrid a lot of money for Owen. Although it didn't seem like a gamble at the time, it has certainly turned out to be one, with the player spending more time receiving treatment over the past four years than Amy Winehouse.

Despite his problems up in the North East, a succession of managers have shown faith in him and, considerably more importantly, tens of thousands of fans have done the same. They have never turned on him when it would have been easy to lay the blame at the feet of a £16 million player who only manages 20 games a season, at best.

In short, they have stuck by him, and I think now is the time for him to return that favour.

True, the new three-year contract Newcastle have offered him would mean taking a pay cut. And yes, it could well mean not winning another medal for the rest of his career.

But Owen has the chance to do something almost equally important - cement himself in the folklore of one of England's most tradition-rich clubs. If he sticks around and starts to perform at the level we know he is capable of, he could well become the next Alan Shearer - and the Geordies just love their centre forwards.

And, again, if he reaches his old standards who is to say he won't inspire them to a trophy or two? And it would make him a real legend, if, as captain, he were to lift the club's first proper cup in half a century.

The player himself has said it isn't about the money any more but about the need to end his career on a high. It doesn't get much higher than delivering success to a club that has been ritualistically starved of it.

I think what Owen needs right now is for Newcastle to show they are serious about sorting themselves out. If they can prove to him they want to move forward and stop feeling sorry for themselves, he will stay.

If, however, come the summer, the ownership and managerial situations have not been resolved and the club is not looking to invest in new talent, he will be off.

At that point, with just a couple of years left to play first class football, I imagine the majority of Newcastle fans wouldn't blame him. And that would be a sad ending to what I believed four years ago was going to be a fairytale partnership.

The never-ending game

You just couldn't make this up.

Remember the game that wouldn't end? The Chesterfield vs Droylsden FA Cup second round match?

Well, after the first game was called off due to fog, the second drawn following a controversial 'fair play' goal and the third abandoned due to floodlight failure, the fourth match finally produced a result.

And that result was Droylsden winning 2-1. Bit of a shock there then - the non-league team knocking out League Two Chesterfield - but at least it's finally over.

Or is it?

Because now, believe it or not, Chesterfield have complained to the FA that Droylsden fielded an ineligible player. Sean Newton, who scored both his team's goals, should not have been on the pitch as he was serving a suspension for picking up five bookings.

The FA are set to examine the case tomorrow. When a similar mistake was made by Bury two seasons ago, the FA awarded the tie to their opponents who advanced to meet Ipswich in the third round. (Ironically, Ipswich again await the winners of this never-ending game).

But if the FA decides taking the win off Droylsden is a bit too harsh, they have other options open to them. And one of those, believe it or not, could be to order the game to be replayed.

They couldn't. Could they...?

Beckham's package holiday

He's not been there long but it seems David Beckham is already causing a stir in the Milan dressing room.

His new, temporary, teammate Marco Borriello, is getting all flustered about getting changed in the same room as goldenballs.

"I must admit I have a dressing room curiosity over Beckham. I want to see if he is equipped as he is in the underwear adverts," the striker said.

Although I'm obviously not personally in a position to comment on the contents of Beckham's boxers, I think Borriello can rest assured Milan is getting the real deal.

After all, when he signed for LA Galaxy, the club's owner said at the time they wanted Beckham because he 'brings with him the full package'.

Quote of the week

If, as now seems increasingly likely, Wolves are promoted come the end of the season, the Premier League will be a brighter place.

Not just because their team is playing some super-attractive, flowing, pacey football. But also because their manager, Mick McCarthy, is an absolute star when it comes to quotes.

Everyone knows there is no love lost between McCarthy and Roy Keane. The midfielder pulled out of McCarthy's Ireland squad before the 2002 World Cup claiming the whole team was being unprofessionally run.

So surely McCarthy would have something to say about Keane walking away from the Sunderland job earlier this month.

"Backsides and opinions, we've all got them but it's not always a good idea to air them in public," he said when asked.

Can't wait to have that man back in the top flight. Between him, Martin O'Neil and Joe Kinnear, the Premier League is getting back some of its personality.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.