Owen Did Himself No Favours At Goodison!
He was left out of the squad announced by coach Fabio Capello on Sunday night for the World Cup qualifiers with Kazakhstan and Belarus, but he must hold up his hand and admit ... he did himself no favours with a shocking performance against Everton.
The former Real Madrid striker did not look sharp nor fit, and the burden of being skipper seems to add to his problems.
He is not a natural leader. He is not vocal and he seems as though he suffers from the weight of expectation.
There was no surprise about Owen's omission, which was merely confirmation that Capello is not his biggest fan, and it will take something special to impress him.
That did not happen on Sunday, when Owen was in the spotlight, and it was no surprise to find his name missing from the squad.
David Beckham's experience at Real Madrid is proof Capello is capable of extreme decisions.
The England boss expects a player with a reputation to justify it week after week.
England Squad: James (Portsmouth), Green (West Ham), Carson (West Brom); Brown (Manchester United), Johnson (Portsmouth), Terry (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Lescott (Everton), Upson (West Ham), A Cole (Chelsea), Bridge (Chelsea); Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Walcott (Arsenal), Barry (Aston Villa), Jenas (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Downing (Middlesbrough), Wright-Phillips (Manchester City); Heskey (Wigan), Crouch (Portsmouth), Rooney (Manchester United), Defoe (Portsmouth).