Keegan sings Owen's praises March 22 2008
Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan fully backed Michael Owen's England cause after watching him seal a first win since his return to St James' Park.
The 28-year-old glanced home an 83rd-minute Geremi free-kick to ensure all three points were banked for the first time since December 15 as the Magpies completed a double over Fulham.
Mark Viduka had fired the home side into a sixth-minute lead, but a side which had not won in 13 attempts in the Barclays Premier League made hard work of it before Owen also demonstrated his potency to kill off any prospect of a fightback.
The win left Newcastle in 13th place in the table, six points clear of the drop zone, although with work still to be done.
However, Keegan is confident the quality of his marksmen, and that of Owen in particular at a time when the speculation is that international boss Fabio Capello is not his biggest fan, will see them through.
Keegan said: "People keep questioning all sorts of things with these great players, but they can answer them.
"Michael probably answered a few critics again today - and there are plenty out there, from what I am seeing.
"But the players always get the chance to do that on the football field. People can write what they want, but as a journalist, you have got to sit there and write what you see and today, you saw someone totally committed.
"He has led this team fantastically. He is a great skipper, not because of all the things he shouts, but because of the example he shows.
"He is a team player - we have asked him to play a different role and it is not, 'Oh, well it's not what I do', it is, 'Yes, I will do that', and he is playing it very, very well.
"I have said all the time what I think of Michael Owen. He would certainly be in most people's England side.
"What he needs is to be at a club which is successful and scores goals.
Today, he is at a club that has been successful on the day and he has scored a goal.
"He is definitely in form. This idea that Michael is not as sharp as he was has been dispelled this week with his finish at Birmingham, where the one thing you think of when he scored that goal is sharpness, and today again against another committed side.
"Michael will just keep doing what he does. By all means criticise when they are not doing well, but praise them when they are."
Owen could have helped himself to a second goal in as many games before the break, only to head straight at Kasey Keller, but made no mistake when presented with his late opportunity.
The final whistle sparked delirious celebrations on Tyneside and left Keegan with a smile on his face as he planned a night out with his wife for the first time in weeks.
He said: "Whilst it doesn't mean we are not still in some danger, it just takes the pressure off everyone at the club.
"The players' attitude has been questioned, my ability as a manager has been questioned, but that's what you leave yourself open for if you don't get results.
"But more than anything, it just gives everyone around the club a boost, everyone, the supporters, the players, the staff. It gives everyone a boost.
"But we have still got a lot of work to do. We have had a good week - by our
recent standards, we have had a great week."
A 32nd consecutive away league game without a victory left Fulham deep in trouble but manager Roy Hodgson far from ready to throw in the towel.
He said: "We were two points behind Bolton and we are now three points; Birmingham, who were four points ahead of us at the start of the day are still four points ahead.
"We have got seven games to play. But it was a significant move for Sunderland with their excellent win at Aston Villa, so we have lost touch with them.
"But having said that, seven matches, a lot of things can happen. We have got to keep believing that our football can get us out of this situation and we have got to hope that the things that didn't go right for us today, we can put right."