 Had Steve Harmison possessed as much ability with the ball at his feet as he has with it in his hand, the Durham fast bowler would probably have spent the last ten years rivalling Alan Shearer for the number nine shirt at Newcastle United. Harmison only begun to take cricket seriously in his late teens when he realised he was never going to be good enough to make the grade as a professional footballer. But it was a pragmatic decision which has taken him to the very top of the nation's summer sport and established him as one of the country's best known sportsman. But if his chosen career path has been to defenders' gain and batsmen's loss, it is one which has done nothing to dampen his passion for football and, in particular, the club he grew up supporting in Ashington. So it was with a heavy heart that Harmison followed Newcastle during this dismal season and it is with a head full of concern that he has read about the speculation concerning Michael Owen's future this week. According to those close to Owen, the England striker has a release clause in his contract which will enable him to leave United if a club playing in the Champions League offers just £9m. If he goes, he will, because of injuries, have played 14 games for the club since his £16m move from Real Madrid in the summer of 2005. With wages of around £110,000-a-week, in terms of value for money, the deal would make the Millennium Dome and the new Wembley Stadium look prudent. As a professional sportsman, Harmison is not critical of Owen's ambition. If anything, he sympathises with the dilemma he faces. Loyalty to an under-achieving club which needs a major rebuilding project or a move to an established club which will offer him, at 27, an excellent chance of silverware? Harmison is proud of his North-East roots and loves playing for the county which made him, as well as his country. He knows Owen does not have those emotional ties, but that does not discourage him from making an emotional plea to the striker to stay. "Newcastle have got to keep Michael Owen, it's absolutely vital," said Harmison, having taken four wickets against Kent yesterday morning to take his tally to 19 in just three Championship games for Durham this season. "As a Newcastle supporter I'd ask him to stay and show us exactly what we have been missing for the last two years. "I'm not going to tell him he must stay or he should feel guilty because that's not my place. I'd just, like every single Newcastle supporter out there, ask him to stay. If the club can keep Michael the supporters will have hope that next season can be a lot better than this one. Michael has to realise how much love he will get if he stays. Newcastle fans worship goal-scorers and he is one of the best around. "Michael is world class, he is the sort of player that lifts everyone at a club, the players and the supporters, just by lining up at the start of a game." Harmison continued: "We've been so unfortunate to lose Michael to injury for so long. If we'd had him this season, we'd be in Europe and he probably wouldn't want to leave. I can understand why he might be thinking about it because it's a short career and he wants to be playing in the Champions League, but he can get us back to that level. "Look at Alan Shearer. We signed him at a similar age and look what he went on to achieve and the amount of personal satisfaction he got as a result. Michael can have all of that at Newcastle and, if he helps us win a trophy, he can achieve even more than Alan did." Harmison has enjoyed being at home in the North-East these last few months because he has been able to see plenty of his football team. Unfortunately, like every other United fan, he has been depressed by what he has seen and admits this season has been one of the worst he can remember. However, with Owen's help, he is confident the new manager - Sam Allardyce or not - can ensure the club can rise again. He explained: "If the new manager knows he is going to have Michael Owen playing for him next season it will make it easier for him to sign other world class players and it will make it easier for him to keep the good players already at the club. "I know this has been a bad season, but we shouldn't forget that Newcastle have the core of a very good team. I can't believe Scott Parker has been criticised because he puts himself on the line in every game he plays. It's the same for Kieron Dyer. He's another world class talent who just needs encouragement, not criticism. I don't want either of them to leave. "Then if you look at Nicky Butt, he's had a great season, Steven Taylor, Emre, Shay Given and Damien Duff, if he can shake off his injury problems, that's the makings of an excellent team. "I'd keep Titus Bramble and James Milner as well because they are young and, with the right manager and the right players alongside them, they will get better and better. I reckon we're going to need six or eight new signings to add the necessary quality, but if Michael stays, I think we have the pulling power to do that." | 
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