Will moving to Hull be the ideal platform to silence his critics?

Football FanCast columnist Rob Facey wonders whether Michael Owen joining Hull is the best way to silence his critics?

Michael Owen could make the squad for the 2010 World Cup if he joins Hull, according to The Tigers' Chairman.

Paul Duffen is confident that the Newcastle striker will hold talks at the KC this week with a view to possible move.

Signing a striker with 40 England goals to his name would undoubtedly be a great coup for the club but it is an unfortunate sign of the times that Owen needed a brochure to be sent out to prospective clubs in the hope of convincing them that he still has something to offer as if to emphasise how low his stock has fallen.

"Michael needs is to go to a club where he will play regularly and have the opportunity to lead the line and get his career back on track," Duffen said, as reported in The Daily Telegraph.

"I personally believe that rather than being an occasional performer in a bigger squad that it would benefit his career to be more pivotal at a club where he would get the striker's role regularly.

"As a next step it would be very beneficial for Michael and the club.

"That's because of the quality we are planning to bring in over the summer as well that he can play with that would enhance his own opportunities would make it an exciting new chapter in his career.

"So is Hull the place where he could realise his international ambitions? I suppose the answer to the question is yes absolutely."

Hull stayed in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth but clearly have big plans for next year. Phil Brown did an admirable job and the team were flying at the start of the season.

If Owen joins, along with the ‘quality' signings alluded to by Duffen, and finds his feet relatively quickly then there is no reason why they can't start to establish themselves as a Premier League side.

He certainly has something to prove to his doubters; is this the right place to do it?

Is Hull exactly the sort of club Owen needs at this stage of his career or will he be signing himself up for another relegation battle next season?

It is not only critics that Owen wants to surprise. He will be desperate to convince Fabio Capello that he can still do a job for the Three Lions. Will the KC hold the key for Owen's international future?

On the March by Joe Jennings

Football FanCast writer Joe Jennings follows the remarkable march of David Moyes' Royal Blue Army from Macclesfield to Wembley.

Traditionalists argue that the magic of the FA Cup has gone, and that the lack of respect shown to the competition has ruined its reputation as the best domestic cup in world-football. On the March shows exactly why the magic is still alive.