MICHAEL OWEN'S ANFIELD GUIDE...

Melwood: Melwood is Liverpool's training complex, a breeding ground where McMananman, Dalglish and Owen first impressed enough to earn a first team slot.

MICHAEL SAYS: "There's been quite a bit of redevelopment at our training ground. We've got a lot of new facilities and there's been a lot of changes to the staff as well, so it's a bit different now, and all for the good of the club. Gerard has brought in new ideas and and added a bit of what he knows. There's always someone joking at Melwood. I think the worst thing you can do is ring up and ask to speack to someone. People will ust pretend they're somebody else. I'm surprised no-one's pretended to be me yet. They have? I probably wasn't in the room at the time."

The Boot Room: At most clubs the boot room is a room for boots. At Anfield it's the tactical think tank where bosses are bred. Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Roy Evans all came from the Boot Room.

MICHAEL SAYS: "I think the Boot Room is still there. We've certainly got a lot of staff who used to play for Liverpool. That is a good thing because they really care for the club. Sammy Lee does the reserves and a lot of good work. Ronnie Moran's just left, but he was great. Steve Heighway runs the youth set-up and a lot of players have come through the youth ranks."

Anifield: There are few stadiums in the world that evoke as many emotions and memories as Anfield and The Kop.

MICHAEL SAYS: "There's no better feeling than walking out at Anfield in front of 45,000. There's a sign in the tunnel which says 'This Is Anfield' and players down the years have touched it onl the way out for luck. I do it every time. A lot used to be made of visitors seeing that sign and being scared before they got to the pitch. I hope we can make Anfield a fortress again."

The Trophy Room: In the glory days of the '70s and 80s the trophy cabinet was overflowing with cups and prizes. But what's it like these days?

MICHAEL SAYS: "Obviously there aren't any major trophies in our cabinet at the moment, but it's still full of things the club has won in the past. There are a lot of trophies in there because during the '70s and '80s Liverpool were the best team in Europe. We haven't won anything for a few years now, but hopefully we can bring some more silverware to Anfield soon."

The Chairman: David Moores isn't like most chairmen. For starters, who knows what he looks like? He isn't a football chairman who likes to feel important. He just loves Liverpool.

MICHAEL SAYS: "The chairman's a legend. All the players at our place love him. He's Liverpool through and through, he'd do anything for the club and every one of the players has the utmost respect for him. He quite often comes to away matches on the team bus, but he doesn't interfere with the managers and that's the ways it should be."

THE MICHAEL OWEN GUIDE TO THE TINGS THAT MAKE LIVERPOOL SO SPECIAL

God: There's only one God on Merseyside, and that's Robbie Fowler. Back from a serious injury and ont he scoresheet already, Fowler's goalscoring record is truly exceptional.

MICHAEL SAYS: "He's brilliant. He's come back from a bad injury really well and it's nice to see him back. Any club in the world would welcome back Robbie Fowler because he's a great person to have around the club. I've not been injured for a long while, but it's hard ot keep your spirits up when you're out. It looks hard just sitting there for nine months, but he's done marvellously well. He's rolled his sleeves up and worked hard and I've got nothing but admiration for him."

The Guv'nor: Paul Ince:on-field hard man, off-field, er...hard man. When Ince arrived at Liverpool, he made no secret of his desire to win trophies. You can be sure The Guv'nor is more determined now than ever.

MICHAEL SAYS: "He doesn't insist on being called that any more. He used to be called that, but not now. Paul's a great player to have at the club and to have onl your side when you're playing for your country. He's always going to be there when you need him. He puts his foot in and he's not scared of anyone, he's a great player. I wouldn't want to play against him. He's good lad too, he gets on with all the lads at Liverpool and we have a great team spirit. On my England debut he acted like a minder for me with all the media. I never asked him to, but I think he'd do that for any player."

Two Bosses: Liverpool shocked everyone when Gerard Houllier became joint boss with Roy Evans. Never had a club the size of Liverpool tried out two gaffers.

MICHAEL SAYS: " The whole system is working well. A lot of people knocked it before it was even under way, but there have been no problems. Gerard hasn't radically changed the place, but his knowledge has benefited the side. He likes to fill the players with confidence. I think it's right. If you say they're good, players might believe it. It's better than them thinking they're rubbish."

City Rivalry: The rivalry between Merseyside giants Liverpool and Everton is unique in football. Close families are split between red and blue, but unlike in many cities, the banter between the fans is largely friendly. But those supports are still desperate for their club to come out on top.

MICHAEL SAYS: "I know all about the big rivalry between Everton and Liverpool. Although I was born in Cheshire, my parents and brothers are all Scousers. They were born in Liverpool and I've got a lot of family there.I also supported Everton when I was little, so I know what it's about. It's always good to have two teams in the Premiership in the same city. There's a lot of rivalry between the two, but I think it's friendly rivalry. It's good at the moment anyway. Things are looking good at Liverpool and Everton aren't doing badly either this season. They've got a new manager, he's good manager and they've got some good players as well, so hopefully they can start challenging for honours too."

Stevie Mac: Will he or won't he stay on Merseyside after this season? For now, no-one knows the answer as McManaman's contract talks continue. But no-one who knows Steve McManaman will ever question his commitment to Liverpool Football Club, or his ability ot do serious damage to opposing defences with a football.

MICHAEL SAYS: "Is he the coolest footballer around? He is cool, yeah, he's a bit like that and I can't think of anyone cooler. Really though, the main thing about Steve is that he's a great footballer. He had a bit of a problem injury wise a few weeks ago, but when he's fully fit there aren't many better footballers in the world, let alone the Premiership. He's very important to us at Liverpool. He carries the ball so well and seems to beat defenders so easily that other players get drawn in towards him and that creates space for the rest of us to play in. He makes me and Robbie and occasionally scores them too."

Copyright � 1998-1999 Christy Chan. All rights reserved.