Ben?tez's Reds better than team I left, says Fowler

Robbie Fowler rates the new Liverpool under Rafael Benítez a far better side than the one he left behind four years and two months ago.

The 30-year-old's love affair was dramatically ended when he was sold to Leeds in November 2001 for £11m. He had fallen out with Gérard Houllier despite having been part of the treble success of FA Cup, Worthington Cup and Uefa Cup. Liverpool had also won the European Super Cup and Charity Shield and secured Champions League qualification as the Premiership runners-up.

It was the pinnacle of the Houllier era, but one that Fowler was soon forced to relinquish, despite having scored the Worthington Cup final winner against Birmingham City and come off the bench to net a classic goal in the Uefa final against Alavés in Dortmund. That Fowler strike is a goal even now Benítez admits to logging away in his memory bank.

When Fowler steps out to an expected hero's reception tonight - probably only as substitute - for his homecoming match against Birmingham, he is convinced times have changed for the better. "This squad now is a very, very good one," he said. "No disrespect to the staff and players who were here when I left, but the club has moved on a lot."

Tonight will be an emotional occasion for Fowler, when he finally gets off the bench against Steve Bruce's side. He has endured a long, painful time watching his beloved club from afar but what he has witnessed has warmed the heart of a die-hard Liverpool fan.

Fowler added: "The professionalism is there, and the performances on the pitch. They are a lot more consistent now, the performances right through the Champions League last season spoke volumes for the way the club is run.

"This season the record has been even better and long may it continue. It has been hard for me to watch games because I have usually been playing, but any chance I had I have been here.

"Walking out in front of the Kop will be great when it happens. I have tried not to think about it, that's when I will feel it."

Benítez will stick with his rotation of Peter Crouch, Fernando Morientes and Djibril Cissé initially against Birmingham, and Fowler has not even given thought to who he may soon be partnering.

He admitted: "I haven't thought about who I may be playing with. All I was concerned about when the transfer was happening was getting the call asking if I wanted to come back and answering yes, in capital letters.

"But this is not about me, the sole purpose of anyone playing for Liverpool is to pick up trophies and win as many games as you can.

"That is what is needed here to be successful because in the past there have been so many great players and so much has been won before. I'm no different to anyone else. I want to be on that level.

"Nobody needs to tell me what I have got to do, I know that myself. It is a short-term deal and I want to be here as long as I can. It's just down to me. If I perform well the manager will sit down and discuss the future.

"I am not getting carried away. I want to enjoy these six months here first, but obviously I want more contracts and much more time here now I have finally got my wish and returned to the club I love. For now I am just looking forward to putting the shirt on, to come into Anfield on match days and experiencing it all again as a Liverpool player.

"I will play when the manager wants. If he wants me against Birmingham, fine. But I don't know. I will just wait and see."

The Newcastle manager Graeme Souness will leave Michael Owen himself to decide when he feels ready to make his comeback from a broken foot.

The Scot hopes his £17m striker may resume training within a fortnight but accepts it could, on the other hand, be up to eight weeks before he is fit again.

As Souness prepared for tonight's match away to Manchester City, he reported that Owen will be the man who dictates when he is ready.

"He had his [protective] boot off yesterday and he was having another scan this morning, and then it's just a case of stepping up his training," said Souness. "But we have not put a time on it, because the best one to decide that would be Michael on how his foot feels. The recovery period is still, I think, anywhere between six and 12 weeks - six weeks would mean he is ready in a fortnight. But 12 weeks would be a long, long time away. I don't want to think about that." Owen, 26, sustained the injury during the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham on December 31.