Owen is still full of enterprise despite his business concerns

Is former England golden boy Michael Owen losing his Midas touch off the field?

Following promotional work for troubled banking tycoon Sir Allen Stanford, another of the Newcastle striker's "ambassador" roles came under scrutiny in a BBC Panorama investigation this week.

Owen endorses The First Group, a Dubai-based developer, which was the subject of claims about poor living conditions and low pay for sub-contracted workers on its projects. Owen was shown in a cringeworthy promotional video playing the role of a helicopter pilot flying potential buyers on a virtual tour of the Gulf state.

The First Group said its own checks confirmed the pay and conditions were clearly legal. Owen's representatives declined to comment.

The furore hasn't diminished the 29-year-old's appetite for enterprise. His name is being used to promote Contacttheplayers.com which, for £1 a message, gives supporters the chance to send mail and receive personal replies from professional footballers, including Owen.

Why Terry didn't name that Toon

All the excitement over Alan Shearer's arrival did not stop Newcastle United having the presence of mind to avoid a PR gaffe against Chelsea. The song, Been Caught Stealing' by Jane's Addiction, had been featuring on the St James' Park playlist before matches.

However, given the shoplifting allegations concerning John Terry's mother, a far-sighted club official asked their PA announcer not to include it for last Saturday's visit of Guus Hiddink's men.

New Russian's Eastern promises

There's a new rich Russian in town and he's targeting London football clubs.

Alexsr Ismailov, who was recently spotted at Stamford Bridge, is part of the family which owns the Mardan Sport Complex in Turkey and is hoping to persuade English teams to use it as a La Manga-style training base.

Working with former Arsenal stars Viv Anderson and Tony Woodcock, Ismailov plans to contact Leyton Orient and Brentford to gauge their reaction to the facilities before moving on to the capital's Premier League clubs.

Mad as a Hatter at Wembley

Wembley officials did not take kindly to Luton fans erecting an anti-Football Association banner in front of Bobby Moore's statue ahead of Sunday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final.

Hatters fan Nik Schimmel, whose side were docked 30 points by the football authorities this season, said: “Having spoken to police officers there were no concerns with the flag or its messaging. But, after two hours on display, stadium security staff demanded the flag be removed and if it was not they would confiscate it.”

A spokeswoman for the FA-owned stadium said: “The only reason we would remove a flag would be if it compromised public safety or carried offensive, discriminatory, inflammatory or corporate messaging.” But she refused to say which category the protest flag fell into.

Doc's uncomplimentary medicine

The Damned United has given rise to a wave of Seventies football nostalgia, so much so that Tommy Docherty made a welcome return to the national airwaves this week.

Speaking to FiveLive about Dimitar Berbatov's first season at Old Trafford, the ex-Manchester United manager was characteristically frank. “Total disaster,” said Docherty. “He'd get injured on a Question of Sport.”