Tord's double delight

England coach Tord Grip was delighted to hear of Michael Owen's return to goalscoring form last night. While Tord was in the stands at Loftus Road, watching Fulham play Villa, an England scout was filing his dossier on the events at Anfield.

The England number 10 looked back to his sharpest, scoring with an exquisite left-foot chip to send Liverpool on their way to a 2-1 victory against Kevin Keegan's Manchester City.

"We sent a scout and I have seen the report," confirmed Tord. "Michael looked fit and sharp and so did Steven Gerrard - and it was good that Shaun Wright-Phillips scored again too."

Meanwhile, at Loftus Road, Tord himself was watching another England striker continue his own rich vein of form that has seen him register six goals in his last six Premier League outings.

Darius Vassell's effort last night was a sharply taken near-post header - the finish of a player at the top of his game.

"Vassell is on fire at the moment," agreed Tord. "I believe that playing consistently in the same position for a period of time has been good for him. I am pleased for him. With Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves, he is probably one of the three quickest players that we have in the England squad."

Sadly, one player who will not be in the squad named by Sven on Saturday night is Jonathan Woodgate. The Newcastle United centre-half has been in imperious form this season but a groin strain has ruled him out of Sven's preparations for the big match in Faro.

"Unfortunately Woodgate is out," explains Tord. "It is a shame but we know his qualities and we look forward to working with him again at our next game, away to Sweden in March."