Mo the Messiah ready to clean up

He offers a fierce defence of his accused colleagues, declaring his faith in the innocence of people he thinks of as "family", saying he wants to win Olympic gold for them "because they may not have the chance" in Athens.

"You know what, we'd take a blood test any time anybody wants us too. You could get any test you wanted, find out everything we've taken for the last five years and I'd guarantee without a doubt that every single person in my group would pass. I'd get everyone together - I'd even pay for it," he said.

This shows touching faith, considering three of that group have already failed said test and even he has to admit that he doesn't know the details of their cases, but these days Greene appears to trust his friends rather more than the testers. He likes the idea that, as well as labs having an A and B sample to test, a C sample ought to be given to the athlete to keep for their own security.

"Because at the moment, we just have to trust whoever is running the testing system. Does it worry me? It didn't once but it kinda does now because of the things you see which are not right." Greene thinks that what's happening to Marion Jones is not right and says the US Anti-Doping Agency should get off her back because they obviously hadn't got any evidence to charge her with a doping violation.

He also rushes to the defence of his coach John Smith over his link with Victor Conte, founder of the infamous Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative, insisting: "John's the greatest coach of all-time. Has he been tainted? I don't think so. A lot of people want to say bad things about him but they've never proven anything." Greene clearly is a faithful ally but you wouldn't want him as an opponent. Get him on the subject of Jones's partner Tim Montgomery, who has been charged by USADA with steroid use, or Dwain Chambers, who fell foul of THG, and he is ruthlessly unsentimental.

"Some athletes make bad choices - but what you do in the dark shall come to light," he said. I pointed out that Montgomery was protesting his innocence still but Greene countered: "Somehow his grand jury testimony in the Balco hearing got out and he admitted that he was given this stuff. So I have no sympathy for him whatsoever."

If Montgomery is banned, his world record of 9.78sec, set during Greene's period in the sprint wilderness two years ago, would also be history and Greene's 9.79sec once set in Athens would revert to being the accepted mark.

"But I couldn't care less what happens about that," said Greene. "I'm going to run faster than 9.78sec anyway so it will be academic. What's important to me is to run faster than him (Montgomery). I don't know when I'll do it but it will happen soon."

Over the previous two seasons, this would have seemed hollow bravado as he looked like a sprinter in irreversible decline. Yet now properly recovered from the broken right leg suffered in a motorbike accident - an episode he concealed in 2002 because he "didn't want to make excuses" - the boasts sound realistic again.

On Friday at Crystal Palace, he said he would beat probably the highestclass sprint field ever gathered on a British track, headed by world champ Kim Collins, in under 10secs in the Norwich Union London Grand Prix.

Then in a few weeks, I suggested, it could seal his place as the greatest sprinter in history if he became the only man ever to cross the line first in the 100m at consecutive Olympic Games, Greene interrupted gently along the lines of "It's when, not if " and thanks very much but he already had topped Carl Lewis as the best in history.

Just as well he has one more simple goal then. Er, but can you win gold for being a saviour?