Liverpool Hall of Fame – Robbie Fowler
Rise of the ‘Toxteth Terror’
Robert Bernard Fowler was born on 9th April 1975 and in twenty short years he would become regarded by many Liverpool fans as one of the greatest goalscorers in the club’s history, becoming the Premier League’s fourth highest goalscorer of all time.
Like many footballers, Fowler didn’t have the easiest of upbringings but with the close support of his family, and his genuine love of football, Fowler utilised his fantastic natural ability and impressed enough as a schoolboy to grab the attention of Liverpool scout Jim Aspinall. The manager Kenny Dalglish was so impressed by his abilities that he offered Fowler a youth contract at the age of 12. Both the young Robbie and his Dad thought that it was too early to commit one club but at the age of 16, with clubs such Manchester United, Chelsea and his boyhood heroes Everton all offering contracts, Fowler opted to choose Liverpool.
Young Star Shines
The young striker started his professional career well, scoring a hat-trick on his debut for the England U-18s in November 1992, leading him to be called up to the European Championships the following summer. He finished top goalscorer in the competition and in the process helped England to become champions. Pressure grew for the then Liverpool manager Graeme Souness to pick him for Liverpool’s first team eleven. Souness finally succumbed in late September 1993, giving Fowler his first opportunity in a League Cup tie against Fulham. where he scored in a 3-1 victory. In a return leg however, Fowler’s fame among the Kop skyrocketed. He scored five goals and his name was sung around Anfield for the first time. Certainly not a bad introduction for any 18 year old trying to make his name.
‘God’ has arrived
Fowler’s star then began to rise and rise as his natural finishing ability became ever more evident. None more so than when only on his fifth Premier League start he scored a hat-trick. 15 goals in your first 22 games is no mean feat, it was a staggering introduction to top-flight football. Just as Fowler was hitting his stride though, disaster struck, he broke his leg in a FA Cup tie and Graeme Souness, who had given Fowler his chance in the first team, resigned from the club. Luckily for Fowler, Liverpool decided to hire from within, and Roy Evans was the ideal man to nurture Fowler back from injury and into the first team again. Fowler returned quickly to the fray and played every game during the1994-95 season, scoring the winner in a Merseyside derby. Around this time, Liverpool fans began to call him by his famous nickname ‘God’ as he banged in the goals, 31 during the season, including that famous hat-trick against Arsenal that took only four minutes and 33 seconds.
He subsequently won the PFA Young Player of the year Award that year and proceeded to score 30 goals for the next two seasons. In four years up until 1997, he scored an unbelievable 120 goals in just 165 games, reaching his 100 goal mark with four goals against Middlesbrough.
Injuries
What put pay to all of this was a succession of injuries which would hamper him for the rest of his career. He missed the start of the 1997-98 season with an injury, but the real agony was yet to come when in February 1998 he sustained a career threatening knee ligament injury in a tackle against Everton. The injury could not have come at a worse time for he would not be fit enough to play in the World Cup. Managerial change was also looming for the club as despite Fowler’s astonishing efforts, Liverpool had failed to win a single league title. Gerard Houllier was appointed joint manager with Roy Evans in the close season of 1998 but the arrangement did not last long as Evans was sacked in October the same year. Under Houllier in the first season, Fowler scored 18 goals and was rewarded with the vice-captaincy under Jamie Redknapp. The following season was however a disaster for Fowler as he picked up an ankle injury which kept him out for almost the entire 1999-2000 season.
Controversy
Such an injury contributed to the signing of a rival striker, Emile Heskey, for a club record fee at the start of the season, but a couple of other instances did also influence Houllier’s thinking. They both occurred close together during the 1998/99 season. The first came about during a match against Chelsea where Fowler taunted Graeme Le Saux about his sexuality. The second came during a Merseyside derby when he pretended to snort the touchline after scoring a goal, responding to allegations from Everton fans that he had taken drugs. Both incidents did little to endear him to Houllier.
Out of favour
After his return from injury, Fowler had lost his place in the team to the strike pairing of Owen and Heskey, but he contributed greatly to Liverpool’s treble winning year of 2000-01. He nevertheless contributed greatly to the successful season, scoring 18 goals when he did play and scoring two wonderful goals in the League Cup final and in the Uefa Cup final. By this time however, he had fallen out with the management team and more specifically assistant manager Phil Thompson. In a pre-season training ground incident, he nearly hit Thompson with a ball and the already strained relationship meant it pushed Fowler even further to the exit door.
Leeds and Manchester City
It was no great surprise then when he left Liverpool for Leeds in a ££12million deal. Despite scoring 12 goals in 18 starts for his new club, dark clouds were forming over Elland Road as during the 2001-02 season they slipped from first place at the start of the year to a disastrous fifth place outside of the Champions League places. A fire sale ensued as it was revealed how Leeds had been driven into financial meltdown. Only another injury extended Fowler’s stay at the club. He was sold for 6.5million to Manchester City half way through the 2003/04 but it was clear from the off his heart was not in the move. City were not challenging for medals and the team found itself by the end of the season fighting relegation, finishing in a lowly 16th place. Subsequent years did not improve Fowler’s form or fitness, scoring 20 only goals in 80 appearances for the club.
‘God’ has returned
A surprise lifeline came about in January 2006 when Rafa Benitez decided to take a risk on a player who had been warming the bench at the City of Manchester Stadium. ‘God’ had returned home and Fowler described the move ‘like a kid on Christmas day.’ Fowler got his head down and worked hard, scoring his first goal on his return against Fulham, who he had scored against on his debut over a decade ago. He scored five goals in the last 9 games of the season helping the club qualify for the Champions league, and with his goalscoring abilities still in tact, Benitez extended his stay for another season. The 2006/07 season was however a bit of a disappointment for Fowler as he struggled to get into the team but he still scored six goals in a season that saw the club achieve a second Champions League final in two years. He said farewell to the fans on the final day of the season captaining the Liverpool side for his final game at the club.
Retirement in the sun
Fowler still had not finished his professional career though. Peter Ridsdale, the man who sealed his move to Leeds, offered him a deal at Cardiff City. Injury however struck again and Fowler missed much of the season through a hip problem which kept him out of the 2008 FA Cup Final. Last season Fowler amazingly found himself back in the premiership at Blackburn on a ‘pay as you play’ deal but once Paul Ince was sacked he was once again looking for a new club. A club he found in Australia in the new franchise North Queensland Fury. Although it hasn’t been the happiest first season for the Fury, Fowler has still scored seven goals in 14 matches. You never lose your goalscoring instinct, especially a man who was one of the most natural finishers in the game. He may have not have achieved as much as he could at both club and international level due to his injuries, but he will always be affectionately known as ‘God’ by Liverpool fans.
Senior Club Career
Club Appearances (Goals) until date: 403 (173)
International Appearances (Goals): 26 (7)
Individual Honours
• UEFA Fair Play Award: 1997
• PFA Young Player of the Year: 1995, 1996
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