You Can Take Fowler Out Of Liverpool, But You Can't Take Liverpool Out Of Fowler (Robbie Fowler)

Member Name: blackjane

Product:	Robbie Fowler
Date:	01/12/01 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 'god'

Disadvantages: Needs to play more games to shine

For someone who became an Everton supporter as a youngster, Robbie Fowler made a natural transition to become an Anfield legend. The player known to the legions of reds fans merely as 'god' has now played his last game for Liverpool after an £11M move to championship rivals Leeds United. Eight successful seasons as one of the top strikers in the country combined with Fowler's love for his home city will have made a lasting impression on the player. However, it was his ambitions to play at the very top level for England that made up Fowler's mind to move on to pastures new.

Fowler was born in Toxteth, one of the less salubrious areas of Liverpool in 1975. Fowler's working class upbringing has often meant that he has found it difficult to adjust to his superstar lifestyle, and skirmishes in the city's clubs and bars (including a broken nose) as well as alleged links with drugs and the local hoodlums have not helped his overall reputation. Fowler's taunting of Graeme Le Saux as well as his notorious 'sniffing' of the touchline after scoring a penalty in the local derby match to taunt the Everton fans have shown serious inadequacies in his maturity. Hopefully this move will enable him to grow in stature as a player, and also to leave behind some of the problems that have plagued him on Merseyside.

As an eleven year old boy in 1986, Fowler was already playing for Liverpool as a schoolboy. By the time he was seventeen in 1992 he had signed on trainee terms and only a year later he made his first appearance for the first team in 1993.

The recent transfer of Fowler surprised many people, and none more than Liverpool's own supporters. Fowler has courted controversy for much of his career but the transfer of their hero, particularly to a rival Premiership side was unthinkable. However, now that the unthinkable has happened, and he has severed his links to Liverpool Football Club, Robbie Fowler needs to focus
on his new challenge.

When footballers are transfered, they tend to receive a very polarised reception when they return to play at their former club. Supporters tend to either give a very hearty round of applause, or boo every time they touch the ball, dependant upon the nature of the player and also the part that they played whilst at the club. Fowler, despite his shock move to Leeds, will receive a hero's welcome whenever he returns to Liverpool as a Leeds United player - that is guaranteed. However, the Liverpool supporters will know better than anyone else what Fowler is capable of, so don't be at all surprised if he nets against his former team at some time in the near future.

I have been privileged enough to see Fowler play for Liverpool on numerous occasions, having lived in the city for several years. His pace and in particular his natural finishing ability have served him in good stead with 171 goals for Liverpool making him their fifth highest goalscorer of all time. Fowler will now be hoping that he can go on to score as many goals with his new club, which will make him as much of a legend in front of the Elland Road faithful as he already is at Anfield.

A much publicised spat with Phil Thompson, the current stand-in manager at Liverpool, gave rise to rumours that Fowler may leave the club. However, in the end it was the lack of opportunities to play for the first team due to competition from the likes of Michael Owen, Emile Heskey and Jari Litmanen that helped Fowler to his eventual decision.

One thing is for certain - we certainly haven't heard the last of Robbie Fowler. If David O'Leary is able to nurture Fowler's natural ability then Leeds United have gained a very valuable asset, but only time will tell if Fowler steps up a gear and proves his doubters wrong.

{Another original Dooyoo opinion
© Blackjane 2001}

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