Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler rejected the chance to join Blackpool this week after the Seasiders offered him a derisory wage of just 100 per week. Given Fowler's talent and experience, the decision is understandable, but ex-footballer Robbie Savage believes that Robbie's rejection could actually a good thing.
Retirement: a word most footballers fear throughout throughout their careers, and when it finally comes, it can be - as Savage described it - a 'crippling psychological blow', and one that the former Leicester and Blackburn fielder admits he hasn't 'fully dealt with' yet.
Despite being a rich man, Fowler still has the bug for football, and given how busy he's been over the last couple of years, he's clearly not ready to retire yet, and is willing to drop down into the lower leagues just to get his football fix.
Writing in his weekly column for The Mirror, Savage argued that dropping down the leagues could damage Fowler's legacy. He said:
"Part of me hopes Robbie Fowler doesn't join Blackpool or Hull or drop into Leagues One or Two. I would hate to see him get kicked around, with younger fans watching and wondering what all the fuss was about.
"To want to carry on even when you're richer than God and have more houses than the world bingo champion shows that for some of us, playing football was never about the money, just about the game".
I can see what Savage is saying here; there have been plenty of players over the years who, in a bid to extend their careers, have gone from the Premier League/Division One to the lower leagues, and ended up having a bad time of it.
As Savage notes in his column, at the end of his career, Liverpool hero Ian Rush spent a season and Wrexham, and failed to score a single goal. It would've been great for Wrexham fans to see a real legend of the game playing for them, but I doubt they would've gone away with a positive lasting impression of Rushie's undoubted ability.
Having said that, as Craig Bellamy showed last season at Cardiff, top-level players can drop down into a lower league and have a great impact. Granted, Bellamy is younger than Fowler, but Robbie still seems to be fit and raring to go, and often, that's half the battle.
I say bring Robbie back to Anfield on a short-term deal, or as a striking coach!
Jaimie Kanwar
Retirement: a word most footballers fear throughout throughout their careers, and when it finally comes, it can be - as Savage described it - a 'crippling psychological blow', and one that the former Leicester and Blackburn fielder admits he hasn't 'fully dealt with' yet.
Despite being a rich man, Fowler still has the bug for football, and given how busy he's been over the last couple of years, he's clearly not ready to retire yet, and is willing to drop down into the lower leagues just to get his football fix.
Writing in his weekly column for The Mirror, Savage argued that dropping down the leagues could damage Fowler's legacy. He said:
"Part of me hopes Robbie Fowler doesn't join Blackpool or Hull or drop into Leagues One or Two. I would hate to see him get kicked around, with younger fans watching and wondering what all the fuss was about.
"To want to carry on even when you're richer than God and have more houses than the world bingo champion shows that for some of us, playing football was never about the money, just about the game".
I can see what Savage is saying here; there have been plenty of players over the years who, in a bid to extend their careers, have gone from the Premier League/Division One to the lower leagues, and ended up having a bad time of it.
As Savage notes in his column, at the end of his career, Liverpool hero Ian Rush spent a season and Wrexham, and failed to score a single goal. It would've been great for Wrexham fans to see a real legend of the game playing for them, but I doubt they would've gone away with a positive lasting impression of Rushie's undoubted ability.
Having said that, as Craig Bellamy showed last season at Cardiff, top-level players can drop down into a lower league and have a great impact. Granted, Bellamy is younger than Fowler, but Robbie still seems to be fit and raring to go, and often, that's half the battle.
I say bring Robbie back to Anfield on a short-term deal, or as a striking coach!
Jaimie Kanwar
I also thought a few weeks back that we should put him on the bench for that last 15 minute sub! At least he would show them how to score...
ReplyDeleteI say bring him in as a striking coach and reserve/sub. he'd also be good for moral coaching the youth alongside Jamie Carragher.
ReplyDeletemy my I agree with everything here today lol
ReplyDeleteFowler as a Coach? Yes. Fowler as a Player? No
ReplyDeleteIt's bad enough that the existing underperforming senior players manage to hold onto their places, irrespective of how often they fail. Bringing in another past it player and immediately promoting him ahead of the reserves who have been waiting for their opportunity for too long (in many cases) now, would just be another signal to them that management have no confidence in them at all and that their efforts are wasted.
And it's all well and good to talk about them being too young, but Fowler is likewise too old. And we've all seen the trend of quality 17-18 year olds turning into spent 21 year olds after spending years dossing about in the relative obscurity of our reserve teams.
Give the kids that perform in the reserves a chance to perform in the senior team and see what they're made of I say.
god knowes what s best 4 him...ynwa
ReplyDeleteYes, see if they can get him coaching. The guy's been shot, pardon the pun, as a player for years now.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to have Fowler back at anfield, i can't help thinking that he could of scored more than few of the chances we have created. However i feel he could do wonders in a coaching role. He is a natural goal scorer and we all know Liverpool could do with some input in this area.
ReplyDeleteget him and teach suarez how to shoot
ReplyDeleteDid they really offer him £100 thats an insult. Id like to see someone of Robbies age help out a team like Portsmouth who havent got any money, that wouldnt be an insult and would be giving something back to the game.
ReplyDeleteFowler coaching Adam Morgan and showing him all his old tricks of the trade...how good could he turn out if that happens?
ReplyDelete