Robbie Fowler played alongside some amazing footballers during his memorable career at Liverpool, but he rates one player in particular higher than all the rest.
Speaking to the BBC on Saturday, Fowler - who scored a total of 183 goals for Liverpool - observed:
"I've been lucky enough to play with so many great players at Liverpool: John Barnes, Ian Rush, Jan Molby, Steve Nicol.
"They were all fantastic players. Steven Gerrard is an unbelievable player, but the best I've ever played with is Steve McManaman.
"What a player he was. A lot of managers used to say 'if you stop McManaman, you stop Liverpool', and I can understand that because he really was that good".
I can see where Fowler is coming from with his choice; McManaman was indeed a superb player, and it was so exciting to watch him play in the 1990s. Indeed, it's a testament to Macca's ability that thirteen years after he left Anfield, he still hasn't been replaced!
Fowler and McManaman formed the creative backbone of the Roy Evans era, which for me was almost on a par with the late 1980s Dalglish era for sheer excitement and entertaining, attacking football.
Having said that, I would never choose Macca ahead of John Barnes, though when Fowler played with Barnesy it was during the twilight of his Liverpool career, whereas McManaman was coming into his prime.
Macca will always get into my all-time Liverpool XI, alongside Barnes:
-------------------- Grobbelaar
Nicol -------- Hansen ------ Hyypia --------- Kennedy
Macca -------- Souness ----- Gerrard -------- Barnes
----------------------- Dalglish
--------------------------- Rush
Jaimie Kanwar
Speaking to the BBC on Saturday, Fowler - who scored a total of 183 goals for Liverpool - observed:
"I've been lucky enough to play with so many great players at Liverpool: John Barnes, Ian Rush, Jan Molby, Steve Nicol.
"They were all fantastic players. Steven Gerrard is an unbelievable player, but the best I've ever played with is Steve McManaman.
"What a player he was. A lot of managers used to say 'if you stop McManaman, you stop Liverpool', and I can understand that because he really was that good".
I can see where Fowler is coming from with his choice; McManaman was indeed a superb player, and it was so exciting to watch him play in the 1990s. Indeed, it's a testament to Macca's ability that thirteen years after he left Anfield, he still hasn't been replaced!
Fowler and McManaman formed the creative backbone of the Roy Evans era, which for me was almost on a par with the late 1980s Dalglish era for sheer excitement and entertaining, attacking football.
Having said that, I would never choose Macca ahead of John Barnes, though when Fowler played with Barnesy it was during the twilight of his Liverpool career, whereas McManaman was coming into his prime.
Macca will always get into my all-time Liverpool XI, alongside Barnes:
-------------------- Grobbelaar
Nicol -------- Hansen ------ Hyypia --------- Kennedy
Macca -------- Souness ----- Gerrard -------- Barnes
----------------------- Dalglish
--------------------------- Rush
Jaimie Kanwar
Where does fowler, say forget gerrard ?
ReplyDeletemacca would not get in my ist 11 struggle to get a subs spot
ReplyDeleteThe most overated player we have ever had, he could not lace the boots of Bobby graham who had everything, no Bobby wasnt the best there were a few dozen better but hev was miles better than mcmanaman. I fear Robbie is on something.
ReplyDeleteA very tricky player.. However my baby girl can kick a ball harder than he can, it was his achilles heel....
ReplyDeleteI would perhaps choose Ray Clemence over Grobelaar, although both were fantastic goalkeepers for Liverpool ...
ReplyDeletePeter Thompson was 50 times better than Macca - who was useless at times
ReplyDeleteas usual, another sensationalist headline by a poor-writing blogger
ReplyDeleteRobbie is saying that because Macca's his best mate.
ReplyDeleteHaha..
ReplyDeleteSorry atleast gerrald stayed at liverpool not like macca...gerrald been carring liverpool for almost 12 years...i dont think macca could but robbie was a brillant player for lfc..if only hula hoops did not sell robbie what a big mistake..some of the decisions our managers have did not make stupid mistakes we would have won the title by now...come on brenden change the club
ReplyDeleteIt's called paraphrasing. Did I put that line in quotation marks? No. The way I've paraphrased is perfectlly fair, but you know that. You're just being a pedant for the hell of it.
ReplyDeleteSent from Samsung Galaxy Note
-------- Original message --------
Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: Fowler: Forget Gerrard - This guy is 'best I've ever played with'. Good choice? | Liverpool-Kop.com
Some very confusing posts here.
ReplyDeletedon't think I was born when these guys adorned the red jersey. So you know what???? Anything is good.:-)
ReplyDeleteWell he does like sniffing the white line.....the one on the pitch anyway ;)
ReplyDeleteSpice Boys was the problem for Macca. With discipline and less arrogance, keeping their chin down, he could have been like a lousier version of an English Messi. McManaman unfortunately, was a confidence player, like Robbie was. This is because they validated themselves by their talent alone, and not discipline, and thus things outside of football could distract on top of that. That said, both were cracking players, and reaped the rewards for what they sowed. Their latter careers reaped for their lack of work. For Macca, he won the titles he deserved to win at Liverpool in his time at Madrid, so it proves there is a GOD in the universe, and that He is fair.
ReplyDeletemacca was good ..but peter thompson was superb...king of the wing...diffrent than john barnes... as he was never a goal scorer...but skill he was superb...clemence was better than grobblar....far better...never made the mistakes brucie made...ill have lawerson in there too... and phil neal...subs... hunt ray kenndey, terry mac alonso..stjohn..
ReplyDeleteI've grown up watching barnes and mcmanaman and have to say the things they both did with the ball is what you see in Ronaldo and messi of today. Arguably our best dribblers and people who dont rate macca just because he left lfc to win medals are a joke. Just watch videos of what he did at Mardrid and you'll see that he scored even better goals when he left lfc. If barnes and macca were not in the team then liverpool were half the team. However Barnes had more great players around him than macca so just difficult to say. Glad i was around to watch these two magnificent players, who have never been replaced.
ReplyDelete"Its called paraphrasing" as you claim, I would call it being annoying and lying to make a story bigger than it actually is
ReplyDeletegood clever player was macca, good for step overs etc but better than gerrard is just hilarious.
ReplyDeletemacca was never a roy of the rover, gerrard was, and what kids aspire to.
but one thing for macca was that he was a success at real madrid unlike many other brits abroad.
btw barnes was just fantastic
Jaimie, Have you ever thought about writing for the Daily Mail?
ReplyDeleteJK do you ever phone into lfctv, because i would like to hear you talk your rubbish live, instead of hiding behind keyboard
ReplyDeleteGerrard is the best player Lfc has produced in my opinion. He is the guy who can play in 10 positions on the field and be better than anyone else on the team. YNWA
ReplyDeleteLISTEN YOU SAD COW, STOP EMAILING ME THE LAST THING I NEED IS A CRAZY STALKER!
ReplyDeleteStrange that you'd name Grobbelaar in your best XI (over Ray Clemence) yet call Suarez a cheat ( who aims to win for his team) while grobbelaar threw games !
ReplyDeleteMacca became very predictable, very quickly - he only shone (very briefly); when he had a team of Galacticos around him. I remember LFC wheeling him and Mike Marsh out - they were going to be the vanguard of a new Liverpool - never happened. I apologise in advance for being patronising; but todays young people have no idea of history. What about Heighway; and you know there's a 70 yr old scouser somewhere who's reading this, and saying that I've got no idea.....
ReplyDeleteSurely Clemence over Grobs, but what about Liddell? Emlyn Hughes? Phil Neal? Keegan?
ReplyDeleteand who has the most number of assists for liverpool?? mcmanaman of course. so you people dont speak nonsense just because you dont like the guy..just shut up please
ReplyDeletespot on spice they're best mates , they made it tough for stan collymore these 2 wanted stan out , robbie used to come for a drink with us after games at anfield with a few other players , he's a decent lad always humble in our company , stevie macmanaman couldnt lace gerrards boots up for him , but i would have like to see him in the team now with a 25 yr old gerrard , true he couldnt kick a ball down everton valley , true he would be in and out of games , but he could play and rip teams apart ,
ReplyDeleteI would choose Alonso over Souness
ReplyDeleteMacca was a real talent but would be lucky to make our all time eleven. You've ignored almost everyone pre 1980 in your team. I can appreciate you aren't old enough to remember the likes of peter Thompson, alec lyndsey, emlyn Hughes etc but you can't really have an 'all time' eleven that only includes players from the last 30 years.
ReplyDeleteAs good as he was hyppia wouldn't get in that team either, nor Kennedy and as many have pointed out it would take abrave man to leave ray clemence out too.
The list could go on and on Jimmy case, Stevie highway, steve mcmahon, Ronnie whelan, Peter beardsley, Ray kennedy, Xavi alonso, Didi Hamann, thats just a few Imo Danny murphy was one of the most consistant midfield players we had and very underated, and John barnes was the magician for me but they all had thier own strengths and weaknesses. And one last thing Stevie G will go down in Footballing History has one of the all time greats not only for our club but for World football also.
ReplyDeleteFowler must be on something to say that about McManaman
ReplyDeleteNever 1 of my favourite players. Take Gerrard out of the 2005 Champions league winning team and throw Mcmanaman at his peak in and what you'd get is a 6-0 hammering with the only thought going through his head being "Well,it doesn't matter, l'm not gonna be here next season anyway"
ReplyDeleteI think he was sold at the right time. he only got 34 goals from 110 games (for Leeds and Man City) after he was sold. a goal every 3.2 games. while he was at Liverpool it was a goal every 1.96 games. he either had no service from those clubs (Leeds were in Champions League back then i believe?) or on the slide. Was it a Shankly line about footballers losing their legs some place else ?? we got brilliant money for him at the time and i reckon that philosophy of selling players just as they start to slide is the way the club is going to be run now. so we'll probably have a number more like this in the future. Wenger is often acknowledged for selling players at the right time.....
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that Fowler said the best partnership he had up front was with collymore. So dunno why he would have wanted him out.
ReplyDeleteMcManaman wasn't all that. Yeah he definately was tricky down the wings, but as for an end product in crossing and shooting he was severely lacking
ReplyDeleteMacca predictable? That is one load of nonsense. He was the one player who reinvented himself at least 4 times in his LFC decade long career. He started out brightly as a winger, then after the Groberlaar bust up, he added a bit more steel to his game and from 1994/95 through 1997/98 he was our best player by a country mile. Each of those seasons he had to reinvent himself, and was hardly "predictable", hence how effective he was each year even with the increasing presence of man markers on him with each consecutive year. Bear in mind, he was nominated for PFA Player of the year something like four times in four years (albeit never winning), but still, come on, the lad became a free role playmaker from a winger, and then played all over the park in a free role..to suggest he was predictable is nonsense.
ReplyDeleteActually, no, Macca has now got only the second place on the list, Gerrard is tops now. But still, second is pretty fantastic, I mean, 142 assists in 364 games is pretty mint.
ReplyDeleteI agree McManaman is overrated by some, but he is also underrated by some. McManaman was all about his engine, and the running. He could read the game well and make very intelligent passes and assists, yet, he could also lose heart and confidence (as he like Robbie, was a confidence player), and didn't have the discipline or the fighting mettle to go all the way, like Gerrard does. That said, to say Robbie is on something is wrong. Robbie is saying what he said because he owes alot of his goals to his best mate, Macca.
ReplyDeleteHe can't help but say it, because of their pal relationship, but also, because Robbie knows he must be appreciative of Stevie Mac's assists. From 1994/95 to 1997/98, Steve McManaman made nearly 80% of all Liverpool goals. And that's not a statistic I'm pulling from anywhere, I watched nearly every game and have nearly every game on DVD...even if he didn't get the assist, Macca would have been behind the pass or run before theStig/Michael/Robbie/Jamie got the assist. He was that good. Go and watch some games from 1995/96 or 1997/98...everything went through Macca..
No, Collymore wanted himself out, lads. It's true there was the fact he hated the spice boys reflected glory thing, but that was only because he himself was an enigma with issues and depression (not that anyone's blamin him). Stan was just one of those complicated characters. He wanted himself out. Macca and Fowler used to want to pass to him all the time, Stan was just zoning out on his own because he hated all they stood for as spice boys., but deep inside, he hated how his projection of himself cast himself down most.
ReplyDeleteMacca left Liverpool out of greed and a desire to move on, for sure, but alot of it was down to how LFC was run too and the fact that the year Macca left was when a whole new regime came into Anfield with Houllier and Parry and Macca took the chance for a change as he had Madrid waiting. I mean, who the heck will turn down Real Madrid?
ReplyDeleteThis. You're one of the few posters on ere that has a remote clue.
ReplyDeleteThis is true. McManaman is not better than Gerrard.
ReplyDeleteNow, this comment is true to a degree. It is true of only Macca's final season though. I know this because I watched every single game from 1995/96 to 1998/99. You're right that Macca was absolutely worthless in his final season...except for one game in November 1998 against Derby County where he setup a peach for Redknapp when we lost...and he was immense that day because the Real Madrid scouts were at Anfield that night. But, to say his final season equates to the rest of his career previously is the dog's bollocks. He was immense for us in 1994/95 until 1997/98, when his confidence was completely shot at World Cup 1998 by Hoddle not picking him.
ReplyDeletethey are different types of players. Beardo was fantastic in his own right. What Robbie is saying here is his opinion because he owes Macca for all the assists he made for him. But to be honest, these are false categories, because Gerrard, Beardsley and McManaman are completely different players. McManaman can be compared with Messi (and obviously there is no fight by a galatic mile), but Gerrard and Beardo were different. McManaman was even a real winger for many years unlike what so many ignorant posters I see on ere, say. He was a proper playmaker in the hole. But he was also a push and run dribbler, with simple shimmy tricks and the regular shuffle. He relied on pace for his game, and when that was shot, his game went in 1998/99 through injury. If you look at Steve at Real Madrid, he was never the same player, he had to simplify his game because he lost that yard of pace from his second season there onward.
ReplyDeleteI agree mate, he was weak in those areas.
ReplyDeletestill would not get in my squad hes not in the top 50 lfc players of my lifetime imo
ReplyDeleteFowler is entitled to his opinion. He is not God, nor even fit to be mentioned in the same breath as the word 'God'.
ReplyDeleteActually, I want to take back what I said about Robbie. None of us are fit to be mentioned in the same breath as God. Robbie was given the nickname by red players and fans who saw what he could do, he didn't choose it for himself, so I have spoken poorly about him in my last post. Sorry, Robbie. Nonetheless, Robbie is not God, and his opinion is his own, and he is entitled to it.
ReplyDeleteYou're entitled to your opinion, Jase, just as Robbie Fowler is, when he says what he says in the BBC interview, and just as the lad who posted the comment above yours, is to his.
ReplyDeleteI like your post Jaimie K, but I do believe you have been deceived by the cleverness of the writing and wording of Macca's wikipedia page. It makes him look like the world of football gravitated through him. Must av been written by his pr minder. That said, take nothing away from Macca, he was a great player, but I am just saying, alot of people believe wikipedia as fact these days. In wikipedia it also says Macca was loved by Madrid fans because of his "androgynous resemblance to Nicole Kidman"- are you going to believe that gob too?
ReplyDeleteYou can make jokes you lot about this kind a thing, and av a laff all yer sorry arses about drug abuse all you want. Come back when you have had a relative of yours die in your arms in Toxteth, and let's see if you'll be takin the mickey then. Your name's original chan, how would you like it if I made jokes about chinese liverpool fans and race and culture? I don't, because I respect Chinese folks and am not like some of em chavs who shaft the overseas liverpool fans- i welcome them lot from the far east to support us. But, there are lines to be drawn here- no pun intended. You can av a laff and rag about drugs all you want, but to do that as the bitter blues do about Robbie is vile, and is up there with the lot who went to vandalise his home in the late 90s and early 00s. You ought to be ashamed of yourself for the sake of a few laffs.
ReplyDeleteTrue that. ledge post mate.
ReplyDeleteI've never been on Macca's wiki page.
ReplyDeleteMy views are based on watching him play, both live and on TV.
Think it was no less authority than Roy Evans himself who said that bit about the pond stuff. Proper.
ReplyDeleteAbsolute gob that about Houllier. And to make fun of his name, is an insult to the past decade and the honour of a past manager. Someone ought to teach you some bleedin manners. You speak when you're spoken to, much? Now, Houllier played hoof and run football, and did tear the English soul of the club out, but he did restore the sanity to the immediate need for the club to keep chasing, and take the club's direction to go continental (which was what was inevitable because all the Prem had to move with Bosman and go continental to compete in a globalising world), he did help LFC and keep us in the immediate chasing pack with United as we looked like a club that looked increasingly like a man chasing a car down a road.
ReplyDeleteHe rightly brought in all the technology and dieting and continental methods (that Souness and Evans for all their faults already had idealised), but because the Spice Boys system was needing to be tweaked, it required some massive tweaking and Robbie was symptomatic of that because he and them Spice Boys did have inflated egos and were used to getting their way all the time. Gerard did what he had to do. Perhaps too much, that's why I said, we can't praise Houllier to the roof either. He got rid of the boot room and the ideology of the tradition of Shankly. But, to call him a Hula Hoop and blame him for the sale of Robbie is a mistake. Robbie needed to be humbled, and there was no other way he was going to, as he viewed himself as 'god'. Sad as I was to see him leave, it was necessary, because the mentality that he and Stevie McManaman and the Spice boys had in the past, was the very weakness, we needed to weed out. This is coming from a Fowler and McManaman fan that I am (read the rest of me posts on this forum).
I agree.
ReplyDeleteGet a sense of humor transplant. Overly sensitive rant. You seem to be sympathetic towards Fowler for the treatment he received, yet Fowler made a joke of subject himself. Contradictory stance.
ReplyDeleteMacca left Liverpool not just out of pure greed alone. It is not just one dimensional. I agree with one of your points but it is probably a combination of things. Human beings are complicated. They have a variety of motivations. If me nan or mum died, and I had the chance to test myself abroad, and like you said, a new regime had come in with Houllier and Parry, and the Spice Boy system was being weeded out, and on top of that, the manager who gave me my free role (Evans) had gone, i was only going to have my prime at 27-28 for my last hurrah, I had already achieved and played my heart out for the current Liverpool side and we still failed to win titles because our defence was bollocks, not to mention, all my current team mates were on the way out (Ince, Jones, McAteer, etc), look, it's logical, I would leave too.
ReplyDeleteThose were all the factors behind Macca's leaving. On top of the fact that Madrid, the European Champions, came a calling and the chance for Champions League football (at a time when Macca had been overlooked for England and INternational football) emerged, you don't expect him to have STAYED DO YOU? Also, he had been linked to Spain after Euro96 when they praised him to the hill and he wanted to prove himself, plus, Gazza and Ince told him all about going abroad, and finally, the fact that he was "sold" to Barcelona in the fiasco of the year before- which I am convinced the truth is somewhere in between his greed and demands, and his love affair with being the kop idol (the spice boy ego thing) and the fact he'd been at LFC since he was a school boy.... I mean, bugger me, just ADD all THOSE FACTORS and do you really still blame McManaman for leaving? Ignorant rags and hypocrites some of you lot are I would say, if you say otherwise..because if you were a legal employee of your company now and it's not as if you reneged on your contract, but you were getting 2 million for a signing on fee, and had a wage increase to 60,000 pounds a week for the world's biggest company in your industry, you're saying you wouldn't take it? Add to the fact that it is completely legal, as you had loyally served your company for the past 12 years as a top performing servant of the club at all times? Blimey. get some perspective, crikey...bosh, i'm off.
What a pointless comment. Of course it is opinions and 'Jase' realises that with 'imo' = in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAgreed mate, a right proper post this one.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, Macca couldn't lace Barnes' boots. And to be honest, Barnes can't lace Ronaldo's boots. And to be right proper, Ronaldo can't lace Messi's boots. Perspective regained.
ReplyDeleteFor all the stuff I said about Macca not being able to lace Barnesy's boots, this ere is true. Let's give credit where it's due. Macca was our first proper playmaker and link up man between midfield and attack since the 1980s, and until Gerrard.
ReplyDeleteThis thread is not about the pre-1980 team, it is about McManaman and Fowler's opinion of him, but, I understand what you mean, as, the 1980s and 70s teams would blow any need for a discussion of the 1990s team out of oblivion. Sadly, few from our era of those days are around (or alive) to have seen it to be able to still talk about it.
ReplyDeleteBut you don't think he looks like Nicole Kidman do you? rofl
ReplyDeleteGood post. I admit my futility.
ReplyDeleteit's one thing to make em jokes ay lad...when you're Robbie and takin the piss out of the subject as you're the one innit...but it's another thing when some random internet keyboard warrior or some punk from Huyton winds you up at the local when he doesn't av a bleedin clue about your life now innit. I don't think it is contradictory mate.
ReplyDeleteYou did not just compare Macca with our 1980s team playmakers did you?
ReplyDeleteblimey! I knew I'd never seen them in the same room before! mind = blown
ReplyDeleteSteve McManaman used to be the best player at anfield when we woz going to the games, gosh even the girls in blue would swoon, we used to admire him, Jamie and Jason and even David James (confession) from over the edge of the melwood fences...they didn't age well though, except for Jamie but he's talking way too much on sky to be as attractive these days. Mind you, those were the days before David Beckham, because once he came of age in circa 1999, the spice boys were finished.
ReplyDelete