Nobody doubted Robbie Fowler was one of the best natural goal-scorer of his generation – but after leaving Liverpool via Leeds United, City fans were a little sceptical as to whether he still had it in him to score at the highest level – it represented another expensive Keegan gamble at best…
It is just over 12 months since Kevin Keegan drove down the M62 to Liverpool to persuade Robbie Fowler that his future lay with Manchester City. It could prove be the best few litres of petrol the City chief has ever used.
After a slow start to life at City, when injuries and a lack of goals stalled his career, Fowler is now starting to hit top gear again. At his best, the England international is certainly a Rolls Royce amongst strikers.
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Much to Keegan’s and the supporters’ delight, Fowler has been hitting the net like he did during his pomp with Liverpool, with whom he won a clutch of honours and become one of the most feared strikers in Europe.
It is ironic, then, that while City’s collective fortunes have not been the best since the beginning on November, Fowler’s performances in that time have been excellent. Hard work and endeavour have been spiced with creativity. And, of course, goals.
This has all helped win over a demanding public, who understandably expected an instant return from Fowler following his £6m transfer from Leeds but became frustrated when failed to find his range.
But if proof was needed how much his stock has risen, one need only think of the standing ovation he was afforded when substituted against following his performance against Charlton at the beginning of January.
Settled in a new home in his native Liverpool and free of the injuries that blighted his days at Leeds, Fowler is moving with a noticeable spring in his step once again and smile has replaced a once furrowed brow.
“It has been good for me recently,” said Fowler, who was December’s Player of the Month. “The start of the season wasn’t too great and for 11 months things hadn’t really been going my way but once it all starts coming together, it’s a big relief.
“Although results have been great for the last couple of months, from my point of view it has been much, much better.
“I could understand the frustrations of the fans. When I first came here I was brought to score goals and I simply wasn’t delivering. It has taken 12 months to win them over but I hope I can keep doing that now.
“Although Liverpool is only 30 miles from here, I found it quite hard to settle when I first signed for the club. I have got used to the drive over now and I’m feeling settled and I think that is showing through in my football.”
Clearly. During the early part of the season, when he was desperate to prove himself a hit with City supporters, Fowler started trying to do things he had never done before on the pitch.
Different moves, different runs, delaying shots that you would normally expect him to gobble up. The ball, however, would not run for him. This in turn caused much frustration in the stands and Fowler was aware how fans were nonplussed with him.
Happily, though, there was a few people to whom he able to turn in his hour of need. During his barren spell, his mobile phone never stopped ringing with messages of support from friends and former teammates.
One man became a particularly frequent caller in that period. Liverpool legend Ian Rush, the man who helped polish Fowler’s unique skills when they were together at Anfield, simply told him to get back to what he did best.
Once that lesson was heeded, the difference in Fowler’s game was evident. Back came the zipping runs in behind bewildered defenders, the first time shots and - most importantly - a flurry of goals.
There was a clear zing in his game when he scored a superb header during City’s 2-1 Boxing Day defeat at Birmingham and it was also evident when his former employers visited Eastlands two days later. Again he found himself on the scoresheet.
“I played for Liverpool from when I was 11 and to score any goal is great, but when you do it against your old club it is that bit special,” said Fowler. “Saying that, it could have been anyone that day, I just desperately wanted to score.
“I spoke to Rushie quite a lot. He is always complimenting me, giving me advice and telling me what I should and should not be doing. I always listen to what he says. There have been others, too, like John Aldridge and some other ex-Liverpool players.
“They have all been very helpful. But as for Rushie - even though he is now working at Liverpool - he still takes time out from his day to leave messages for me and that means a lot because he is a legend.
“He has achieved absolutely everything in the game. When I was at Liverpool, he was the one who did more than anything to help me settle in the first team.
“I was trying things and they were things that I wouldn’t normally do on the pitch. Because I was having a bad time, I’d try them even more and no matter what I did, it would all just backfire.”
“I just wanted to try and impress the fans, yet nothing seemed to go right for me. I could sense there was one or two getting a little bit annoyed with me but thankfully all that seems to be behind me. I’m getting good vibes from them now.”
What happened next? Robbie Fowler took a while to speak to the Club magazine. He was quiet and had more often than not declined the chance to be interviewed. Injuries hampered his time with City but his three-year stay was the second longest spell he’d had with any club other than Liverpool. He’d missed most of the 2005/06 campaign before returning to score a hat-trick against Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup and the third goal against United in a 3-1 win – a goal he celebrated in front of the United fans with great enthusiasm. But as he held up four fingers to indicate the amount of Champions League trophies Liverpool had won, it seemed obvious that his true love was perhaps elsewhere. Indeed, that would be the last goal he scored for City before re-joining Liverpool just before the January transfer window ended - a dream move for Fowler. At Anfield, he was known simply as ‘God’. We never saw him at his very best, but his 28 goals in 92 appearances for City was a decent return for a player never genuinely struck a close bond with the City supporters, though there was a healthy respect.
