Liverpool FC Forum

bigmick wrote:Everybody's sort of right about Fowler. The pro-Robbie majority havebeen borne out by the indisputeable fact that he has consistently looked like the most likely striker to score a goal since he arrived. Similarly his awareness, game intelligence and movement are probably even better than when he was at Anfiled previously. That his situation has been helped, and he has been made to look more potent in comparison by the paucity of riches uptop before he arrived is also not in doubt in my view. Quite frankly the way Morientes in particular was playing you could've put practically anyone up there and it would have improved things.
The doubters have had plenty to convince them that they called it right from the outset also. Despite a no-doubt rigorous fitness regime and strict diet, Robbie still would be someway short of being the fittest player at the club and the suspicion from my part is that he is going to have to re-invent himself as an "in the hole" striker as his lack of mobility and zip will hinder him inside the box too often. It really is being a little silly I think to come out with the old "but he never had any pace anyway" argument. While he was never blessed with Michael Owens searing burst of pace, he was certainly a lot quicker and a much better all round physical specimen than he is now, and was therefore capable of being a different type of footballer.
Barry is correct when he points out that it is hard to envisage a Premiership winning team starting with Fowler every week. Others though are spot on when they point out that nobody, probably not even Robbie himself envisages this role for him next season. Good teams need a selection of good strikers, and my own opinion is that Robbie can fill the three or four slot perfectly. He can score you a goal of course, he'll never lose that and also his game intelligence and awareness would make him an ideal player to bring on when you are protecting a narrow lead.
Crucially as he comes to terms with his new physicality and the realisation that a lot of his old attributes will never return, my suspicion is that he is a talented enough footballer to become a totally new Robbie Fowler. A Dennis Bergkampesque Robbie Fowler who will no longer score hat-tricks in five minutes against Arsenal, but may just be able to drop into the hole and provide an assist so somebody else scores. From what I've seen sofar (and I don't get up to Anfield it must be said) I'd keep him.

bigmick wrote:Everybody's sort of right about Fowler. The pro-Robbie majority havebeen borne out by the indisputeable fact that he has consistently looked like the most likely striker to score a goal since he arrived. Similarly his awareness, game intelligence and movement are probably even better than when he was at Anfiled previously. That his situation has been helped, and he has been made to look more potent in comparison by the paucity of riches uptop before he arrived is also not in doubt in my view. Quite frankly the way Morientes in particular was playing you could've put practically anyone up there and it would have improved things.
The doubters have had plenty to convince them that they called it right from the outset also. Despite a no-doubt rigorous fitness regime and strict diet, Robbie still would be someway short of being the fittest player at the club and the suspicion from my part is that he is going to have to re-invent himself as an "in the hole" striker as his lack of mobility and zip will hinder him inside the box too often. It really is being a little silly I think to come out with the old "but he never had any pace anyway" argument. While he was never blessed with Michael Owens searing burst of pace, he was certainly a lot quicker and a much better all round physical specimen than he is now, and was therefore capable of being a different type of footballer.
Barry is correct when he points out that it is hard to envisage a Premiership winning team starting with Fowler every week. Others though are spot on when they point out that nobody, probably not even Robbie himself envisages this role for him next season. Good teams need a selection of good strikers, and my own opinion is that Robbie can fill the three or four slot perfectly. He can score you a goal of course, he'll never lose that and also his game intelligence and awareness would make him an ideal player to bring on when you are protecting a narrow lead.
Crucially as he comes to terms with his new physicality and the realisation that a lot of his old attributes will never return, my suspicion is that he is a talented enough footballer to become a totally new Robbie Fowler. A Dennis Bergkampesque Robbie Fowler who will no longer score hat-tricks in five minutes against Arsenal, but may just be able to drop into the hole and provide an assist so somebody else scores. From what I've seen sofar (and I don't get up to Anfield it must be said) I'd keep him.

7_Kewell wrote:

stu_the_red wrote:7_Kewell, at the end of the day, everyone here can see what Fowler's bringing to the side, everyone here knows you refuse to support him because you don't want to admit i was right AGAIN about a player and you got it wrong. Move on and get over it, thank you please.

what an idiot you really are stu......not only have you been proved wrong (by claiming Fowler would become one of the best English strikers and be a 25 goal a season striker, if he played in the 'right system') you’re too immature to even admit it!

classic....but what would you expect from an idiot who once said Joey Barton was "technically better than Gerrard" 

Would become one of the best english strikers?

Where did i say that?  I actually said he is the third or fourth best english striker and i stand by that completely. Again, the dickhead misquotes me. Fowler is still capable of rattling goals in left right and centre given the right service and chances. I stand by that aswell. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge about the game can see that.

And if Steven Gerrard is so technically and tactically brilliant, why did he play a superb through ball for Henry the other week and completely fail to dominate the midfield of the worst away side in the country?

I'm not the only that can see you're clueless, i'm not the only one who can see you want Fowler to fail simply because you had a petty arguement with me... face it lad, if anyone's past it, its you.

Mick, stop sitting on the fence for sake. Fowler's a good player, those who said he was better than what we had already and is still a capable top premiership player are right, thats the end of it.

stu_the_red wrote:Mick, stop sitting on the fence for sake. Fowler's a good player, those who said he was better than what we had already and is still a capable top premiership player are right, thats the end of it.

It's not sitting on the fence stu to say what I've said. I just re-read it and actually stand by all of it. Jeez just because I don't slag anybody off on this occasion I get called Kofi Annan and a fence sitter.
I suppose rather than saying everybody was right in a way, I could've said that you all called it wrong. Kewell was wrong to say he wasn't good enough, and the rest of you were wrong to say he'd be almost the player who left and could still bang the goals in left, right and centre.
Of course, the only person who isn't wrong was me  Minds you, if I'd said that I wouldn't be Kofi Annan I'd just be a narky ponce who disagreed with everybody.

Seriously, I did say he's offered more of a goal threat than any of our other strikers and that his awareness is better than when he was at Liverpool before. I also said I'd keep him so that's not sitting on the fence at all. He's nowhere near the player he was though and if that makes me Kofi Annan to say all of that, I'd better get my little lad involved in the selling arms business.

Big Niall wrote:This whole Fowler "love in" is a bit stupid.

He is a player, that's it.

If a player is in good enough form, he plays, if not, he doesn't, that's it. This whole "lets keep playing and he'll get the odd goal and then I'll feel good because he is a scouser attitude is Bull$hit.

He should go in the summer along with Cisse and Morientes. Not good enough anymore. If the transfer window was still open I'd have him out now, no room for sentiment when it comes to team selection. Get on with your life!

You silly ar*e. 

Big Niall wrote:I think Fowler should be judged the same as every other player- i.e. on the merits of how they play. I feel that many fans have an emotional bond with him, Like Real Madrid and Raul and this clouds peoples judgement.

ON this judgement, I don't think he is good enough to be a forward in a league winning team (that has to be the goal). Therefore I wouldn't keep him next season.

SO you don't think that 4 goals in 9 games is good enough then?
The fact that 3 were ruled out (2 wrongly) has nothing to do with it.
He still put the ball away.

All that Robbie is missing is the fitness. He is about 65% fit now, whereas when he joined he was probably at 30%.

As long as he steers clear of injuries, and gets a good pre-season under his belt, he'll be f*cking FLYING next season.

Put someone like David Villa alongside him, and Fowler will f*cking shine again. 

7_Kewell wrote:

stu_the_red wrote:7_Kewell, at the end of the day, everyone here can see what Fowler's bringing to the side, everyone here knows you refuse to support him because you don't want to admit i was right AGAIN about a player and you got it wrong. Move on and get over it, thank you please.

what an idiot you really are stu......not only have you been proved wrong (by claiming Fowler would become one of the best English strikers and be a 25 goal a season striker, if he played in the 'right system') you’re too immature to even admit it!

classic....but what would you expect from an idiot who once said Joey Barton was "technically better than Gerrard" 

I'm not being funny mate, but you are so anti-Fowler it's unreal.

Is he:

Missing chance after chance? - No.

Failing to link-up with his fellow strikers? - No. Mori is failing to find him, but the same cannot be said reversed.

Sulking at a lack of first-team opportunities? - No.

Working his f*cking ar*e off for the team he loves? - Yes.

As technically gifted as he was before? - No. He's better.

Failing to find space, peel away from defenders and create openings for the lumbering piles of sh*te he's playing alongside? - No.

Scoring goals? - YES.


Do you honestly think ANY strikers other than Henry,Spooney, etc could score frequently with the service Robbie's been getting? Do you actually watch our matches, and see these f*cking GLARING elements?

A f*cking resounding NO to both, I feel.