100 Players
Who Shook The Kop – the groundbreaking series that had every Liverpool fan
talking back in 2006 – is set to return this summer, here's my top ten
countdown.
#5 -
Robbie Fowler
Christened
'God' by the Kop, Robbie Fowler is one of the most revered players in Anfield
history.
The Toxteth
Terror is also one of the most natural goalscorers ever to wear the famous red
shirt.
A boyhood
Evertonian, he switched allegiances aged 11 after being persuaded by scout Jim
Aspinall to join Liverpool's Centre of Excellence. Even then, his vast
potential was there for all to see as he tore apart just about every junior
scoring record.
Fowler
progressed through the ranks as expected and in April 1992 was rewarded with a
professional contract.
Within nine
months he appeared on a senior teamsheet for the first time when named as a sub
in a third round FA Cup replay at home to Bolton. The lower league Trotters
prevailed 2-0 on the night, proof if it was needed that Liverpool were crying
out for a player like Fowler.
Somehow
boss Graeme Souness resisted the temptation to blood him until two months into
the following season – but it was worth the wait.
The starlet
netted on his debut in a League Cup match against Fulham before amazing
spectators and pundits alike by scoring all five in the return leg at Anfield.
An
instinctive goal-poacher, Fowler ended the campaign as Liverpool's top scorer
with 18.
Aided by a
fastest-ever Premiership hat-trick against Arsenal, his first full season
transformed him from promising youngster to fully-fledged superstar.
Breaching
the 30-goal mark for the first time, the 1994-95 campaign ended with the
Scouser clutching a Coca-Cola Cup winner's medal and the PFA Young Player of
the Year award.
What Fowler
lacked in pace and height, he made up for with an uncanny ability to sniff out
goals. Close-range tap-ins or 25-yard super strikes, the 'Growler' was
wonderfully adept at both.
The 1995-96
season saw him plunder 30-plus goals once more and retain his Young Player of
the Year award. He outshone Eric Cantona on his over-hyped 'return', much to
the chagrin of Sky TV no doubt, and fired the Reds to an FA Cup final
appearance at Wembley.
Four goals
at home to Middlesbrough in December 1996 brought his tally to 100 in less time
than striking mentor Ian Rush, while another 30-goal haul the following season
took Liverpool the closest they came to a 19th League Championship during this
era.
The classic
'local boy made good', Fowler's popularity among the fans was at a scale not
seen since Kenny Dalglish in his pomp. To them, he could do wrong, even if his
infamous Spice Boy image brought unwanted off-field attention.
A lovable
rogue, Fowler never forgot where he came from and in 1997 famously went public
with his support for the sacked Merseyside dockers during a UEFA Cup tie
against Brann Bergen.
The year
also brought a UEFA Fair Play Award for admitting he had not been fouled by
Arsenal keeper David Seaman after a penalty had been awarded during a league
match at Highbury.
Two serious
injuries then forced him to endure a lengthy and frustrating spell on the
sidelines, which coincided with the emergence of Michael Owen. But, although
Fowler temporarily lost his 'golden boy' status, Owen could never boast the
same kind of rapport with the Liverpool crowd.
With Gerard
Houllier in sole charge, the marksman found himself a victim of a controversial
rotation policy, though his popularity in the squad at least prompted the
gaffer to hand him the captain's armband.
In February
2001, Fowler scored a spectacular goal during Liverpool's Millennium Stadium
debut before holding aloft his first trophy as skipper - the Worthington Cup.
It proved
to be the first leg of an unprecedented treble, with the number nine also
featuring in the FA and UEFA Cup finals (and netting in the latter).
Despite
these goalscoring heroics, speculation that Houllier wanted rid refused to
disappear and in November 2001 the unthinkable happened: Fowler was offloaded
to Leeds, against his will, for a record-busting £11million.
To say the
Kop was shaken would be a gross understatement, with letters of protest
flooding the local press.
The anger
subsided slightly when Fowler failed to set the world alight at Elland Road and
later Manchester City - but the general consensus remained that he was
suffering from a broken heart at being forced out of his beloved club. He
remained a big Reds fan and even travelled to Istanbul to watch the 2005
Champions League final.
Talk of a
return occasionally popped up in the sports pages but was always shrugged off
as pure fabrication. Until January 2006, that is, when Liverpool's prodigal son
made a second coming.
Rafa Benitez
did his own stock no harm at all by securing the striker on a free transfer,
and though Fowler was not the player he once was, the Kop still purred at
occasional glimpses of his old magic.
A year and
a half later, after an up and down second spell, he bowed out when Charlton
came to Anfield in the final league match of 2006-07.
Now a free
agent, the veteran frontman signed for Cardiff City, for whom he'd feature at
Anfield in the following season's League Cup.
The
reception afforded by the Kop on this emotional return is testament to the high
regard he'll always be held in these parts. God, but never forgotten.
Other
Clubs:
Leeds,
Manchester City, Cardiff City, Blackburn, North Queensland Fury (AUS)
You can get
involved now by casting your vote of what you consider to be the 10 greatest
players in this club’s illustrious history. http://www.liverpoolfc.com/100pwstk
No comments:
Post a Comment