POSITION: CENTRE-FORWARD
DATE OF BIRTH: 9.4.75
PLACE OF BIRTH: LIVERPOOL
DATE SIGNED: 23.4.92
FROM: TRAINEE
HEIGTH: 5' 8"
WEIGTH: 11ST 10LB
CLUB: LIVERPOOL
TRANSFER FEE: TRAINEE
- THE HISTORY OF ROBBIE FOWLER
ROBBIE WAS BORN ON APRIL 9, 1975 AND WAS BROUGHT UP ON THE TOXTETH HOUSING ESTATE. AS A YOUNGSTER HE WAS AN ARDENT EVERTON SUPPORTER. WHILE AT NUGENT SECONDARY SCHOOL HE WAS SELECTED FOR LIVEROOL SCHOOLS UNDER-14 TEAM AND WAS SPOTTED BY LIVERPOOL SCOUT JIN ASPINALL. HE BEGAM TRAINING WITH LIVERPOOL ONCE A WEEK AND SIGNED SCHOOLBOY FORMS WITH THE CLUB. TWO YEARS LATER HE SIGNED ON AS A YTS TRAINEE AND HE TURNED PROFFESIONAL IN APRIL 1992 ON HIS 17TH BIRTHDAY.
HE HELPED THE ENGLAND UNDER-18 TEAM TO WIN THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE SUMMER OF 1993 BEFORE MAKING A SCORING FIRST-TEAM DEBUT IN LIVERPOOLS 3-1 WIN IN A FIRST-ROUND COCA-COLA CUP TIE AT FULHAM IN SEPTEMBER 1993. HE REALLY STARTED TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF WHEN HE GRABBED ALL FIVE GOALS IN THE SECOND LEG AT ANFIELD TWO WEEKS LATER.
BY SO DOING HE BECAME ONLY THE FOURTH PLAYER IN LIVERPOOLS HISTORY TO SCORE FIVE IN A SENIOR FIXTURE. HE SCORED HIS FIRST LEAGUE HAT-TRICK AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON IN ONLY HIS FIFTH LEAGUE GAME AND HIS FIRST 13 GAMES FOR THE CLUB YIELDED 12 GOALS FOR WHICH HIS REWARD WAS AN ENGLAND UNDER-21 DEBUT AGAINST SAN MARINO IN NOVEMBER 1993. HE MARKED THIS BY SCORING ENGLANDS OPENER IN THE THIRD MUNITE.
ALTHOUGH UNABLE TO SUSTAIN HIS GOAL-A-GAME RATIO THROUGHOUT THE SEASON AND DESPITE BEING OUT FOR ALMOST TWO MONTHS WITH A HAIRLINE FRACTURE OF THE ANKLE, HE NONETHELESS FINISHED HIS FIRST TERM AS THE "REDS" LEADING SCORER WITH 18 GOALS IN ALL COMPETITIONS. HE BEGAN THE 1994-95 SEASON BY SCORING FIVE GOALS IN LIVERPOOLS FIRST THREE LEAGUE GAMES IN INCLUDING THE FASTEST-EVER PREMIER LEAGUE HAT-TRICK IN 4 MINUTES 32 SECONDS AGAINST ARSENAL.
BECOMING MOST COMMONLY COMPARED AS A GOAL-POACHER WITH JIMMY GREAVES, HIS SEEMINGLY INEXORABLE PROGRESS WAS TEMPORALILY HALTED BY HIS SENDING-OFF IN AN UNDER-21 INTERNATIONAL IN AUSTRIA IN NOVEMBER FOR WHICH HE WAS SUSPENDED BY UEFA FOR FOUR GAMES.
HE FURTHER BLOTTED HIS COPYBOOK BY BEING HIT WITH AN FA DESREPUTE CHARGE AFTER AN INCIDENT AT LEICESTER ON BOXING DAY FOR WHICH HE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FINED. HOWEVER, HE ENDED A SEASON IN WHICH HE WAS LIVERPOOLS ONLY EVER-PRESENT WITH A COCA-COLA CUP WINNERS MEDAL AFTER THEIR DEFEAT OF BOLTON AT WEMBLEY IN MARCH AND WITH THE COVETED PFA YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD. HE WAS ALSO COMFORTABLY THE CLUBS LEADING SCORER AGAIN WITH 31 GOALS (25 LEAGUE, 2 FA CUP, 4 COCA- COLA CUP), BECOMING THE FIRST ANFIELD PLAYER FOR SIX YEARS TO TOP 30 GOALS. HE ALSO MADE HIS FIRST APPEARANCE FOR THE ENGLAND 'B' SIDE.
DESPITE BEING LEFT-OUT OF THE SIDE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON IN FAVOUR OF RUSH AND COLLYMORE, THE 1995-96 SEASON SAW FOWLER BECOME LIVERPOOLS TOP STRIKER, SCORING 36 GOALS IN ALL COMPETITIONS, AND HELPING LIVERPOOL TO AN FA CUP FINAL APPEARANCE.
FOWLER WAS REWARDED WITH A FULL ENGLAND CAP IN APRIL AGAINST CROATIA, AND HE HAS WON FOUR MORE CAPS INCLUDING ONE MORE IN THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS.
FOWLER STARTED THE 1996-97 SEASON WITH A NAGGING BACK INJURY AND A BREAKDOWN IN HIS UNDERSTANDING WITH COLLYMORE, SO HE LOOKED A LITTLE LESS SHARP THAN USUAL. HOWEVER HE CONTINUED HIS RUN OF CONSECUTIVE APPERANCES. WITH SUBSTITUTE APPEARANCES HE HAS APPEARED IN ALL BUT THE FIRST FIVE GAMES OF ROY EVANS REIGN AS MANAGER. LET US SEE HOW HE CAN BECOME A SUCCESSFUL FOOTBALL PLAYER BOTH IN ENGLAND AND IN THE WORLD.
