“Robbie Fowler: My Life in Football” — Author’s Copy.
Now I could pen a traditional “review” of Robbie Fowler (better known as “God” to us mere mortals) and his most recent book, but where’s the fun in that? I could drone endlessly on and narrate the chapters of his footballing life, from his local footballing records in Liverpool 8 (the district of the city he lived in or otherwise known as Toxteth), his early exploits, breaking into the England U18’s and his progress through to the full National side. Or his debut, the 4 minute and 36 second hat-trick against Arsenal or his first winner’s medal in 1995, the despair and embarrassment of the 1996 FA Cup Final and on through the rest of the 1990’s before we watched God lift three trophies in one unbelievable season in 2000/2001. Or indeed his sad departure from the club he loved and his dalliances with Leeds United and Manchester City before he returned home for an albeit brief but goal scoring spell under Manager Rafa Benitez. And I guess I could wrap up a conventional “review” of his book by delving deep into his first forays into the murky world of Football Management and his stop start, virus and lockdown affected stints in Australia and India.
But where’s the fun in that?
So here’s a slightly different book review, in the shape of my childhood cuttings from my scrapbooks and my collations of season by season footballing memories from “Scrapbook Lane” and a keen eye on the man, indeed, God himself, Robbie Fowler.
All pictures, unless otherwise stated, are from my personal collection of scrapbooks, books, match programmes and match tickets.
Fulham (1) Liverpool (3). 2nd Round, 1st Leg of the Coca-Cola League Cup, 22nd September 1993. Travelling to this game with my regular Liverpool travelling companion “Steve The Taxi Driver” we had no idea what lay ahead for us beside the banks of London’s River Thames this night. We had no real idea that Robbie Fowler (and a long way from being crowned “God”) would play this evening, but play he did as he made his full first team debut. So I can lay claim to being one of the 13,599 rain sodden disciples at the coming of the new Lord! Appropriately, but strangely not mentioned in his book, this night was a rainstorm of biblical proportions followed by jagged lightening and thunder, all whilst we huddled together on the “Away End” terrace full of metal crowd barriers! Fowler scored the third goal this night and a goal on his full debut. Quite the entrance to professional football.
Liverpool (0) Arsenal (0), 2nd October 1993. A fresh faced Robbie Fowler makes his Anfield league debut and whilst the article is talking up the chances of his pictured opponent Lee Dixon and his England bid, it wouldn’t be long before Fowler himself is knocking on the door of the full National team.
Liverpool (5) Fulham (0), 2nd Round, 2nd Leg of the Coca-Cola League Cup, 5th October 1993. In front of just 12,541 at Anfield, Robbie scored ALL FIVE goals on a night that in future generations many thousands of Reds would state, with tongue firmly in their cheeks, they were at Anfield on this momentous evening.
Liverpool (2) Aston Villa (1), 28th November 1993, and Fowler with yet another goal in his debut season.
Tottenham Hotspur (3) Liverpool (3), 18th December 1993. A topsy-turvy game that will live on in infamy for my shopping habits in an incredibly busy Central London before the game and a game that saw Fowler score 2 of Liverpool’s 3 goals in a game they should’ve won comfortably before almost losing at the end. Robbie can be seen leaping for joy in the picture bottom right.
Liverpool (2) Everton (1), 13th March 1994, and in the 44th minute of his first ever Merseyside Derby, Fowler strikes to give Liverpool a 2–1 lead and a lead they’d hold until the final whistle. As stated in Robbie’s book, he wasn’t anywhere near full fitness after an ankle injury but was bursting to play.
West Ham United (1) Liverpool (2), 23rd April 1994. On my umpteenth visit to Upton Park, I finally see a Reds victory! 26,096 were present to watch an absolutely dreadful game in which Fowler scored on 13 minutes to equalise Martin Allen’s 1st minute opener. Ian Rush scored the Reds winner with 3 minutes to go.
Crystal Palace (1) Liverpool (6), 20th August 1994. The opening day of the 1994/95 season saw an unfamiliar “Reds” in their new away kit and a storming start to the league season saw them hit Palace for six, with Fowler scoring the third goal.
Liverpool (3) Arsenal (0), 28th August 1994. Another occasion on which I can say (along with my travelling companion “Steve The Taxi Driver”), “I Was There”, as Robbie scored an unbelievable hat-trick in just 4 minutes and 36 seconds and setting a record that would stand for over 20 years as the fastest ever hat-trick in Premier League history. The record was taken by Sadio Mane in 2015, before promptly joining Liverpool! However, and as quoted in Robbie’s book, this particular hat-trick was sweet as he tore apart the Arsenal defence, and defender Martin Keown in particular. I was incredibly lucky on this day as not only was I in attendance but I was sitting in the 2nd Row of the Lower Anfield Road End and all three goals were scored mere yards (perhaps just 20?) right in front of my disbelieving eyes. We’ll never see the likes of it again, and Sadio Mane’s record is safe for a long time to come.
Liverpool (3) Arsenal (0), 28th August 1994. And more from Robbie’s incredible 4 minute, 36 second hat-trick.
Liverpool (3) Arsenal (0), 28th August 1994. And more from Robbie’s incredible 4 minute, 36 second hat-trick.
Liverpool (3) Arsenal (0), 28th August 1994. And more from Robbie’s incredible 4 minute, 36 second hat-trick.
Liverpool (3) Aston Villa (2), 8th October 1994. Two more goals from the 19 year old “kid” sees off Aston Villa.
Ipswich Town (1) Liverpool (3), 29th October 1994 and two goals in four minutes from “God” secures all three points for the Reds.
Liverpool (3) Chelsea (1), 9th November 1994. Goals in the 8th and 9th minute turnaround an early 1 goal deficit and the Reds triumph 3–1 against their yearly Blues rivals from Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool (1) Crystal Palace (0), Semi-Final 1st Leg of the Coca-Cola League Cup. Attendance of just 25,480 see a last minute Robbie Fowler winning goal and a slender 1 goal advantage for the second Leg in London.
Liverpool (2) Newcastle United (0), 4th March 1995. Fowler scores the opening goal of a 2 goal win in front of 39,300 at Anfield.
Crystal Palace (0) Liverpool (1), Coca-Cola Cup Semi-Final, 2nd Leg, 8th March 1995. Fowler scored the only goal in the 27th minute to match his only goal from the 1st Leg and the Reds make it to the Wembley Final 2–0 on aggregate.
Bolton Wanderers (1) Liverpool (2). Coca-Cola League Cup Final, 2nd April 1995. Although Fowler didn’t get on the scoresheet, his best mate Steve McManaman did, twice, and the Reds were relatively comfortable 2–1 winners. As stated in his book, this trophy, and first medal of his professional career, meant a lot to the young man.
Bolton Wanderers (1) Liverpool (2). Coca-Cola League Cup Final, 2nd April 1995. Robbie leads the celebrations bottom left as bottom right his mate “Macca” celebrates with both the three handled League Cup trophy and the Stanley Matthews Man of the Match trophy. Steve McManaman was unplayable on this day.
Bolton Wanderers (1) Liverpool (2). Coca-Cola League Cup Final, 2nd April 1995. The Master Ian Rush and his young apprentice celebrate a cherubic looking Fowler’s first professional winners medal and trophy. Pictures courtesy of www.liverpoolecho.co.uk and www.pinterest.com
3 days in April 1995 and Robbie Fowler is front and centre again as he scores the only goal in a 1–0 away win at Arsenal before helping his mate Steve McManaman celebrate his goal in a 2–1 defeat away at Manchester City.
Tottenham Hotspur (1) Liverpool (3), 26th August 1995. And a new look Robbie Fowler celebrates his 55th minute goal that ensured all three points for the visiting Reds. As stated in his book, he was upset to be benched at the start of the season and took great delight in this goal and his return to the starting XI.
Liverpool (5) Bolton Wanderers (2), 23rd September 1995. A crowd of 40,104 were present at Anfield as their “God” scored four goals in just 56 total minutes of play.
Liverpool (2) Manchester United (0), 17th December 1995. Top left and Top Right: Two angles from the same sublime free-kick from Fowler as he scored both goals in a much needed win for the Reds over their fiercest rivals.
Liverpool (3) Arsenal (1), 23rd December 1995 and Robbie Fowler scores yet another hat-trick against the “Gunners” from North London in front of 39,806 at Anfield.
Liverpool (5) Leeds United (0), 20th January 1996, and Fowler grabs two goals in 8 second half minutes.
Liverpool (3) Aston Villa (0), 3rd March 1996. McManaman opened the scoring on 2 minutes and Fowler added two goals within 6 minutes and after only 8 minutes of the game, the Reds were already 3–0 in front. Robbie’s 2nd goal was a thing of real beauty as he turned away from ex team mate Steve Staunton before unleashing a left footed drive from over 25 yards out that whistled into the top corner of the net. An incredible goal to round off an incredible opening 8 minutes of the game.
Liverpool (2) Chelsea (0), 16th March 1996 and “God” is making the headlines again with yet another goal for the Reds.
Aston Villa (0) Liverpool (3), FA Cup Semi-Final at Old Trafford, 31st March 1996. Robbie leads his team to a Wembley FA Cup Final with a virtuoso display, two goals out of the three and both spectacular in their own way. The first, a diving header and the second a self titled “looper” as he states in his book, and the results of hours and hours of endless practice with his Dad as a kid, “looping” shots towards the far corner of the goal.
Liverpool (4) Newcastle United (3), 3rd April 1996. 40,702 were present at Anfield for a game rightly accorded in numerous polls as “The Greatest Ever Premiership Match”. Stan Collymore would grab the headlines for the unbelievable winning goal but Fowler started the evening’s proceedings with the opening goal and the equalising goal to make the game 2–2.
Everton (1) Liverpool (1), 16th April 1996. Boyhood Everton “Blue” Robbie Fowler with the equaliser just 3 minutes from the end.
Liverpool (0) Manchester United (1). FA Cup Final. 11th May 1996 at Wembley Stadium, London. Strangely, I don’t seem to have any cuttings in my scrapbook from this game. I can’t think why. ’Twas the “White Suit Final” or the “Armani Final” or the “Spice Boys”. Whichever way you wrap it up, the white suits didn’t lose the FA Cup Final.
Liverpool (5) Chelsea (1), 21st September 1996. Fowler opened the scoring in this 5–1 rout before new signing Patrik Berger (picture on the match programme) scored two more in a dominating performance at Anfield.
FC Sion (1) Liverpool (2). European Cup Winners Cup, 2nd Round, 1st Leg, 17th October 1996. My first ever European away tie with Liverpool and “God” did me proud, scoring one of the two Reds goals on the night.
FC Sion (1) Liverpool (2). European Cup Winners Cup, 2nd Round, 1st Leg, 17th October 1996. My first ever European away tie with Liverpool and “God” did me proud, scoring one of the two Reds goals on the night.
Liverpool (2) Derby County (1), 27th October 1996. Robbie returns from yet another ankle injury with a brace of goals and is immediately tipped to return to the England squad.
Liverpool (1) Everton (1), 20th November 1996. After the original fixture was postponed due to rain 2 hours before kick off on 20th October, Robbie scored the only Reds goal against their Blue neighbours in the rearranged fixture.
“Vintage Fowler” as Robbie scores twice in a 4–2 Coca-Cola League Cup win over Arsenal, 27th November 1996.
“God’s Job a Good ‘un” and this is clearly evident as Robbie scores 4 of Liverpool’s 5 in a 5–1 home win over Middlesbrough, 14th December 1996.
Liverpool (4) Newcastle United (3), 10th March 1997. For the second season in a row, this fixture throws up the exact same score but in far differing circumstances and yet with the same denouement of a last minute winning goal, and this time from the headlining act “Rocket Robbie”.
Liverpool (3) Brann Bergen (0). European Cup Winners Cup Quarter-Final, 2nd Leg. Robbie scored twice and ensured the Reds progressed to the Semi-Finals and a date with Paris St Germain. His t-shirt? As he states in his book, he went from hero to zero in the space of 24 hours with the UEFA footballing authorities. See reason why below.
Arsenal (1) Liverpool (2), 24th March 1997. The headlines say it all. Robbie received a commendation from UEFA for his fair play and sportsmanship and a fine from the same footballing governing body within the space of 24 hours for his t-shirt protest of support for the sacked dockers of Liverpool.
Sunderland (1) Liverpool (2), 13th April 1997. Best friends Fowler and McManaman score the vital goals for an equally vital away win.
Liverpool (2) Paris St Germain (0). European Cup Winners Cup, Semi-Final, 2nd Leg. 24th April 1997. Despite Robbie’s early goal and a late goal from the Captain, Mark Wright, it wasn’t enough as the Reds lost 3–2 on aggregate after being hammered 3–0 in the 1st Leg in Paris.
Birmingham City (1) Liverpool (1). Worthington League Cup Final, 25th February 2001, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Attendance 73,500. Robbie scored the opening goal of the Final with yet another of his trademark (see his book!) “looping” shots from long range that seemed to have won the trophy for Liverpool but Darren Purse equalised for Birmingham with a last minute penalty. 30 minutes of extra-time were played but with the score remaining at 1–1 the match turned to penalty kicks to decide the trophy, and the Reds won 5–4. Here is Robbie with both that beautiful 3 handled trophy and the Stanley Matthews trophy for being named Man of the Match, just as his mate Steve McManaman had, 6 years ago. Author’s own match ticket, but thanks and courtesy to www.thisisanfield and www.pinterest.com for the photographs.
Arsenal (1) Liverpool (2). FA Cup Final, 12th May 2001, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. Attendance 74,200. Robbie started the game as substitute and came on with 13 minutes to go with Arsenal leading 1–0 in a game they utterly dominated. However, two incredible goals from new scoring sensation Michael Owen in just 5 minutes turned the Cup Final on it’s head and the Reds in their unfamiliar Yellow and Blue came from behind for an unreal win. Robbie insisted injured Club Captain Jamie Redknapp hoist the trophy with him, and Liverpool had won two trophies in under three months, and Robbie had captained them to both of these victories. Pictures courtesy of www.pinterest.com and www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
Deportivo Alaves (4) Liverpool (5). 2001 UEFA Cup Final. 16th May 2001. Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany. Attendance 48,050. Well where to start with the greatest European football Final of all time? Robbie again started on the substitutes bench and came on as a sub in the 64 minute with the score already 3–3. The Reds had jumped into an early 2–0 lead and then 3–1 before being pegged back by a resolute Alaves in their first ever European Final. Then the moment us die hard fans of “God” had been waiting for, bearing down on goal Robbie used his “other” foot (his right) and the foot he trained for hours upon hours with his Dad as a kid, and drilled a beauty into the bottom corner on 73 minutes to make the score 4–3 and surely the Reds would hold out for the victory? Sadly Johann Cruyff’s son Jordi had other ideas, equalising with 2 minutes to go and the game entered a “Golden Goal” or “First team to score, wins” period and with just 3 minutes remaining before Penalties, an own goal from the unfortunate Delfi Geli gave the Reds an incredible 5–4 win, and more importantly, their third successive Cup Final win in one season. An unprecedented achievement. Robbie again jointly lifted the trophy, this time with match captain Sami Hyypia. Main picture courtesy of www.dailypost.co.uk
Bayern Munich (2) Liverpool (3). 2001 UEFA Super Cup Final. 24th August 2001. Monaco. Attendance 11,000. Robbie again started as substitute and came on with just minutes to go and again hoisted the trophy with match captain Sami Hyypia. Picture courtesy of www.liverpoolfc.fandom.com
2006/2007: After a somewhat acrimonious split from Liverpool at the end of their unbelievable year of 2001, Robbie played for Leeds United and Manchester City before returning home under the managerial guidance of Rafa Benitez in 2006. Robbie would play an expected minor role in his return, playing 30 games and scoring 8 goals to take his overall Liverpool goal scoring record to 128 goals. It was wonderful seeing “God” score in a Red shirt again, holding silverware again and being present at a European Cup Final. Pictures courtesy of www.liverpoolfc.comwww.planetfootball.comwww.pinterest.co.uk and www.propaganda.photoshelter.com
And THE Robbie Fowler flag that adorned The Kop End for so many years. Picture courtesy of www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
2011–2012: Robbie Fowler the Player/Manager of Muangthong United in Thailand. Picture courtesy of www.bleachersbrew.blogspot.com
2019–2020: Manager of Australian side Brisbane Roar. Picture courtesy of www.theguardian.com
2020–2021: Head Coach of Indian Premier Division side East Bengal.
My “Liverpool” shelf. I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this alternative “book review”. If indeed you have and have enjoyed the narrative merging of memories together with my scrapbooks and match programmes, please do consider taking a peek at the links below. I have a long running series from “Scrapbook Lane”, with a number of editions still to be published.
