Robbie Fowler

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Fowler was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, and brought up in the inner city area of Liverpool. At this time he was known as Robert Ryder, his mother's surname. He lived in Toxteth at the time of the 1981 Toxteth riots, when he was six years old. As a youngster he supported Everton and regularly attended home and away games. He played regularly for schoolboy team Thorvald, and once scored 16 times in a 26–0 rout. Despite growing up as an Everton fan, Fowler's career began with Liverpool. He signed as a youth team player on leaving school in the summer of 1991, signing professional terms on his 17th birthday, 9 April 1992. Fowler's first involvement with the Liverpool first team came on 13 January 1993, when he was an unused substitute in an FA Cup third round tie against Bolton Wanderers. In the following close season, Fowler helped the England under-18 team win the 1993 European Championship, before making a scoring first-team debut in Liverpool's 3–1 win in a second round League Cup tie at Fulham on 22 September 1993. Fowler scored all five goals in the second leg at Anfield two weeks later, making him the fourth player in Liverpool's history to score five in a senior fixture. He scored his first league hat-trick against Southampton on 30 October 1993 in only his fifth league game. His very first league goal for the Reds came on 16 October 1993, when an 87th-minute equaliser at home to Oldham Athletic saved the Reds from what could have been one of the biggest Premier League shocks of the season, with Liverpool finally winning 2–1. He scored twice in a 3–3 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on 18 December 1993. His first 13 games for the club yielded 12 goals, and he was rewarded with an England Under-21 debut against San Marino in November 1993, in which he scored England's opening goal in the third minute. Fowler was unable to sustain his goal-a-game ratio throughout the season, but finished his first season as the club's second top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions, Ian Rush had scored 19. It was, however, considered by many a disappointing season for Liverpool, as they finished eighth in the Premier League without making an impact in any of the major competitions, though the departure of Graeme Souness as manager and the appointment of Roy Evans as successor built hope for a brighter future at Anfield after the disappointment of the first two FA Premier Leagu

In Their Own Story

On 14 December 1996, Fowler reached a century of goals for Liverpool against Middlesbrough, achieving the milestone one game quicker than Ian Rush in just 165 appearances. His career was not without controversy; as part of the 'Spice Boys' group, he faced criticism for off-field rumors and on-field incidents. In March 1997, he supported the Liverpool dockers' strike by unveiling a t-shirt incorporating the word 'doCKer', resulting in a £900 UEFA fine. Later, in April 1999, he received a six-match FA ban after using the penalty area white line to simulate cocaine use during an Everton match—a celebration he claimed was inspired by teammate Rigobert Song's grass-eating ritual and meant as a response to false drug accusations from fans.

Reader's Guide

Fowler subsequently played for Leeds United and Manchester City, before returning to Liverpool in January 2006. He moved to Cardiff City eighteen months later. He played there for a year before transferring to Blackburn Rovers on a short-term deal. In December 2008, he departed Blackburn and played in Australia with North Queensland Fury and Perth Glory. In 2011, he joined Thai side Muangthong United as a player, but later was appointed player-manager, which he remained until his retirement in 2012. Fowler was capped for England 26 times, scoring 7 goals. He was included in England's squads for Euro 1996, Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Did You Know?

• Fowler scored 183 goals in total for Liverpool, not all in the Premier League.
• He is Liverpool's second-top scorer in the Premier League, according to the source.
• His first-team debut on the pitch was on 22 September 1993 against Fulham, not 13 January 1993.
• He scored the Premier League's fastest hat-trick at the time (4 minutes 33 seconds) against Arsenal in 1994.
• Fowler was twice named PFA Young Player of the Year, in 1995 and 1996.