Liverpool FC Forum

by **andy_g** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:05 pm

but seriously, this is such a devisive issue. i sure there's not a single lfc fan anywhere that woudn't be euphoric to see robbie running out at anfield again for the first time in a red shirt. just imagine the roar around anfield - it sends shivers up my spine just thinking about it.

but in the harsh reality of football it can't be such a good thing for the club. for all he seems to be getting his game back he must be of a lower standard than we need and should be aiming for.

by **The Canadian Red Army** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:09 pm

bigmick wrote:Ivor has been championing the case of Robbie for some time now. Anybody lucky enough to have seen him at his very best will always have a place in their hearts for our wayward son. Like the hurricane at the snooker, Botham at the cricket or Bobby Fisher at the chess ( go with me here I'm on a roll ) the tortured genius that was Fowler was always more appealing than the monotone tea-total of an Owen or a Steve Davis or some Russian who was good at chess (alas I used all my chess knowledge up with that Fisher bloke). The romantics amongst us (ignore the wife, its friends she's laughing at) would give him a go if he came back. When was the last time you watched a game of football and felt so happy you could blub? The return of robbie could do it for for me. A step backwards? maybe, but so is watching Oliver on the box every Crimbo. Still does it for me every time, after me "consider yourself, at home. consider yourself one of the family".

whats to blub???

by **bigmick** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:11 pm

In Yorkshire we call it 'beefing' mate. In Scotland they call it 'greeting'. Hope this helps

It's to cry mate, sorry.

by **ronmeister** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:27 pm

Aye it may be a step backwards to bring Robbie back as a first team choice but if he comes back it would be as a squad member to fill the gap.I'm with the romantics in i would love him to pull on a red shirt again but as a first choicer striker?? Maybe not

by **yckatbjywtbiastkamb** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 11:25 pm

my eyes would fill up with pride if we stuck a kit on peter thompson and told him to raid down the left wing for old times sake (the little garrincha the brazilians knicknamed him when he toured there, cast from the same mould as their own) but that would be a backward step.
no one loved fowler more than me, i nearly had a heart attack when he scored that last gasp winner in the second 4-3 against newcastle, but he fell out of love with the game years ago, he doesnt even watch footy on the box, he prefers racing.
let him go where he belongs, to the memory bank like the paentheon of other great strikers that have graced our club like hunt, st john, keegan, daglish, rush etc.
thanks for the memories rob but this is a hard business.

by **ivor_the_injun** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 12:35 am

bigmick wrote:Ivor has been championing the case of Robbie for some time now. Anybody lucky enough to have seen him at his very best will always have a place in their hearts for our wayward son. Like the hurricane at the snooker, Botham at the cricket or Bobby Fisher at the chess ( go with me here I'm on a roll ) the tortured genius that was Fowler was always more appealing than the monotone tea-total of an Owen or a Steve Davis or some Russian who was good at chess (alas I used all my chess knowledge up with that Fisher bloke). The romantics amongst us (ignore the wife, its friends she's laughing at) would give him a go if he came back. When was the last time you watched a game of football and felt so happy you could blub? The return of robbie could do it for for me. A step backwards? maybe, but so is watching Oliver on the box every Crimbo. Still does it for me every time, after me "consider yourself, at home. consider yourself one of the family".

Fantastic post.

by **stmichael** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 12:36 am

you can just hear the violins

by **Dalglish** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 12:53 am

ivor_the_injun wrote:
bigmick wrote:Ivor has been championing the case of Robbie for some time now. Anybody lucky enough to have seen him at his very best will always have a place in their hearts for our wayward son. Like the hurricane at the snooker, Botham at the cricket or Bobby Fisher at the chess ( go with me here I'm on a roll ) the tortured genius that was Fowler was always more appealing than the monotone tea-total of an Owen or a Steve Davis or some Russian who was good at chess (alas I used all my chess knowledge up with that Fisher bloke). The romantics amongst us (ignore the wife, its friends she's laughing at) would give him a go if he came back. When was the last time you watched a game of football and felt so happy you could blub? The return of robbie could do it for for me. A step backwards? maybe, but so is watching Oliver on the box every Crimbo. Still does it for me every time, after me "consider yourself, at home. consider yourself one of the family".

The Sentiment is almost making me sick

But congratulations on summing up what Robbie's return would mean to so many.

What really troubles me is he played in a relatively average side for most of his reign at Liverpool and scored goals for fun. He is playing in an average side at Man City and not scoring. What makes you think he can rediscover the form of old and aren't we in danger of having a couple of good old sentimental days on the Kop if he returns only to face the realisation that sadly Robbie isn't the player he once was ?

by **ivor_the_injun** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:00 am

Well here are the main candidates mooted for a move...

Morientes - Real want at least £7m
Anelka - Man City won't sell for less than £5m (reports suggest they want £10m)
Johnson - Palace value him at £8m

Judging by Benitez's initial reluctance to give Mellor and Pongolle a look, I assume we are still looking for 2 strikers to cover Owen's sale and Cisse's prolonged absence. The Bowditch rumours have long since cooled, money is tight and there is a real dearth of quality, reasonably priced striking talent on the market.

If we sign Morientes, he is cup tied for the Champion's League and so we'll definitely need another striker. Robbie is tried, tested, in form and available. If we bring him in, his links are such that there's the possibility of grooming him for the coaching staff a few years down the line. There are many, many plusses to such a move, and the only minus that I can think of is that he's not the player he used to be. Well neither's Shearer, and I'd have ripped Bobby Robson's arms out of his sockets for him at the beginning of the season.

I appreciate that people want to cling to the good old days, but we've still got a lot of games left before the summer, and not a lot of strikers left to see us through. For me, going in for Robbie would be an incredibly shrewd bit of business on Benitez's part, as we expect little, pay little and potentially get a hell of a lot more.

So, if you're going to reply to this post, at least do those that agree with me the courtesy of coming up with a reasonable alternative to Fowler that fits in with our fairly tight finances.

by **ivor_the_injun** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:10 am

Dalglish wrote:What really troubles me is he played in a relatively average side for most of his reign at Liverpool and scored goals for fun. He is playing in an average side at Man City and not scoring.

He's scored 4 goals in the Prem this season from 12 appearances (including 3 as a late sub). More to the point though, he's made 6 assists.

Someone like Drogba also has 4 from 12. And when you take into account that all the reports say Alan Smith is in excellent form, weigh Robbie's stats against Smith's 5 goals from 18 appearances.

And the fact that he's not exactly Mr Prolific for City isn't necessarily a bad thing - surely you mean that the supply isn't there, which is something we can offer him in abundance?

by **LFC #1** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:12 am

ivor_the_injun wrote:Judging by Benitez's initial reluctance to give Mellor and Pongolle a look, I assume we are still looking for 2 strikers to cover Owen's sale and Cisse's prolonged absence.

perhaps, but with thir recent form and other areas needing strenghtening, I can only see one striker coming in January. I think Rafa can see that Mellor and Pongolle are very capable as back-up and with Baros and let's say Morientes for name's sake, that is a good enough strike-force to last till the end of the season.

Thier is also players like Garcia who can fill in as a drop-off striker.

by **Dalglish** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:18 am

Ok , so lets say we go with your Fowler proposal ............... He comes and is first choice striker for 10 games. That upsets Baros straight away cos he likes things the way he wants them ...Mellor and Pongo don't get a look in and Fowler scores 15 goals, leads us into the CL Final where we defeat Real Madrid , we lift the FA Cup and it doesn't matter where we finish in the prem cos we are defending champions

OR ..................Fowler arrives and scores at the rate he has scored for the last 3 seasons (Thats about 4 goals)

We lose Baros to Barca cos he is fed up of playing second fiddle , Mellor and Pongo are no nearer maturing into decent forwards and the Kop is split between over sentimentality and reality

My point is even IF we don't bring anyone in come January we have stil managed to make the Carling Cup semi's, the last 16 of the CL and are on course to secure 3rd or 4th spot in the prem.

Sometimes you forget that this is Benitez's FIRST season and he has turned round a helluva lot since his arrival. Lets allow him to continue the rafulution his way.......

Walk on ...

by **Scottbot** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:20 am

When you put it like that it can be quite persuasive an i guess the club would have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I just don't think the lad is fit enough. In fact he looks fat to me and has done for years. His heart has left the game an i dunno that it would be so easy to get the hunger back even with the adoring kop singing his name once again.

Of course, i would love to be proved wrong but it would be real fairy tale stuff.

Also, i haven't read a single word in the press linking Robbie with a return to Anfield. Maybe i'm reading the wrong rags.

by **LFCFan4Life** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:21 am

Well said.

by **LFC #1** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:22 am

some good points thier Ian, I wouldn't advocate Fowler as a starting striker week in week out as he just isn't fit enough, I have said on numerous occasions that if we were to buy him he would do a simlar role to what Les Ferdinand did for Leicester last season, but perhaps we should let the young guys like Pongo and Mellor be back-up, and bring in a world calss stiker like Morientes to be paired with Milan

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