North Queensland Fury
Which team did Robbie Fowler play for from 2009 to 2010?
Robbie Fowler Robert Bernard Fowler ( born 9 April 1975 ) is an English football manager and former footballer who is currently the head coach of SC East Bengal in the Indian Super League . As a player he was a striker in a playing career which spanned between 1993 and 2012 , Fowler was known for being a natural scorer with an instinctive goal-poaching ability . Fowler is best remembered for his tenure at Liverpool and is the seventh-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League . He scored 183 goals in total for Liverpool , 120 of which were scored in the top tier . He earned the nickname God from the Anfield crowd , becoming a club legend due to his finishing . He subsequently played for Leeds United and Manchester City , before returning to Liverpool in January 2006 . He relocated 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 forged a career 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 . He was capped for England 26 times , scoring 7 goals . Fowler was included in Englands squads for Euro 1996 , Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup . Socially aware , Fowler showed support for the Liverpool dockers strike during a goal celebration in 1997 where he unveiled a t-shirt which incorporated the Calvin Klein CK into the word doCKer . Early life . 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 mothers 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 F.C. . He played regularly for schoolboy team Thorvald , and once scored 16 times in a 26–0 rout . Club career . Liverpool . Despite growing up as an Everton fan , Fowlers 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 . Fowlers 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 Liverpools 3–1 win in a first 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 Liverpools history to score five in a senior fixture . He scored his first league hat-trick against Southampton in only his fifth league game . His very first league goal for the Reds had come on 16 October 1993 , when an 87th-minute equaliser at home to struggling Oldham Athletic saved the Reds from what would have been one of the biggest Premier League shocks of the season , with a last gasp own goal giving Liverpool a 2–1 win . He scored twice in a thrilling 3–3 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on 18 December . 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 Englands 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 clubs second top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions , Ian Rush had scored 19 . It was , however , 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 up hope for a brighter future at Anfield after the disappointment of the first two FA Premier League seasons . Success and fame . During the 1994–95 season Fowler was a constant member of the Liverpool side , playing in all of their 57 competitive matches , including the victory in the 1995 League Cup final , and a match against Arsenal in which he scored what was then the Premier Leagues second-fastest hat-trick ever , in four minutes and 33 seconds . His record stood for twenty years until broken by Sadio Mané on 16 May 2015 for Southampton against Aston Villa , who scored three goals in two minutes and 56 seconds . He scored braces against Aston Villa , Ipswich Town , Chelsea and Norwich City in the league that season . Fowler was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year in two consecutive years in 1995 and 1996 , a feat also achieved only by Ryan Giggs , Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli . Throughout the mid and late 1990s , Fowler was widely considered to be the most natural finisher playing in England . Fowler sealed this reputation as he scored more than 30 goals for three consecutive seasons , up to 1997 . He remains the only player to have scored 30 plus goals in his first three full seasons in England scoring 98 goals with a total of 116 in just over three years . Fowlers partnership with Steve McManaman was largely described as the reason why Liverpool had become the club known for being the most potent attacking force in England at the time , and Fowler was renowned for scoring goals of all varieties , from every angle and distance , with McManaman describing him as the greatest goalscorer of all time . Stan Collymore , Fowlers regular strike partner for two seasons from 1995 , said in his autobiography that Fowler was the best player he has ever played alongside . Fowler and Collymore were among the most prolific goal-scoring strike partnerships in England during the 1995–96 season , with £8.4million signing Collymore replacing the veteran Ian Rush as Fowlers regular partner in attack after his arrival in June 1995 . In the same season , he scored twice in a 4–3 victory over Newcastle United , a match voted the best of the decade in a Premier League poll . The match helped prevent Newcastle from winning the league , but it was not enough for Liverpool to clinch the title ; they finished third while Manchester United were crowned champions . Fowler also played in his first FA Cup final that season , but was on the losing side as Manchester United won 1–0 . He had scored four goals against United in the league that season , scoring twice in a 2–2 draw at Old Trafford on 1 October 1995 , and twice in a 2–0 win at Anfield on 16 December . Fowler received a call-up to the full England squad and won his first cap on 27 March 1996 as a substitute in a friendly against Bulgaria . His first start at international level was against Croatia which was the England game following his substitute appearance . Fowler was part of the England squad for Euro 1996 , making two appearances in the tournament . On 14 December 1996 , he scored four against Middlesbrough , including his hundredth for Liverpool . This meant he reached a century of goals one game quicker than his first strike partner , Ian Rush , in just 165 games . That year , he also won a UEFA Fair Play award for denying that he had been fouled by Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman at Highbury after a penalty had been given . After unsuccessfully trying to persuade the referee to change his decision about the penalty , Fowler took it tamely and Seaman saved . However , Seaman failed to hold on to the ball and Jason McAteer scored from the rebound . Although many people believe that he deliberately took the penalty kick poorly for reasons of fair play , Fowler said at the time : As a goalscorer its part of my job to take it and I wanted to score it . I tried to score . I never missed on purpose . It just happened , it was a bad penalty . Spice Boys . Fowler was part of a group of Liverpool players from the mid-1990s who were dubbed The Spice Boys by the press following a series of off-field controversies . The term was coined by the Daily Mail , and arose due to misplaced rumours that Fowler was dating Spice Girl Emma Bunton . The term was subsequently used in a derogatory manner , implying Fowler and colleagues such as Jamie Redknapp , Stan Collymore , David James and Steve McManaman were underachieving playboys . Still , Liverpool were top of the Premier League by Christmas 1996 . By the end of January , however , they had been leapfrogged by Manchester United , who remained top for the rest of the season . Fowlers performance in the 1997–98 football season was marred by an anterior cruciate ( knee ) ligament injury that kept him out of action for half of the season and caused him to miss the 1998 World Cup . During this period of injury , fellow Liverpool striker , Michael Owen rose to prominence , making his debut in 1997 . Owen established himself in the Liverpool team in Fowlers absence and played alongside him when Fowler regained his fitness . In 1999 , Fowler was fined £60,000 by his club for bringing the game into disrepute . While celebrating his goal against Liverpools Merseyside rivals , Everton , Fowler used the white line of the penalty area to simulate cocaine use . Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier stated that this was a Cameroonian grass-eating celebration , learnt from teammate Rigobert Song . Defending himself , Fowler later said this was a response to Everton fans who had insulted him with false accusations of drug abuse . Fowler received a four-match suspension from the FA for this incident . At the same FA disciplinary hearing , Fowler received a further two-match suspension due to a separate incident in which he had homophobically taunted the Chelsea defender Graeme Le Saux by waving his backside at him as Le Sauxs wife and children watched from the stands . Fowler later attempted to justify his actions by suggesting his taunts were simply an extension of gamesmanship . The FA imposed a £32,000 fine and a six-match ban for the two incidents . While Fowler sent a letter of apology to Le Saux for the incident , Le Saux retained that it was not an apology . Winning the cup treble . The 2000–01 season was Fowlers most successful season . He scored 17 goals , appeared in three finals , and lifted three trophies in a unique cup treble . In the absence of Jamie Redknapp , who was sidelined by injury , Fowler was named as Liverpool captain when he started . However he found himself the third-choice Liverpool striker , with Houllier favouring a forward partnership of Michael Owen and Emile Heskey . He took part in a fourth-round League Cup hammering of Stoke City , scoring a hat-trick in an 8–0 victory , which was second only to the clubs biggest ever win in 1986 – a 10–0 defeat of Fulham . In the League Cup final against Birmingham City , the clubs first cup final since 1996 , he captained the side and scored in the 30th minute . Liverpool went on to win the trophy on penalties , with Fowler scoring Liverpools fifth in the shootout . Fowler picked up the Alan Hardaker Man of the Match award and lifted the trophy . Fowlers season picked up from there as he scored several important goals including one against runaway champions Manchester United and a free kick in the FA Cup semi-final against Wycombe Wanderers . Fowler featured as a substitute in the 2001 FA Cup Final coming on as a 77th-minute replacement for Vladimír Šmicer . Liverpool , who were 1–0 down at that point , eventually won the game 2–1 with two goals from Owen . Fowler raised the trophy along with Sami Hyypiä and Jamie Redknapp . Four days later he was a substitute again in Liverpools third final , the 2001 UEFA Cup Final against Deportivo Alavés . He came on in the 64th minute for Heskey with the score at 3–3 . He scored seven minutes later but Alavés equalised before full-time and Liverpool eventually won with a golden goal , an own goal , in the 116th minute . Fowler and Hyypiä then raised Liverpools third trophy of the season together . Liverpools next and final game of the season was against Charlton Athletic and Fowler scored twice in a 4–0 victory at The Valley that assured them UEFA Champions League qualification for the next season . Liverpool departure . Fowler began the 2001–02 season controversially , after being dropped by the then manager Gérard Houllier from the Liverpool squad for the 2001 Charity Shield match , following a training ground confrontation with assistant manager Phil Thompson . He made an appearance in Liverpools 3–2 European Super Cup victory over Bayern Munich , but starts were intermittent . In October 2001 , he scored his first league hat-trick for three years , helping Liverpool beat Leicester City 4–1 , but was dropped for the following league match . Though Fowler had been on a contract extension from 1999 ( unlike Steve McManaman – who exercised his Bosman entitlement the very same year ) , Fowler was linked to Lazio , Arsenal and Leeds United , and Liverpools management as well as fans and the media constantly reported that what happened with McManaman ( regarded as a huge financial loss ) would never be repeated and thus the club never rejected those bids without consideration . This meant that coupled with Fowlers relationship with Houllier , speculation over Fowlers future persisted for most of Houlliers tenure and became an issue that divided Liverpool fans . His last appearance for Liverpool was against Sunderland , in which he was substituted at half-time . Leeds United . Despite his popularity with Liverpool fans , who referred to Fowler as God , Michael Owen and Emile Heskey had established themselves as Liverpools regular strike partnership , leaving Fowler on the fringes of the first team . This , along with his difficult relationship with Houllier , made him seek regular first team football away from Anfield in the form of a £12 million move to Leeds United . Fowler maintains that Houllier forced him out of Liverpool , and accused Houllier of pressuring the Liverpool Echo newspaper to use its influence to turn opinion against him . The transfer went ahead just one month after his hat-trick at Leicester . He made his Leeds debut in an away game against Fulham in December 2001 , the same ground where he had made his Liverpool debut eight years earlier . Fowler scored 12 goals in the remainder of the season , helping Leeds to a UEFA Cup qualifying place . Fowler was included in the England squad for the 2002 World Cup , but only made one appearance , coming on as a substitute in a second-round win over Denmark . Fowler suffered an aggravation of a pre-existing hip injury in the 2002–03 pre-season , and did not recover until December . Struggling to gain fitness , and seeing teammates sold off due to a financial crisis , Fowlers form and market value diminished . It was despite this decrease in form that he still , in total , scored 15 goals in 31 appearances for Leeds ; achieving an impressive strike rate of just less than one goal every two games . In 2002–03 , Leeds finished 15th in the Premier League and a severe financial crisis was developing . Manchester City . In the 2002–03 season , Fowler was transferred to Manchester City following a protracted transfer saga . Fowler initially turned down the move and a dispute between Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan and chairman David Bernstein over whether the transfer should take place due to medical concerns resulted in Bernstein leaving the club . Following encouragement from Keegan , Fowler finally signed for Manchester City on 16 January 2003 for an initial fee of £3 million and a further £3 million dependent upon appearances . Bizarre transfer conditions meant Leeds United still paid a significant proportion of Fowlers wages . Fowler made his Manchester City debut against West Bromwich Albion on 1 February 2003 , but made a poor start to his Manchester City career , scoring just two goals in the remainder of the season . Fowler continued to struggle with fitness problems in the 2003–04 season , completing the full 90 minutes only nine times , however , he did score against his old club , Liverpool , in a 2–2 draw at home . The arrival of close friend Steve McManaman from Real Madrid gave Fowler hope , but the pair failed to rekindle their prolific partnership from their time at Liverpool , and received criticism from the fans and tabloids for their salaries and alleged excesses ; they were named and shamed in a sex scandal covered by the News of the World that year . Despite the slump , Fowler rallied for the following campaign , and showed a marked improvement in the second half of the 2004–05 season , scoring his 150th Premiership goal in the 3–2 win over Norwich City on 28 February 2005 . However , his failure to convert a 90th-minute penalty kick against Middlesbroughs Mark Schwarzer in the final game of the season prevented Manchester City from gaining a place in the UEFA Cup . Despite this , Fowler ended the season as the clubs joint top goal scorer and gained the approval of the fans , finishing in the top three in the fans Player of the Year poll . Fowler later described this as one of the proudest achievements of my career . Fowler had injury problems at the start of the 2005–06 season and rarely featured when fit , making just two substitute appearances in the first four months of the season . His first start of the season came against Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup on 7 January 2006 , in which he scored a hat-trick . The following week he scored Manchester Citys third goal in their 3–1 win against local rivals Manchester United after coming on as a substitute . However , Fowler made only one more appearance for Manchester City before returning to Liverpool on a free transfer . Return to Liverpool . On 27 January 2006 , Fowler rejoined Liverpool from Manchester City on a free transfer , signing a contract until the end of the season . Fowler had remained a Liverpool fan after he left the club ; he was in the Istanbul crowd when Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005 . Liverpool fans were delighted to learn that Fowler had returned ; there were large banners in the game against Birmingham City which read God – number eleven , welcome back to heaven , with God being Fowlers nickname while he was previously at Liverpool . Fowlers return against Birmingham City in February 2006 was labelled by the tabloid press as the stuff of fairytales , and he said he felt like a kid waking up on Christmas morning every day . Fowlers first appearance back at Anfield was as a substitute against Birmingham , receiving a standing ovation upon his introduction . After his return , he had three goals ruled out for offside , before finally getting off the mark on 15 March 2006 in a home game against Fulham , the same opponents against which he scored his first-ever goal for Liverpool 13 years earlier . Fowlers next Liverpool goal , against West Bromwich Albion , meant he overtook Kenny Dalglish in the clubs all-time top scorers . His resurgence continued as he marked his 31st birthday with a goal against Bolton Wanderers . He made it four goals in five games when he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Blackburn Rovers on 16 April 2006 . However , Fowlers fitness remained a concern . In March 2006 , manager Rafael Benítez commented on Fowlers work and progress by saying , to buy a Robbie Fowler who is fit and scoring goals would cost a lot , maybe £10m or more . Despite concerns about his fitness , Fowler finished the 2005–06 season scoring on a more consistent basis than Liverpools other strikers . In May 2006 he was offered a new one-year contract with the club , and celebrated by scoring the first goal in Liverpools last league game of the season in a 3–1 away win at Portsmouth . It was his final game of the season as he was unable to take part in the clubs FA Cup Final success due to being cup-tied . Fowler featured rarely in his final Liverpool season , making only six league starts . Bizarrely , all three of his League goals were penalties against Sheffield United . One of these was in the away game on the opening day of the season , and the other two in the reverse fixture at Anfield . Appearances in other competitions were more common due to Rafael Benítezs squad rotation policy . On 25 October 2006 Fowler was named as Liverpools captain for the first time since his return in a League Cup tie against Reading , scoring just before half-time in a 4–3 win . On 5 December , Fowler scored his first two goals in the UEFA Champions League competition proper against Galatasaray ( he had previously scored during a qualifying tie some six years prior against FC Haka ) , though Liverpool lost 3–2 . On 1 May 2007 , he was a substitute in the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea , brought on in the last few minutes of extra-time . He set up an attack for Dirk Kuyt but the shot went straight at the Chelsea goalkeeper . The match went into a penalty shoot-out that Liverpool won . Fowler was due to take the fifth and final spot-kick , but the game had already ended when Kuyt slotted home his winning penalty . In what transpired to be his last appearance for the club , against Charlton Athletic on 13 May , Fowler was given the captains armband one final time . He was substituted two minutes from the final whistle and given a standing ovation . He finished his second run as a Liverpool player with a UEFA Champions League runners-up medal , although he was not named in either the starting eleven or the seven substitutes . He became a free agent on 1 July having scored 183 goals in 369 appearances during his two spells at the club . Cardiff City . On 21 July 2007 Fowler signed a two-year contract to play for Cardiff City . He missed the seasons opening fixtures due to a lack of fitness , making his debut in a League Cup tie on 28 August . He scored his first two Cardiff goals on 22 September against Preston North End , scoring with two headers . Fowler scored twice in his next game , a third round League Cup tie against West Brom , which Cardiff won 4–2 . This led to a fourth round tie against Fowlers former club Liverpool , at Anfield , to which even the Liverpool faithful crowd urged Fowler to score seeing that it may be the last time he would play in Anfield but Cardiff were knocked out in a 2–1 defeat . In November , Fowler travelled to Frankfurt , Germany to see Dr . Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt , a specialist sports injuries doctor , to try and resolve a recurring hip problem that had left him lacking fitness in early season fixtures for the Bluebirds . The treatment involved taking around twenty-eight injections into his hip . He returned to full training in late November and made his comeback on 15 December as a late substitute in a 1–0 defeat against Bristol City . However he went on to suffer another injury blow just days later after a mistimed tackle in training from club captain Darren Purse left him with damaged ankle ligaments . Due to the new injury blow Cardiff and Fowler made plans for him to go to Colorado , United States to undergo keyhole surgery on the hip problem , which had plagued him in recent seasons , in the hope that it would finally resolve the problem . On 17 January 2008 , it was announced that Fowler could miss the rest of the 2007–08 season for Cardiff after his hip operation revealed that the injury was worse than previously thought . Surgeons were forced to perform a micro-fracture for the hip to heal properly . Despite this , he attempted to make a comeback at the end of the season to play in the FA Cup final against Portsmouth and was included in the 18-man match squad . He did not feature in the game in and thus did not receive a runners-up medal having not made an appearance in the competition . Blackburn Rovers . Fowler was offered a new pay-as-you-play contract with Cardiff for the 2008–09 season in May 2008 and was expected to sign the contract . However , he pulled out of the deal , preferring to accept an offer of a trial at Blackburn Rovers from former Liverpool colleague Paul Ince . The move left Cardiff manager Dave Jones and chairman Peter Ridsdale furious after the club had assisted Fowlers rehabilitation throughout the summer . After training with Blackburn and appearing in a handful of friendlies he was offered a six-month deal by the club to last until January , but Fowler turned down the deal due to it being a shorter offer than the previous one he had rejected at Cardiff . After turning down the offer , Fowler made a shock enquiry about returning to Cardiff on the deal he had originally turned down , prompting anger from supporters and a swift no thanks from the club . Fowler concluded the trial period at Blackburn by agreeing to a three-month pay-as-you-play deal . He stated that he was eager to return to the Premier League and that his pre-existing relationship with Ince would not earn him any preferential treatment . He made his first appearance against Everton in a 1–0 win in the League Cup on 24 September . With a month left on his contract at Blackburn , Fowler received interest from League Two side Grimsby Town . Fowler , a friend of then Grimsby manager Mike Newell had held talks at Blundell Park over a possible Player/Coach role with the club . His three-month deal at Blackburn expired on 12 December 2008 , and after not being offered a new contract was released by the club , he entered talks with new Australian A-League club North Queensland Fury . North Queensland Fury . Fowler signed with the North Queensland Fury on 4 February 2009 and became their inaugural marquee player ; with his family relocating to Townsville for the 2009–10 season of the Australian A-League . It was an important signing for the new franchise who struggled to sign a marquee player , while some questioned whether Fowler would be able to cope with the heat and humidity of North Queensland . Fowler made his debut in July 2009 in a 2–1 pre-season loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers in Perth after recovering from groin and hip complaints . Fowler was subsequently named North Queensland Furys captain for the 2009–10 season and the first in the clubs history . He scored his first A-League goal from a penalty kick in his clubs first competitive match against Sydney FC on Saturday 8 August 2009 . In rounds four , five , and six Fowler scored Solos Hyundai A-League Goal of the Week . Shortly after his arrival in Australia , it was reported in the British media that Fowler would be making a swift return to his homeland and sign for League One side Tranmere Rovers , who had just appointed Fowlers former Liverpool teammate John Barnes as manager . However , Fowler was quick to dismiss talk of a quick return to England . When Barnes was dismissed three months later , it was reported that Tranmere had approached Fowler about becoming player-manager , but these reports too were dismissed . Controversy erupted around Fowler after he reportedly refused to play against the Brisbane Roar on 23 January after being named on the interchange bench for the clash . He , however , returned to the starting line up for two of the last three games of the season . Fowler ended the season collecting a hat-trick of awards at the clubs end-of-season awards night , he was awarded the clubs Player of the Year , Players Player of the Year and the Golden Boot as top goal scorer . On 15 June 2010 , Fowler confirmed that he was taking legal action over the ending of his playing contract with North Queensland Fury . He was suing the Fury and Football Federation Australia , which took over the running of the club . Perth Glory . On 27 April 2010 , it was announced that Fowler had agreed to become part of Glorys squad for the 2010–11 A-League season . Fowler reportedly ignored offers from Middle East clubs as well as Sydney FC to play in Perth . He joined the Glory for pre-season training in mid-June , following World Cup sponsorship commitments . Fowler scored his first goal for Perth on 29 August , a penalty against Melbourne Heart . He followed this up with a headed goal the following week against the Wellington Phoenix . In the following match , Fowlers hat-trick gave the Glory a 3–1 victory against Melbourne Victory at the Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville . Fowler ended the year as top scorer for the club . Later career . On returning to England , Fowler briefly worked with League One side Milton Keynes Dons on an ad hoc basis to assist the clubs coaching staff . On 7 April 2011 , Bury confirmed that Fowler would join their coaching staff for a week to assist Richie Barker . Fowler then briefly coached Liverpools strikers in April 2011 . On 7 July 2011 , Fowler agreed to play with Muangthong United , signing a one-year contract . In a press conference he stated that the weather conditions of Nonthaburi should not be a problem as he had played in Townsville and Perth . He was quickly a hit with Muangthong fans and the Thai public in general ; he attended Thailands World Cup Qualifier against Oman wearing the national teams shirt . He has since played a handful of scoreless games , both at the Yamaha Stadium and on the road in the AFC Cup , until the Twin Qilins were eliminated from the competition by Al-Kuwait . After the sacking of Henrique Calisto as head coach , Fowler was made player/coach . On 16 October 2011 , after 250 minutes of play , Fowler scored his first goal for MTU against Chiangrai . He scored his 250th club career goal on 21 December 2011 against TTM Phichit . On 28 February 2012 , Fowler announced he had left the club following Slavisa Jokanovics appointment as coach . On 1 March 2012 , Blackpool manager Ian Holloway confirmed that Fowler was training with the Seasiders and that he could earn a deal until the end of the season . However , they could not agree a deal and Fowler decided against signing when Karl Oyston offered the striker £100 a week with £5,000 for every first-team appearance . On 22 September 2012 , Fowler announced that he is all but retired from professional football . He said this on the television show Soccer AM . In an interview in March 2013 , he said that he was not officially retired and would jump at the opportunity to play again . Fowler has also stated in other interviews that he is currently completing his coaching licences . Fowler was on a six-man shortlist and interviewed for the vacant managers job at Conference side Macclesfield Town in May 2013 , but caretaker manager John Askey was eventually appointed on a full-time basis . Fowler featured in Steven Gerrards testimonial match against Olympiacos F.C . on 3 August 2013 . He came off the bench in the 73rd minute to a warm reception from Liverpool fans , but failed to score a goal . On 21 April 2014 , Fowler also featured in a charity match to commemorate the lives of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough Disaster . Fowler scored both goals for his team in a 2–2 draw . On 2 January 2015 , Fowler tweeted Gutted about Steven , but what an unbelievable player.. . Im officially hanging my boots up as from now...A sad day for me and so officially announced his retirement . In May 2016 , it was revealed that Fowler would return to the pitch to play for England in Soccer Aid , a charity football match in aid of UNICEF , alongside Jamie Carragher . International career . Fowler earned his first cap for England on 27 March 1996 , coming on as a 76th-minute substitute in the 1–0 friendly win against Bulgaria at Wembley Stadium . On 24 April , he won his second cap and made his first start for England in the 0–0 draw with Croatia . Despite only having 3 caps to his name , England manager Terry Venables selected Fowler in his 22-man squad for Euro 1996 . Fowler went on to make two substitute appearances in the tournament , featuring in the 4–1 win against the Netherlands in the final group game , and in the 0–0 draw against Spain in the quarter-finals , a game England won on penalties . Fowler did not feature during Englands qualifying campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup , mainly due to a serious knee ligament injury late in the 1997–98 season , and thus missed out on Glenn Hoddles 22-man squad for the tournament . He did , however , manage to score his first goal for his country on 29 March 1997 , netting the second goal in a 2–0 friendly win against Mexico at Wembley Stadium . A second goal followed in his next cap on 15 November , netting just before half-time in the 2–0 friendly win against Cameroon . On 9 June 1999 , Fowler played in his first competitive game for England in nearly three years , starting in the 1–1 draw with Bulgaria during Euro 2000 qualifying . Kevin Keegan named Fowler in the preliminary squad for Euro 2000 , and after featuring in the three warm-up games against Brazil , Ukraine , and Malta , he was named in the final squad on 1 June 2000 . Fowler did not play in the tournament as England were eliminated in the group stages . Fowler scored his fourth goal for England on 25 May 2001 , netting the second goal in the 4–0 friendly win against Mexico at Pride Park , Derby . On 5 September , he scored his first competitive goal for England in the 2–0 win against Albania at St James Park , Newcastle . This was during qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup . England qualified for the World Cup , and after scoring in friendlies against Italy and Cameroon , Fowler was selected in Sven-Göran Erikssons 23-man squad for the tournament in South Korea and Japan . He didnt appear in any of Englands group matches , but on 15 June 2002 , he came on as a second-half substitute in the 3–0 win against Denmark in the Round of 16 . This turned out to be Fowlers last cap for his country . He won a total of 26 caps for England and scored 7 goals . Managerial career . Muangthong United . On 1 October 2011 , Fowler was appointed as the manager of Muangthong United , where he was already an existing player . Muangthong had taken action and sacked Henrique Calisto ; a statement made by the club read , The board have appointed Robbie Fowler as the acting head coach and have terminated the contract of Portuguese boss Henrique Calisto . The contract is until the end of the season and the team must adapt to long-term goals if it is to succeed in Asia , thus making Fowler player-manager . In October 2013 , it was announced that Fowler would be taking up a coaching role with Liverpools academy . On 9 September 2014 , it was reported that Fowler had applied for the vacant managerial role at his former club Leeds United . Brisbane Roar . On 23 April 2019 , it was announced by Australian Hyundai A-League club Brisbane Roar that Fowler had signed a two-year contract to act as the clubs new head coach ahead of the forthcoming 2019–20 season . Upon his appointment , it was also announced that Tony Grant and Darren Davies would be joining his coaching staff , with Davies having acted as caretaker manager prior to Fowlers arrival . To mark the managerial contrast , Brisbane announced a major clear-out during the off-season , where fourteen senior players were released , notably marquee player Eric Bautheac . Fowler then made his first signing as a manager in June , when Roy ODonovan signed from Newcastle United Jets . Fowlers first competitive match in charge came in a 2–0 thriller , which ended in Brisbanes favour against reigning A-League champions Sydney on 7 August in the FFA Cup . Independently , Fowler won the leagues Coach of the Month accolade for January and February 2020 . With play halted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic for the past three months , Fowler announced his decision to leave the club , stating that he was unwilling to be apart from his family ; he and Grant had returned to England in March . East Bengal . On 9 October 2020 , Indian Super League side East Bengal announced the signing of Fowler as their new manager . Under him they collected seventeen points from first eighteen league fixtures and were placed ninth of eleven.The All India Football Federation‘s ( AIFF ) disciplinary committee issued a four-match ban and a substantial fine of 5 Lakh against Fowler during the 2020-21 season , for involvement in a verbal disagreement with the match officials and league organizers after their match with FC Goa . Style of play . A prolific goal-scorer , Fowler was a quick and opportunistic striker , with good technical ability . Although naturally left-footed , he possessed an accurate , powerful shot from both inside and outside the area with both feet ; he was also effective in the air . Despite his reputation as a goal-poacher , he was also a creative forward , capable of linking up well with other players , and laying off the ball to other strikers . Despite his talent , he was also known to be injury-prone throughout his career . Sponsorship . In his playing career , Fowler was sponsored by the sportswear company Nike , and appeared in Nike commercials . In 1997 he starred in Nikes Park Life commercial ( set to the tune Parklife by Blur ) where a group of amateur pub league players playing football at Hackney Marshes in east London are suddenly joined by top Premier League footballers , including Fowler , Eric Cantona and Ian Wright . In 2000 , Park Life ranked number 15 in Channel 4s poll of the 100 Greatest TV Ads . Personal life . Fowler married wife Kerrie on 9 June 2001 in the town of Duns , Scottish Borders in Scotland . Together they have three daughters and one son . Fowler is a supporter of Liverpool F.C . and regularly attends matches at Anfield . He does media work for Abu Dhabi Sports Channel , Sky Sports and ITV . In association with long-term friend Steve McManaman , Fowler has invested in several racehorses through their company The Macca and Growler Partnership , most notably 2003 Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Celebration Chase runner-up Seebald . In 2005 , Fowler was listed as one of the 1,000 wealthiest Britons by the Sunday Times Rich List , with the paper estimating he has a property portfolio of more than 80 , while his Robbie Fowler Sports Promotions company has been reported to have net assets of £1.58 million . Other business interests including a large property portfolio have resulted in Fowlers net wealth totaling £28 million . This gave rise to the affectionate Manchester City Football Club chant , We all live in a Robbie Fowler house , sung to the tune of Yellow Submarine . On 2 September 2005 , Fowler released a book called Fowler : My Autobiography , about his time as a footballer and the issues surrounding him . Since his transfer to Liverpool , he has updated it and included a section about his return to Anfield . Excerpts published in newspapers included criticism of the England management . In June 2008 , Fowler participated alongside McManaman in Steve Nash and Claudio Reynas Showdown in Chinatown , an 8-on-8 charity football game at Sara D . Roosevelt Park in Manhattan with McManaman making five of the goals , including one for Fowler . In 2011 , Fowler and McManaman participated in a Select World XI against Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov and his select XI in a public relations fundraiser in the war-torn nations capital of Grozny . The match caused much press bewilderment in the western world , mainly due to Kadyrovs abysmal human rights record and known practices of torture and rape as weapons of rule . British press also cited the use of and payment of footballers to parade the event as particularly evil , with The Guardian labelling it Footballs moment in Bed with Kadyrov . Fowler is a cousin of boxer and 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anthony Fowler . Career statistics . Club . Sources : International . Sources : Honours . Club . Liverpool - FA Cup : 2000–01 - Football League Cup : 1994–95 , 2000–01 - UEFA Cup : 2000–01 - UEFA Super Cup : 2001 - UEFA Champions League runner-up : 2006-07 International . England U18 - UEFA European Under-18 Championship : 1993 Individual . - Premier League Player of the Month : December 1995 , January 1996 - PFA Young Player of the Year : 1995 , 1996 - UEFA Fair Play Award : 1997 - Alan Hardaker Trophy : 2001 - North Queensland Fury Player of the Year : 2010 - North Queensland Fury Golden Boot : 2010 - North Queensland Fury Players Player of the Year : 2010 - Perth Glory Golden Boot : 2011 External links . - Goal.com profile - Robbie Fowler player profile at liverpoolfc.com - LFC History Profile - England Record