A-League: Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler in limbo as future remains unclear
Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler remains in lockdown in England, with the uncertainty about the A-League’s future leaving him unsure about when he will return to Australia.
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Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler remains in lockdown in England, with the uncertainty about the A-League’s future leaving him unsure about when he will return to Australia.
The Liverpool legend is at home with his family on Merseyside after leaving Brisbane just days after the A-League was suspended on March 24 due to the coronavirus crisis.
At the time, Football Federation Australia had been hoping to condense the remaining weeks of the A-League season and finals series into a four-week period. However, travel restrictions and social distancing requirements forced the competition to be postponed.
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Fowler and his right-hand man, Roar technical director Tony Grant, were quick to return to be with family in the UK, and are now just waiting for news about if, and when, the A-League will resume.
“The silence at the moment … I don’t know what to think,” Fowler told The Courier-Mail.
“I’m not getting any feedback at all. We all want to finish the season, but it can only be finished when the time is right.”
Fowler said it was “an absolute shame” when the season was postponed, with the Roar having been on a hot run that had lifted them from second bottom at Christmas to fourth spot on the ladder.
“We were probably if not the form team, definitely one of the form teams towards the latter end of the season,” he said. “As a team, we were fairly confident of doing well … but it’s no-one’s fault. What happened was incredibly unfortunate.”
Fowler has remained in contact with his players, all of whom have been training in isolation with programs set by the club’s sports science department.
“The players all seem to be in a good headspace,” Fowler said. “When you give them the plans and what you want them to do, they’re all coming back and saying they’re doing it, but we can’t gauge that, so we’ve got to trust them.
“From what we’ve witnessed this season, we’ve got an honest bunch of lads, and what they’re telling us is probably what they’re doing – I’ve got no reason to doubt that.”
Fowler also remains in contact with Roar CEO David Pourre, but until there is news about the completion of the season, the conversations are short and repetitive.
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“It’s just the same old, same old,” he said. “We’ll speak and there’s not much to say, and we’ll speak again and there’s still not really much to say.
“From a club point of view, the game needs to get going. Once we know what’s happening with the league and what’s happening with the club, then we can start addressing the players and go from there.”
Fowler remained committed to coaching the Roar again next season, and said he had received no other offers.
“I’ve had not had any phone calls,” he said. “Any club who are looking like that, it’s probably the wrong time. I don’t think anyone knows what the future holds.”
Originally published as A-League: Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler in limbo as future remains unclear