Roar nerve: Fowler hits back at the critics

Robbie Fowler has hit back at those who suggest he doesn’t have the experience to be the head coach at Brisbane Roar.

Former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler announced as Brisbane Roar’s new coach

Robbie Fowler is used to the detractors — those who have been quick to pass judgment during his stellar 20-year career as an elite player.

His ability to close his mind to the criticism and get on with his job no doubt helped him climb to many great heights, mainly with English giants Liverpool and the England national team.

It is why Fowler was quick to put the critics in their place yesterday after it was announced he had signed a two-year deal to coach A-League club Brisbane Roar next season.

Despite his credentials, there are suggestions the Roar have made the wrong move in signing a man who has had very little senior coaching experience, with some suggesting the club is looking to cash in on his name and what he can bring off the field, more than what he can do for them on the paddock. Some have accused the Roar management of becoming “starstruck”.

However, Fowler slapped away the criticism with the same polish and quality he applied to the prolific number of goals he scored during his illustrious career.

“I get what the critics are trying to get at, but I don’t agree with it,” Fowler told The Australian. “Everyone has to start somewhere, so why not me?

“This is a massive, massive opportunity for me and I have been waiting for some time to get the chance and I’m going to take it with both hands.

“As much as I have not been a head coach of a club before, aside from a couple of games in Thailand, I have done all the right things to ensure I make a good fist of it. I have got all the required badges. I am a pro-licence holder (UEFA) and there’s not many of them in Australia.

“I have worked really hard, so let’s quash all that inexperienced talk. I have been in football a long time. Just because I am inexperienced doesn’t mean I am going to do a bad job.

“You could have Pep Guardiola at Brisbane Roar but that doesn’t mean he is going to be a great manager.

“Regardless of experience or not, it is going to be a tough job. I am not naive in that regard, but I am confident in my own ability and in the people I will have around me that we will do a good job and get Brisbane back to where they belong.”

Having played two seasons in the A-League with North Queensland Fury and Perth Glory, Fowler understands the national competition, the quality of the football and the mentality of the players and is well equipped to take on the role at the Roar.

“I had two good years here with Fury and Perth. When I came here, some people suggested it was for a bit of a jolly up (holiday), but I worked really hard and hopefully the people I played with learned from me,” he said at his official press conference later in the day. “I went home and never stopped watching the A-League and it has taken me a long time to get back here.”

Mind you, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Fowler had been in contention for the job at the Newcastle Jets last season that ultimately went to Ernie Merrick and then with Perth at the start of this season before Glory settled on Tony Popovic.

Given his connections in England and Europe, Fowler is confident he can influence some decent players to come to the Roar.

He says he knows exactly the type he needs and has already spoken to a couple of potential candidates.

“As a player I had passion, commitment and drive and that’s what I am looking for. I want clever players, technically good players who know the game and understand when to pass and when not to pass, when to shoot and when not to shoot.”

Fowler will be an interested observer when the Roar play their final game of the season against Adelaide United at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night. He won’t be involved but says he will sit in the stands where he will be able to get a good overall view of what’s happening on the pitch.

During his stunning career, Fowler played 426 games and scored 231 goals, but it was at Liverpool that he became a legend, playing 308 games and scoring 182 goals while also representing England 26 times for seven goals.

He was understandably a popular figure during his stint in the A-League between 2009 and 2011, notching nine goals in 26 games for Fury and nine goals in 28 games for Perth Glory.