March 24 – Honest Rob | On This Football Day

March 24 – Honest Rob

CALL Robbie Fowler what you like – world-class finisher, sicknote and land-baron are three things that come into your head to start with – but you can’t call him unsporting. Today in 1997 Growler proved to the word that he was a good egg (egg – Easter Monday – geddit?), when he pleaded with the referee not to award a penalty when he went down in the Highbury box against Arsenal.

Nicknamed the Toxteth Scally, Fowler has had to carry a bit of reputation around with him during his fifteen-year career, but here at OTFD we’re going to stick up for the lad. Although his goal celebrations may not have been to everyone’s taste, we believe that Fowler’s heart has always been in the right place.

When Liverpool visited Highbury to take on rivals Arsenal it was a predictably tight game, where all chances had to be taken. When Fowler went down after appearing to collide with David Seaman, referee Gerald Ashby wasted no time in pointing to the spot. Fowler immediately got up and pleaded with Ashby not to award the penalty, claiming that Seaman had not fouled him. Like most referees, Ashby wasn’t going to admit he was wrong and wouldn’t change his mind.

Usually deadly from the spot, Fowler stepped up and took a very tame spot-kick that Seaman saved. The rebound, however, fell to his scouse buddy Jason McAteer who blasted it home, as Liverpool won 2-1, denting the Gunners’ title chances. Fowler claimed that he didn’t miss on purpose: “As a goalscorer it’s 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.” Hmm, the jury’s out on that one Growler.

Fowler’s exploits didn’t escape the gaze of UEFA, who awarded him a Fair Play award for his honesty. This incidentally came in the same week that UEFA saw fit to fine Fowler £900 for showing a T-shirt supporting the 500 sacked Liverpool dockers after his goal against SL Brann in the Cup Winners Cup, as it convened their regulations over players displaying political logos at matches. Killjoys.

Check out the cheeky scouser having one of his traditional good days against the Gooners below and like some bloke for 2,000 we’ll be resurrecting ourselves tomorrow, so come back over for more of the same.