THERE'S been plenty of talk about Robbie Fowler—both before he even kicked a ball for Fury and ever since he has.

There's been talk of how he scored some 120 goals for Liverpool in the English Premier League, was labelled ‘God' by his fans, and that it was a huge coup for North Queensland Fury to have obtained his signature.

There's been talk of injury concerns and whether he'll get good service from team mates who have, by and large, been bit players in the A-League.

There's been talk of the headstand-meets-ninja-kick acrobatic manoeuvre, dubbed ‘the feet and the Fury' by the Guardian, that he pulled off during Fury's 0-5 drubbing at the hands of the Gold Coast.

Then there's been talk about whether he's here for a holiday slide into retirement or if he still has the hunger.

In fact, while there's been plenty of talk about whether or not he's still got it, there's been very little about how well Fowler's prepared for the day when he hasn't.

Reports have it that Fowler has been savvy throughout his footballing career, investing wisely for the time when he cannot - or no longer wishes to - play for pay. According to the Sunday Times Rich List, which listed him as one of the 1000 wealthiest Britons in 2009, Fowler has amassed a net wealth in the vicinity of £31m, largely through a property portfolio.

It's these property purchases - the Sunday Times estimates that there's more than 80 - that inspired the affectionate chant ‘We all live in a Robbie Fowler house,' sung to the tune of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine.

And it's his long-term, life-after-football smarts that should be as highly regarded as his on-field skills and which should act as a guide for other A-League players hoping to set themselves up for the future.

Because if post-career players from other football codes are anything to go by, careers are short, are cut even shorter by injury, and players ill-equipped for the rest of their lives end up not retired but working jobs that they otherwise probably wouldn't have chosen - real estate agent or used car salesman spring to mind.

In light of this, the other codes in Australia have implemented programmes to guide players in how to make the most of their earnings while they're earning them.

And while the A-League is still new, the salary caps still relatively low at $2.5 million per team (excluding marquees), and few players have experienced the highs and lows of having heaps of - and then no - cash, there's already evidence that some players are having trouble adjusting to the professional footballing experience.

Say, for example, Robbie Kruse, whose pub-brawl troubles almost cost him his contract (and salary) altogether. Then there's Mark Bosnich, whose cocaine-fuelled fall from grace left the former Socceroos and EPL player back in Australia to both resurrect his career and earn some cash.

Most A-League players will experience something in between Fowler's highs and Bosnich's lows, with the former a walking how-to guide to setting oneself up for the future and the latter acting as a cautionary tale.

While few players talk of emulating Bosnich off the park, most look up to Fowler. In fact, upon signing with the Fury, David Williams spoke of how he planned to learn from the more experienced, more accomplished goalscorer. If he's savvy, he'll also be looking to learn from Fowler's off-field investment skills.

And with Fowler both saying he has no immediate plans for retirement and playing with hunger, the talk that remains is whether he'll expand his property portfolio with some Australian purchases.

Most likely. Which means maybe, just maybe, by season's end, some of us will be able to sing ‘We all live in a Robbie Fowler house' too.