Robbie Fowler

Liverpool, Leeds, Man City, and England striker

A-League clubs: North Queensland Fury, Perth Glory

The most celebrated UK player ever to play A-League football. No contest.

Fowler first arrived in his August years, age 34 in 2009 after three months at his last EPL club, Blackburn.

The Liverpool great was the marquee signing for short-lived but ambitious A-League new boys North Queensland Fury.

The home of the Great Barrier Reef, crocs and the humidity, it was both bizarre and brilliant.

Fowler’s arrival was huge news in Australia, never mind in sleepy Townsville who had never seen anything like it (Townsville is about four hours flight north of Sydney in sweaty Far North Queensland).

 

Suddenly, Reds fans wanted to see their hero in the A-League playing across the country in Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney and across the ditch in Wellington).

The England international famously smashed a superb looping long-range effort against Sydney FC at the old Allianz (with a Reds fan jumping the fence to celebrate on the pitch with him).

Half of the traveling fans that day wore red.

Clearly, the Scouse legend liked Australia because he signed another marquee deal, this time for Perth Glory in 2010, a year after joining Fury.

His teammates raved about his incredible finishing ability. He scored regularly and the fans loved him.

Just a pity Australia had him at the backend of his illustrious career.

He made 54 appearances in the A-League scoring 18 times.

A year after his Glory stint he had a six-month spell in the Thai League with Muangthong United, where he dabbled in coaching, long before the league boomed.

He retired a wealthy man in 2012 and began work on his coaching career, getting a pro license and working at the Liverpool academy. 

Fowler also has been a regular pundit across a number of TV outlets in the UK. 

But life changed this week, and Fowler was appointed head coach of A-League club Brisbane Roar. 

It is his first major appointment as a senior head coach.