PERTH Glory boom recruit Robbie Fowler isn't looking to hang up the boots anytime soon, the Liverpool legend saying he's hopeful of playing on for another three years.
Despite turning 35 early last month and starting the process of becoming a manager by gaining his B coaching licence, Fowler insists he could have up to three seasons of football left in his ageing legs.
But having just arrived in Western Australia on Tuesday evening to a huge welcome from Perth Glory fans at Perth airport, Fowler said his thoughts were solely on ensuring Glory had a successful campaign in his first season.
"Yeah I want to go down that route," Fowler admitted when asked if he was thinking of becoming a coach after his illustrious career finished. "But you know, first up, let me just get out and play.
"I think I've got one, two, three, maybe three years left playing, so that's (coaching) is what I want to do in the end but I think there's a few more years before I'm up to coaching.
"I mean, I still consider myself young though I'm not. I love the game and I want to play for as long as I can.
"When you love the game as much as what I do, then there's only one option to do."
Fowler has most recently been in England helping his old Liverpool team-mate Karl Robinson at MK Dons, with the striker almost earning a call-up to the League One side for the season's last two games, before the move was quashed by red tape.
Before that, Fowler captained North Queensland Fury during their inaugural A-League season last year, but found his contract void when Fury chairman Don Matheson pulled the plug on his financial support for the club last March.
With Football Federation Australia forced to step in and re-finance the club, the Fury players' original contracts were suddenly void, allowing Fowler to move to Glory as the club's marquee international player on a one-year contract.
"I think the way the players were treated up there (in North Queensland) was disgraceful to be honest," Fowler said. "But I'm obviously not here to speak about that, I'll save that to another day.
"I'm here now because thankfully the (Glory) chairman and the manager gave us another chance to play football over here and Perth glory is the place."
Glory coach Dave Mitchell was thrilled to have a player of Fowler's pedigree in his squad.
"We've got a genuine superstar," Mitchell declared. "He's very level headed and he's a great ambassador for football. (Glory) were one of the great clubs of Australia and the last few years we hadn't been.
"It was a great coup for us to actually get him. He's going to add that little bit of special, that x-factor that we may have been missing."
Mitchell said the club now had a full roster of players for the 2009-10 season, having already signed Josh Mitchell and Michael Baird.
Dave Mitchell, though, said that 2008-09 Most Glorious Player, Adriano Pellegrino, was still a doubtful starter for the club this season as he's still currently in Scotland, trialling with clubs there.
"Just waiting (on Adriano)," Mitchell said. "That's in the balance at the minute."
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