Should Liverpool offer Fowler a contract extension?

[matt12345]

imo, yes. no question. if not for a couple of mistaken offside calls, robbie would have 5 goals from, what, 7 starts since his return? He is beginning to form a partnership with crouch, he has the backing of the squad and most importantly the support. he has shown he is willing to run his boots off to get fit, will take a pittance of a wage, and (i hate to use dollars and cents but) his jersey sales alone would provide the $ to buy a young fast replacement for cisse when he leaves. At 31 i feel robbie has adjusted his game to suit his diminished abilities and could certainly score 10-15 goals a year from many years to come. i think in the very least rafa should pen him to a 1 year deal. otherwise he risks making a mockery of one of the premier leagues first real legends. come on rafa, stop playing your mind games!!!

[jlimty]

I totally agree with you mate. After his performances for us lately he should most definitely get a new contract for next season. He seems to link up our play very well by dropping deep and picking up the ball from our midfielders. He will always score goals no matter what and he won't be on high wages. Hell I think he would play for us for free! (well so would I :p) He also has loads of experience and he wouldn't complain not being in the team week in week out. A perfect reserve striker! :D

[saurabh]

Its a very tough decision to make. On one hand we all like Robbie. On the other hand we all realize that this is Rafa's last chance to construct his team of winners. I think Rafa is close to finalizing two new strikers for Liverpool. Having pushed Stevie to the right, maybe we will buy one CM as cover for Xabi/Sissoko. If Rafa does not spend his budget on getting a couple of good strikers now, it will be very difficult in future. The final print has to be ready this season.
As much as this may sound unfair to Robbie, I think we should sell both Cisse as well as Fowler. We also need to sell players like Pongolle (what is he doing at Blackburn?), Dudek (lets get someone like Kusczak), Kewell or Zenden (at least one has to leave, hopefully Zenden), Djimi Traore, Mellor etc.

[matt12345]

one problem with that, we can't sell robbie. his contract is up. he walks away for free which is fair as we got him on a free. as for rafa's plan, you're right, we need a world class talent up front to keep winning but the ideas being batted around include raul who is 29 himself. there has to be a place on this squad for robbie over cisse and morientes....surely. both morientes and cisse could command transfer fees, but with morientes one of rafas buys, it seems cisse is on the block. that would pave the way for 1 maybe 2 strikers to come in...can't see more than that coming here. any more than that would be folly imo.

[eraser2224]

keep him!

[The Rock]

I think you should keep him for a year only. He is an inspiration to your team, he has the experience, he can be used as a backup (if Rafa buys two strikers). He will be a La Bugkamp.

[staggerlee]

To second most of the opinion on here, Fowler should at LEAST get a pay-as-you-play deal. What could be the possible problem with that? Robbie would probably rather sit on the Anfield bench than play up front for Arsenal, let alone Bolton.... Pay him 10 grand a goal, 10 grand an appearance, and watch him sign...

[sirpositive]

He is undoubtedly an asset to Liverpool and his career is far from finished. At 31 he still has the vision and the quick feet as a player of 25 (he proved this on Sunday)... the only problem is his fitness levels. I would give him a contract similar Hamanns which is like a year extension at a time.

[saurabh]

Bolton are willing to pay a transfer fee for Robbie. I think its a generous offer. I understand that Robbie will make an excellent substitute but we will have people coming up from the youth ranks as well like Hammill, Calliste etc..

I have heard about Raul but the most likely players to make a move to Anfield are Aguero and Fernando Torres.

[steve huge]

Like most other Liverpool fans, I'd love to see him stay. He's cost us nothing in transfer fees and very little in wages, and he's scoring some important goals. But, I think Rafa can be a bit stubborn sometimes, and will only keep a player if he feels he is right for the team, and not because of pressure from the fans. At the same time, Rafa is probably just keeping Robbie on his toes by not coming out and saying anything about his contract.

If we could replace Cisse with someone like Defoe, keep Morientes (I suppose), Crouch and Fowler, then that's a pretty versatile strike-force. I don't think Raul or Ronaldo are the answer for us, both getting on a bit, would demand ridiculous wages and could possibly take a while to settle into the English game.

[zamzzam]

Fowler rich & passionate enough to play for Liverpool for free. Therefore, theres nothing for the club to lose if we offered him a new contract.

[Imran]

I think definitely even if it's one with substantially low pay- think fowler would still stay if offered. COME on I WANT THIS DREAM OF MINE TO CONTINUE, fowler to me means half of liverpool!

[shizz]

i think he will give him a years deal,i think if anyone will go it wil be djib,at least we will get some cash from his sale,and keeping robbie who we got for nothing makes good business sense,and use the money to get a world class striker which we really need

[matt12345]

Bolton are willing to pay a transfer fee for Robbie. I think its a generous offer. I understand that Robbie will make an excellent substitute but we will have people coming up from the youth ranks as well like Hammill, Calliste etc..

I have heard about Raul but the most likely players to make a move to Anfield are Aguero and Fernando Torres.

bolton have made no offers and have said they will snap him up if we don't sign him....on a free. there will be no $ if robbie leaves.

[darrenj]

Fowler is God..simple

[jr!]

In a word: yes!!

[yammy]

Get rid of Moro or Fowler. Go on pick one.....:rolleyes:

[matt12345]

hmmmmmmmmmm tough call :rolleyes:

[Yiannis]

Well it's a difficult decision to make.No doubt about that!He is a proven goalscorer for sure but we need a quality striker with pace too.I'll go with the offer of one year and if that happens i'll be very happy.Make no mistake,if Robbie stays he will probably not be our first choice striker.We need to bye a young and with pace proven goalscorer!

[fortesquieu]

Keep him and sign another world class forward.

[matt12345]

no he won't always be in the first 11, but the occasional start, and early cup matches would give others rest for the latter part of the season, especially after the world cup. atleast we probably go into the champs league in qualifying round 3.

[gonekais]

It is slightly ridiculous that people are suggesting pay-as-you-play or cut-price contracts for Robbie Fowler just because he is passionate and committed to Liverpool. Regardless of his attitude towards the club, he should be offerred exactly what a striker of his age with excellent finishing ability, amongst other characteristics, deserves. Just because he loves the club and is desperate to stay at Liverpool does not warrant him being underpaid.

Desperately hoping that Rafa DOES eventually offer him the contract. In my view he's done enough to garner a contract extension. As stated earlier by Matt12345, if it weren't for incorrectly disallowed goals, he would have 5 goals in 12 appearances (of which only 7 were starts and 1 was a full 90 mins).

Apart from goals, he has shown wonderful awareness on the pitch, dropping deep and providing excellent passes for more pacier players to run on to, his link-up play has been tremendous and he has been able to play well with Morientes, Cisse and Crouch as strike partners. I still think he has alot to offer and if he gets a good pre-season and stays clear of injuries (hoping nothing happens against those thugs at Blackburn this weekend) he will be a force to reckon with next season, irrespective of where he ends up playing. Still praying that it will be in front of the Kop of course. Fingers crossed.

[GeCk0]

It is slightly ridiculous that people are suggesting pay-as-you-play or cut-price contracts for Robbie Fowler just because he is passionate and committed to Liverpool. Regardless of his attitude towards the club, he should be offerred exactly what a striker of his age with excellent finishing ability, amongst other characteristics, deserves. Just because he loves the club and is desperate to stay at Liverpool does not warrant him being underpaid.

Apart from goals, he has shown wonderful awareness on the pitch, dropping deep and providing excellent passes for more pacier players to run on to, his link-up play has been tremendous and he has been able to play well with Morientes, Cisse and Crouch as strike partners. I still think he has alot to offer and if he gets a good pre-season and stays clear of injuries (hoping nothing happens against those thugs at Blackburn this weekend) he will be a force to reckon with next season, irrespective of where he ends up playing. Still praying that it will be in front of the Kop of course. Fingers crossed.


I reiterate my point that if Fowler does not get a contract extension, he will retire. He has always wanted to retire at Liverpool and I don't think that anything, anything will get in the way of that dream now that he is back.

With that being said, Rafa seems to be making the comments just to make sure Fowler does not let up on his conditioning. It is his way of giving him that extra little push to get more of his form back. Yes, he is still a lethal finisher, yes, he is tactically aware. But he is sometimes worringly underhitting passes (rust from not playing a lot before coming back to Liverpool) and he looks knackered after 60 minutes (which is a vast improvement over looking knackered after 20, when he first got back).

In the latter situation, Fowler's got the drive again (with that smile on his face he looks like he's back in his 20s) to get back into fitness to be able to pop off the bench when he's called upon. Run up and down the touchline to ensure that Rafa knows he's ready, etc. And not only earn that contract, but prove to all the doubters over the past 8 years or so that not only can you teach an old dog new tricks, but an old god can teach them new ones.

[gonekais]

I reiterate my point that if Fowler does not get a contract extension, he will retire. He has always wanted to retire at Liverpool and I don't think that anything, anything will get in the way of that dream now that he is back.

With that being said, Rafa seems to be making the comments just to make sure Fowler does not let up on his conditioning. It is his way of giving him that extra little push to get more of his form back. Yes, he is still a lethal finisher, yes, he is tactically aware. But he is sometimes worringly underhitting passes (rust from not playing a lot before coming back to Liverpool) and he looks knackered after 60 minutes (which is a vast improvement over looking knackered after 20, when he first got back).

In the latter situation, Fowler's got the drive again (with that smile on his face he looks like he's back in his 20s) to get back into fitness to be able to pop off the bench when he's called upon. Run up and down the touchline to ensure that Rafa knows he's ready, etc. And not only earn that contract, but prove to all the doubters over the past 8 years or so that not only can you teach an old dog new tricks, but an old god can teach them new ones.

Great post by the way. However I (respectfully;)) disagree with you on a few points. Regarding Fowler underhitting the passes at times, I actually think his passing has been fantastic. To be honest I think he's playing better right now under Benitez than I ever saw him play during Houllier's reign (which was characterised by him losing the ball alot, uninfluential in many games - partly his fault but mostly houllier's tactics). But you are right, he hasn't played regularly for a long time now, so errors and inconsistencies are bound to creep in. He's still, amazingly enough, looked the most accomplished of all the four liverpool front men, in my view.

If Rafa doesn't offer Robbie a new contract I think he may be tempted to make one last move. Genuinely gifted footballers like Robbie always have a lot of self-belief but he has admitted that his confidence took a huge knocking during his first two years at City. But, I think his performance at Liverpool this season must have done wonders for his morale and has probably contributed to his ever-improving performances. Hence he may decide to prove himself one last time at a new club if things don't work out at Liverpool.

Guess we'll just have see what happens then. Personally, I'm waiting with bated breath for Rafa's decision, and I will be devastated if Robbie doesn't get the extension. Nevertheless, I will always remain eternally grateful to Rafa for bringing God back to Anfield. Watching him score in that Red shirt is always a delight.:)

[matt12345]

I have a question, if robbie were to stay on 1 more year, would he get a testimonial? he played 9 years before. so how would all this add up?

[yammy]

I have a question, if robbie were to stay on 1 more year, would he get a testimonial? he played 9 years before. so how would all this add up?

I think it's 10 years for a testimonial. It's up to the club at any rate.

[GeCk0]

I'm not going to quote you, just because it would make the page extra long :)

But, I agree with you about Robbie during Houllier's reign. Fowler at the time was not a little speedster like Owen. And the Houllier game of booting it over the top for the forwards to scamper after, doesn't work well for him. Although he did cope amazingly well.

I don't see why Fowler would go to another club. A large part of what makes him invincible is that badge on his chest. Without it, I think he questions whether he really wants to be there on the pitch. It is his immense pride, in his own ability and in the team, that keeps his engine going, and I think he knows that he will never replicate that anywhere else, nor will he want to do such a thing. He once made a statement that scoring against Liverpool was one of the hardest things he's done on the pitch. I don't think he particularly wants to re-live that. Not to mention the fact that he's not hard up for cash and he's been thinking of retiring to spend more time iwth family and his business ventures.

Although there is usually a criteria that the player has to play for an extended period of time for the team to warrant a testimonial match. That is not always the case. Some players have gotten testimonials after very little time at a club (eg. Jim Duffy - 3 years - Dundee United). It is a matter up to the club and up to the player. Fowler will get his testimonial if he wants it. The club would never do anything so blasphemous as to deny him that.

[KurtAngle]

they shud sign ronaldo instead

[gonekais]

I'm not going to quote you, just because it would make the page extra long :)

Haha you should have just told me "shut up mate, your posts are just too long":D! Your post was brilliant, once again, and you do make your point. However, I still think Robbie will continue to play for a few years. He has stated in a number of interviews that he is not finished yet. Admittedly, he will not have the same passion and committment (sp?) playing for any other club as he would playing for Liverpool. The immense pride that he exudes when he pulls on that red shirt is always evident and heartening.

I just think that he feels he still has a point to prove, not so much to himself, but to the doubters who predicted the end of the Robbie Fowler story. His pride will essentially perpetuate his career. Great debate, but let's agree to disagree and wait eh? Can't stress enough how much I enjoyed reading your reply(ies) though:D

[You Knows It]

It's a no-brainer. It really is. He's scored in his last three games - the first time he has done that for us since 1997. Four in his last five games - he's scored 8 in 14 appearances this season, including for City. He'd been out with injury until January. That's a decent return for anybody, especially for somebody who has been out due to injury for so long. Love is the greatest motivator of all and Robert Bernard Fowler loves Liverpool Football Club. Anybody who doubts his ability needs their head reading. Where I do doubt him, is his ability to stay injury free.

[Bruun]

New contract to Wobbie Fowler!!

The sooner, the better... :)

[leland07]

yes! he plays with the heart. not like cisse who can't score goals at all

[matt12345]

he's making it tough for rafa now with 4 in 4 starts.

[disarm]

sign owen. he might cost 20m but he's worth every penny. and plus, who else could they possibly sign with his resume?

[yammy]

sign owen. he might cost 20m but he's worth every penny. and plus, who else could they possibly sign with his resume?

Owen(I moved from Liverpool to win trophies) can go stuff himself.

Newcastle without a trophy for 50 years yep, superb. It'll be another 50 before he gets another trophy.

I want Dirk.

[slipperydave]

i can't see why he's not given another year, considering that he's in good form and will probably be fitter come the start of next season. plus he's doing something that the rest of the strikers aren't doing, the most important thing, scoring goals. he'd probably have double the goals if it wasn't for some dubious offside decisions, which also isn't too bad for someone that came in on a free. plus every Liverpool fan loves him. i think it'd be a real shame if he were to move to Blackburn or Bolton for nothing at the end of the season.

[akibo]

I agree with yammy, the betraitor can go and stuff himself:mad:

I definitely think he should be given another year, perhaps he can teach the other boys a lil' somethin'-somethin' :p

and I would also want Dirk :)

[dbzclips]

otherwise he risks making a mockery of one of the premier leagues first real legends.


Pardon? Did you forget about Eric Cantona?

http://www.manutdzone.com/legends/cantona2.jpg

[You Knows It]

Owen(I moved from Liverpool to win trophies) can go stuff himself.

Newcastle without a trophy for 50 years yep, superb. It'll be another 50 before he gets another trophy.

I want Dirk.
I agree Yammy. However, he wouldn't be £20 million, according to people in the know, Owen's release clause is very real, despite the protestations of Freddy Shepherd. Nevertheless, even if it's £12 million, I wouldn't pay it not only for the reasons you've mentioned but because he never goes through a full season without an injury.

People might point to last season at Real Madrid but there was less physical pressure placed upon him, largely due to the fact that he was a substitute so often. It would be economical madness to pay £20 million, as the poster suggests, for a player that we only sold for £8 million. We don't run our finances like Newcastle United and I am glad we don't. They are on the way to financial ruin.

[You Knows It]

Pardon? Did you forget about Eric Cantona?


He said "one of" which implies plurality.

[saurabh]

Rafa has his eyes set on a couple of "below 24" age group strikers and is in no mood to sign Owen or Raul.

[matt12345]

no i did not forget cantona but as was pointed out i said one of the first legends. geeze, some of you united fans just have to remind everyone about united players whenever possible.
as for owen, forget him. in another 3 years his pace will start to go, if he can keep that hamstring healthy in the mean time. besides, he kind of made his boat.
dirk would be a great signing, as would torres in my book.

[jlimty]

Rafa has his eyes set on a couple of "below 24" age group strikers and is in no mood to sign Owen or Raul.

Do you know this for a fact? Maybe I've missed an interview of something but I don't think I've heard Rafa said he prefers younger strikers :confused: I'm not saying you're wrong but would you care to elaborate? :)

I still think Robbie should be given an extension and his current form only backs that. Why would Rafa not want a proven goalscorer with heaps of experience who doesn't mind being a sub? Heck if he gets a full pre-season under his belt he might even be fit enough to warrant a starting place week-in and week-out. As we've seen with his second coming, the quality is still there and only his fitness is suspect.

Edit: Another thing I've notice is that he can play with almost any other striker in our team. Both his goals against Bolton and Rovers were a result of good link-up play with his striker partner (Crouch and Moro respectively)

[matt12345]

i think robbie has teamed well with most strikers on all three clubs. he really is team oriented and could easily score 15-20 for us next term.

[Lonso]

Well we can't really know if we should re-sign him or not without understanding how much it costs the club to keep him there. Only Rafa and the management know if the salary paid to Fowler will be better spent as it is, or freed up as a means of securing one sure bet that Rafa might want to chase. I'm just pointing out that without knowing how much we pay him on salaries (I understand its lower than he was previously on at Citeh), we don't know his value for money.

Having said that, Rafa knows exactly how to quantify Fowler's true value to the reds. The psychological and emotional leadership he provides the rest of the lads in the lockeroom should be worth plenty, as is the important issue of keeping the ever-demanding kop happy.

But Rafa will undoubtedly lose lots of sleep over what would be best for the team, in order to challenge for the title - and to do that he MAY decide to reallocate the resources elsewhere.

I'm 90% sure Robbie will be invited to stay though. He better be!

[saurabh]

Do you know this for a fact? Maybe I've missed an interview of something but I don't think I've heard Rafa said he prefers younger strikers :confused: I'm not saying you're wrong but would you care to elaborate? :)


This is what I was refering to :-

"It's not easy to find better players than Robbie. And it is difficult to find anyone with the passion he has for this club.

"But maybe you could find three top-class strikers who are 23 years old, can score goals and have pace. Then you have to think.

"Robbie knows he needs to improve and in which areas. He understands the situation.

"He knows that we need to decide in maybe three weeks or a month. He needs to continue to work hard, but we know he is a good finisher and a good player.

"But we need to know how he will play next season and what level his physical condition will allow him to play at."

- Rafael Benitez

Link to story (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2006/apr/11/N152024060411-1046.htm)

[jlimty]

This is what I was refering to :-

"It's not easy to find better players than Robbie. And it is difficult to find anyone with the passion he has for this club.

"But maybe you could find three top-class strikers who are 23 years old, can score goals and have pace. Then you have to think.

"Robbie knows he needs to improve and in which areas. He understands the situation.

"He knows that we need to decide in maybe three weeks or a month. He needs to continue to work hard, but we know he is a good finisher and a good player.

"But we need to know how he will play next season and what level his physical condition will allow him to play at."

- Rafael Benitez

Link to story (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2006/apr/11/N152024060411-1046.htm)

Not trying to be picky here mate but I think what Rafa is saying is that if he can find someone with as much quality (with pace) as Robbie and who's only 23 years of age, of course he would go for the younger lad (which of course makes sense) However I don't think that Rafa only wants strikers in the 24 and below age bracket. Well thats IMHO :)

[barndog]

I think Rafa will offer him a new contract, Robbie is still a great finisher, far better than any strikers at Anfield now, and hes a player that plays for his shirt

[saurabh]

No doubt he's a great striker, but it has been made clear that we are shopping for a striker who in all probability will replace Cisse. We have young players like Paul Anderson and Pongolle competing with Fowler for the fourth striker's spot. It will be a very difficult decision. Even if he is signed, I don't see him get too many games. Lets not get carried away. Let us analyze. Before the transfer window opened, we had two games in hand and we were looking set to take the battle for title right down to the wire. We were not even thinking of a third spot. The title was in sight. All we needed was to sign a striker to take us there, and what did we do? We went and signed Robbie Fowler. He has been a great servant to the club, but what we needed was a striker who could score goals instantly from day one. Robbie is good even now, but he is not the matchwinner we NEED for the next season. We are going to play 4-2-3-1 and for that one striker spot there are so many players. Liverpool can definitely afford Fowler but it would be a little unfair on those who are sold and upcoming stars like Anderson who are trying their best to catch Rafa's attention.

Well... this is Liverpool, it is different now. Here, even Stevie now has to fight for his spot. Robbie has to really do something amazing to keep out guys like Anderson, Pongolle and Hammil. There can only be a certain number of players in the squad and we cannot have more than 4 strikers. Remember, Mark is also coming and so is Aurelio. We just have too many people like Mellor, Kirkland, Le Tallec etc. on our payrolls and someone has to take some tough decisions. The sign of champions is that they are ruthless and Rafa has to be ruthless. If he had been ruthless this mid-season and sold Cisse and bought Simao (for any price), we could have played Gerrard in the hole and Crouch as the lone striker and we could have been breathing down Chelsea's neck.

In fact, our performance has been better in FA Cup (without Robbie) where we have beaten ManU and thrashed Birmingham!

Its time to act tough or else we can forget about the Prem League next season as well.

Once all these things are analyzed, I think it is going to be a very tough call. We have actualy moved downhill in the Prem League since the transfer window closed! And we don't really take individual performances into consideration otherwise Baros would still be here.

[Kan]

I can tell you, I seen Paul and Hammil play and they are not close to play in the senior level. Hopefully, they will gain experience in the Carling cups but other than that they are at least one or half a season off unless they mature and bulk up quickly over the summer. However, Hammil and Anderson are wingers and not strikers although Anderson can play as a second striker.

The likes of Whitebread, Medijan, Pongolle, Mellor, Le Tallec, Cheyrou, Kirkland are likely to be sold or kept out on loan to keep the payroll down.

Plus, we just have to many left sided players.

Aurelio isn't a done deal yet, heard Barcelona and Madrid are after him. Even heard Madrid have won the race to sign him even when he's agent claim that we are in advance talks with the player and agent himself. Have to wait for Rafa to confirm it other than anything else.

Give Fowler a contract, I reckon he would accept a 2 pound plus pie with sauce pay package just to stay in our books. But, the club knows better not to take a player with so much heart and passion for the club to it's financial advantage.

[saurabh]

Paul Anderson was a winger at Hull City but here he has been trained to be a striker, I have put up some of his games' highlights at other forum and boy he is good! Creative, fast and adventurous, which is why everyone who has seen him thinks he is the next Owen.

Here's the link to the Story (http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/mediawatch/2006/apr/MW9895060413-0959.htm)

Remember, he is already in the squad but he may have to move out to accomodate Aurelio and Mark if Fowler stays and I am not sure if that is very encouraging for the FA Youth Cup star.

Its very complex. We can easily make comments but the decision is difficult to make. In fact we have built a good team and we can afford to spend our entire budget on a good striker. The sale of others can be used to buy a backup for Xabi/Sissoko.

We MUST make use of this opportunity. Be ruthless! Act like champions!! We want to do the double next season!!! Lets get better strikers.

[Kan]

Most of the time he has been playing under the reserves and in the Youth Cup he has mainly been playing out on the wings. However, he has been playing as striker on a few occassions. The reason why they are dubbing him as the next Micheal Owen is because of his speed and built. Also they think he will follow the same steps as Micheal Owen as the next phenomenon. However, different type of players there.

[You Knows It]

Having been to a reserve match, and watched a few of the Youth Cup games on the e-season ticket, Paul Anderson is nowhere near ready to play in the first team, nor is Hammil. Pongolle isn't good enough. If he was, why would have Rafa allowed him to go to Blackburn and then go after Fowler in the first place? Aurelio is a full back not a striker, so I am not sure what the implication is there. We will lose Morientes and Cisse this summer. If we lose Fowler too, it will mean we will have lost three strikers and we'll need to buy three to replace them - we don't have that sort of cash. Who's dubbed Paul Anderson the new Michael Owen? Did you make that up? He's nowhere near as good as Owen, take your rose tinted specs off.

[yammy]

Well we can't really know if we should re-sign him or not without understanding how much it costs the club to keep him there. Only Rafa and the management know if the salary paid to Fowler will be better spent as it is, or freed up as a means of securing one sure bet that Rafa might want to chase. I'm just pointing out that without knowing how much we pay him on salaries (I understand its lower than he was previously on at Citeh), we don't know his value for money.

Having said that, Rafa knows exactly how to quantify Fowler's true value to the reds. The psychological and emotional leadership he provides the rest of the lads in the lockeroom should be worth plenty, as is the important issue of keeping the ever-demanding kop happy.

But Rafa will undoubtedly lose lots of sleep over what would be best for the team, in order to challenge for the title - and to do that he MAY decide to reallocate the resources elsewhere.

I'm 90% sure Robbie will be invited to stay though. He better be!

Robbie's on below £25k(what he was on at City). Plus he pulls in the shirt sales and we'll also have a new shirt next season.:rolleyes:

Micky Owen wants £60-80k, foreign players are usually offered around £30k by Rafa and only very few people will be on £50k+. I read somewhere JAR is on about £35k and he's a senior established player.

I think Robbie is the best value per goal player we have.:p

Having been to a reserve match, and watched a few of the Youth Cup games on the e-season ticket, Paul Anderson is nowhere near ready to play in the first team, nor is Hammil. Pongolle isn't good enough. If he was, why would have Rafa allowed him to go to Blackburn and then go after Fowler in the first place? Aurelio is a full back not a striker, so I am not sure what the implication is there. We will lose Morientes and Cisse this summer. If we lose Fowler too, it will mean we will have lost three strikers and we'll need to buy three to replace them - we don't have that sort of cash. Who's dubbed Paul Anderson the new Michael Owen? Did you make that up? He's nowhere near as good as Owen, take your rose tinted specs off.

Pongo is deemed too similar to Cisse and more senior that's why he's shipped to BB. I still think Rafa likes his attitude/hardwork and will give him until January to make up his mind if Cisse leaves. I think there are only a few luxury players at Pool e.g. Garcia and Pongo falls into this category.

TLT will be gone. Moro probably maybe at the latest in Jan. I think if Robbie doesn't get a contract because of his fitness then niether should Moro who's looked unfit since he got here.

Well, that just leaves Crouch for certain...........




shit, I'm scared already!!:p :D

[thanquol]

I would definitly chose Fowler before Crouch.. more frustrating player are only to be found among Garcia, Morientes and Cisse (sometimes brilliant!)

[matt12345]

Lets not get carried away. Let us analyze. Before the transfer window opened, we had two games in hand and we were looking set to take the battle for title right down to the wire. We were not even thinking of a third spot. The title was in sight. All we needed was to sign a striker to take us there, and what did we do? We went and signed Robbie Fowler. He has been a great servant to the club, but what we needed was a striker who could score goals instantly from day one.

nothing personal but bollocks! you really think rafa signed a player who missed most of the first half of the year due to a broken disc in his spine, who had started 1 first team match,who was obviously unfit, to come here and score goals right away? give me a break. two major turning points for us in the title race were our games against manchester united and chelsea which we lost. tell me, what roll did robbie play in those two games?
robbie was signed to get fit and see what he could do later in the season. rafa said so himself. he said robbie was at 50%. and maybe they could get him to 80% by the end of the year. that robbie at 80% was better than most. hardly words of a manager pinning title hopes on a new signing.

i don't think he wanted to rush out and buy someone else at an inflated price. By the time robbie came here the title was all but gone already, the chelsea game just confirmed it.

[Bruun]

Wise words...

I think it would be foolish NOT to give Robbie a few more years. He is GOD ffs :p Even if you bring in a real goalgetter, you should still keep him on board. As mentioned earlier, he team up nicely with various striker types, and he loves the club so much, that he wouldnt cry if he got benched for a few games.

And he is just a funny bloke...

http://mrankin.home.cern.ch/mrankin/Robbie.htm

[linnet]

Ofcourse he will get a contract extension...and he deserves it.

Give him 2 more years and then put him on the backroom staff, coaching strikers or doing the laundry or whatever...just keep him! He is Liverpool FFS!!!

[gonekais]

And he is just a funny bloke...

http://mrankin.home.cern.ch/mrankin/Robbie.htm

Ahaha the "do you like jewels..." one is brilliant:D

[Orton]

Absolutely. He scores goals, which is more than can be said for certain scouse strikers.

[You Knows It]

Absolutely. He scores goals, which is more than can be said for certain scouse strikers.

Like who, Rooney and Owen? What other Scouse strikers are these? :p

[Fenianbhoy]

Robbies a multi millionaire , why does he need a new contract ?, he loves the club that much & is financially secure the rest of his life, what would you do in the same position , HEY BOSS ill sign for a cup of Bovril ,maybe be cheeky and ask for a pie.

At 31 years old, age means nothing Berkamp & Shearer & Sheringham , yeh sure there 35 onwards & more . Robbies always had more pace than any of them and the most gifted finisher ive ever seen, theres no denying Robbies needs more games to be sharper ,but if he still has the hunger to play with being so fkn rich and all, a 5 year contract would'nt be such a wrong thing.

[Orton]

Like who, Rooney and Owen? What other Scouse strikers are these? :p

I just meant strikers who play for Liverpool.

And as for "Robbies always had more pace than any of them and the most gifted finisher ive ever seen..."

YOu can't have seen many strikers then.

[jlimty]

Like who, Rooney and Owen? What other Scouse strikers are these? :p

I just meant strikers who play for Liverpool.

And as for "Robbies always had more pace than any of them and the most gifted finisher ive ever seen..."

YOu can't have seen many strikers then.

Apparently for the Mancs the word scouse refers to only the Red half of Merseyside. Thats how they justify having a scouser in their team while they sing degrading songs about scousers :p

[Orton]

Apparently for the Mancs the word scouse refers to only the Red half of Merseyside. Thats how they justify having a scouser in their team while they sing degrading songs about scousers :p

I'm not trying to justify anything. It's jus another word for Liverpool. Like Gunners for Arsenal. Or shite for Man City.

Anyway...come on Scousers...stick 2 past Chelsea plzzzzzzzzz

[jlimty]

I'm not trying to justify anything. It's jus another word for Liverpool. Like Gunners for Arsenal. Or shite for Man City.

Anyway...come on Scousers...stick 2 past Chelsea plzzzzzzzzz

Well I didn't mean you specifically, so sorry if any offence was taken. No hard feelings eh? ;)

[matt12345]

I just meant strikers who play for Liverpool.

And as for "Robbies always had more pace than any of them and the most gifted finisher ive ever seen..."

YOu can't have seen many strikers then.
if your questioning robbie being one of the most gifted finishers i've seen than you don't know what your talking about. also "had" pace.

[gunnersfan]

give robbie an extended contract and sell cisse to a club that will use him and not waste his talent.

[Kan]

give robbie an extended contract and sell cisse to a club that will use him and not waste his talent.
What talent?:cool:

A team that will base their system for their strikers to shine. Take him, Have him!

[steve huge]

What talent? :cool:

A team that will base their system for their strikers to shine. Take him, Have him!

Hahaa, exactly. He's the most useless b*stard I've ever seen in a Liverpool shirt. Benitez was fuming at him after the Chelsea game.

How much would we get for him? Four million quid at the most I reckon........

Thank you Mnsr. Houllier. :mad:

[jr!]

Sell Cisse back to Mr. Houllier at Lyon, they may need strikers next season.
:p

I will say again:
KEEP FOWLER!!
Even just to teach the other strikers on how to hit the bloody net!!
How many times has Fowler missed open chances since he came back?
Not many that I can remember.
How many have Crouch, Morientes(!!) & Cisse missed??

I rest my point...

[dastott]

Well, Robbie's games per goals stats since his return have been far more impressive than other goal-shy Liverpool forwards. What is Morientes still doing there? A very fast decline for a player who was very good...

Anyway, keep Robbie on a one year contract.

BTW, Robbie, along with Rooney, is the most inform English striker at present. Why not send him to the World Cup too? Would be a nice man to have on the bench...

[Lonso]

Rafael Benitez has made his decision on whether or not to offer Robbie Fowler a new contract at the end of the season.
The Liverpool striker signed a six month deal in January and is desperately hoping to extend his Anfield career into next year.

With four goals to his name since his return from Manchester City, Fowler appears to have done his chances no harm at all but Benitez is refusing to reveal whether the Kop idol will still be at the club next season.

"If he can keep scoring it will be easier for me," said Benitez. "We all know he has a lot of passion for the club. I know what I want to do but I need to talk to my staff.

"We will continue working with Robbie. When a player is playing every game he cannot improve a lot in his physical condition.

"We cannot expect to see the best of him now. Perhaps in pre-season we will see him progress but we need to decide on his future first."

Link: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N152169060426-0958.htm

I think this is the best indication yet of which way Rafa is leaning towards. :)

Hope his 'staff' and himself come to THIS decision in the end.

[lawless7]

why do liverpool want to offer a contract extention to a over the hill second rate striker who could not make it at Man city.
Go an get a very good striker an stop livin in the past.

[darrenj]

4 goals in 5 starts - not bad for an over the hill striker - are the City strikers in such form at present

[murphy05]

Robbie belongs in Liverpool, no question about it. Personally I've followed pretty much all of his career since he joined the first team and the lad didn't exactly dissapoint. :)

I feel it was a shame he was forced out to begin with and I personally hope he gets to end his footballing days in the club he considers home. Maybe that's just me being sentimental though.

[darrenj]

I 2nd that

[murphy05]

Yup. In my eyes he has certainly earned a 1 year extension at least.
I guess you have heard of rafas "slip of the tounge" already or?
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N152169060426-0958.htm

The pre-season will certainly see god at his best.

[jlimty]

Yup. In my eyes he has certainly earned a 1 year extension at least.
I guess you have heard of rafas "slip of the tounge" already or?
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N152169060426-0958.htm

The pre-season will certainly see god at his best.

Yeah I noticed that as well. Don't know if he did it intentionally or not. Still sems quite funny he would made such a massive blunder if it wasn't on purpose :D

[Lonso]

Yup. In my eyes he has certainly earned a 1 year extension at least.
I guess you have heard of rafas "slip of the tounge" already or?
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N152169060426-0958.htm

The pre-season will certainly see god at his best.

ammmm.... 5 posts up from you?????

[broseph]

yes definitely, and i would like cisse to stay.



for some reason, i am finding watching liverpool matches more and more enjoyable.

[yammy]

yes definitely, and i would like cisse to stay.



for some reason, i am finding watching liverpool matches more and more enjoyable.

Mate, wait til next season when we have Harry and Speedy on the wings.:rolleyes:

[matt12345]

i have to say, having just watched the highlights of the last 4 liverpool league wins i have to say all the strikers are playing very well together lately. they've all contributed a lot in this run. rafa has some tough decisions.

[akibo]

Mate, wait til next season when we have Harry and Speedy on the wings.:rolleyes:
Ya mean Kewell & speedy Gonzalez?? We might be able to see some fast, flowing football :)

I don't understand why are (almost) all of You on Cisse's neck??? he's definitely better than Morientes, he's just an easy no-fuss footballer, if the opportunity arrives he just shoots, what's the matter with that???

You should be pissed about Moro, he doesn't even manage to get shots on goal - glad he didn't score a header into our own net last time around :o In fact I think that Moro has a lot to learn from Fowler..

that's just my 2 pence at least..

[yammy]

Ya mean Kewell & speedy Gonzalez?? We might be able to see some fast, flowing football :)

I don't understand why are (almost) all of You on Cisse's neck??? he's definitely better than Morientes, he's just an easy no-fuss footballer, if the opportunity arrives he just shoots, what's the matter with that???

You should be pissed about Moro, he doesn't even manage to get shots on goal - glad he didn't score a header into our own net last time around :o In fact I think that Moro has a lot to learn from Fowler..

that's just my 2 pence at least..

I think the reason people are on Cisse's back is because of his workrate. Grafting, tackling back and he sometimes looks like he's not bothered.

I have noticed many times he's tracked back to the right back position but generally he is not a good reader of the game. Well compared to the likes of Carra, Gerrard, Hamann, Alonso, Fowler its difficult to look impressive in that department.

Not being able to read the game makes it more difficult for him a) to get involved when we are under pressure b) to make space/runs/passes effectively at times.

All said and done, none of us are doubting his love for the club but that can be said about all our players (which makes you want to sing YNWA).:rolleyes:

[Yiannis]

I think the reason people are on Cisse's back is because of his workrate. Grafting, tackling back and he sometimes looks like he's not bothered.

I have noticed many times he's tracked back to the right back position but generally he is not a good reader of the game. Well compared to the likes of Carra, Gerrard, Hamann, Alonso, Fowler its difficult to look impressive in that department.

Not being able to read the game makes it more difficult for him a) to get involved when we are under pressure b) to make space/runs/passes effectively at times.

All said and done, none of us are doubting his love for the club but that can be said about all our players (which makes you want to sing YNWA).:rolleyes:

What is more,just count the times he's being spotted offside.His technique is absolutely crap and the only thing he knows is to blast the ball.No curling shots whatsoever.He has only got speed but sometimes he doesn't even know how to use it

[matt12345]

i'd agree, his second was very lucky.

[bl1ndtranny]

how much is huntelaar?

[akibo]

Like I said, why don't You lot complain about Moro??? Why always Cisse, I saw that superb goal of Moro's in the last game, but what a drought he was on before that.. that's unbelieveable.. and I don't remember seeing any posts about el Moro's poor form or smth, it always have to be Cisse doesn't it???:o

[Yiannis]

Like I said, why don't You lot complain about Moro??? Why always Cisse, I saw that superb goal of Moro's in the last game, but what a drought he was on before that.. that's unbelieveable.. and I don't remember seeing any posts about el Moro's poor form or smth, it always have to be Cisse doesn't it???:o

Well Morientes as Cisse has been crap too.He can't hold of the ball,he didn't finish off the chances he had and he is too f******* slow for the premier league.Generally our front line is shit apart from Robbie who has that lethal instinct.Please don't tell me about Crouch because i'll puke.Yes he is brought for one reason,he's done a decent job but at the end of the day he is a striker and you expect him to score.He's scored 12 goals but he scores 3-4 in a row at a period and then he scores after 1-2 months.When was the last time he scored?Against Bermimgham?You see what i'm saying?I'm sorry but this is not consistency!And this year nobody can blame the midfield for not providing service to the strikers because there was!;)