Fowler tips leading candidate to do well with Liverpool

Above: Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler (right) and former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe at the press conference at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. They will square off in the Battle of the Reds on Nov 14. Left: Fowler believes the current Liv
Juergen Klopp won two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund despite a tight budget and strong competition from Bayern Munich. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Above: Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler (right) and former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe at the press conference at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. They will square off in the Battle of the Reds on Nov 14. Left: Fowler believes the current Liv
Above: Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler (right) and former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe at the press conference at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. They will square off in the Battle of the Reds on Nov 14. ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
Above: Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler (right) and former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe at the press conference at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. They will square off in the Battle of the Reds on Nov 14. Left: Fowler believes the current Liv
Above: Fowler believes the current Liverpool side are not ready to win the Premier League title yet, but a Champions League place at the end of the season should be a target. PHOTO: ACTION IMAGES

With Juergen Klopp the front runner to be installed manager of Liverpool following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, a former Kop favourite has backed the German to succeed at Anfield.

Robbie Fowler, the club's all-time fifth-highest scorer with 183 goals in 369 appearances over two spells, said Klopp has excellent credentials and has what it takes to get players and fans buzzing.

The former Reds captain said yesterday: "He's a very good manager. I don't know him, I never met him, but I was impressed with his performances in Germany for (Borussia) Dortmund. I like what I see."

The former Kop hero was speaking at the Castlewood Group Battle of the Reds press conference.

In Klopp's seven years in charge of Dortmund, he guided Die Schwarzgelben to two Bundesliga titles, in spite of the club's limited budget and stiff competition from 25-time German champions and big spenders Bayern Munich.

The charismatic Klopp did so playing a swashbuckling brand of football, which Fowler said is the "good football we deserve at Liverpool".

Fowler, 40, said Klopp's appointment will set the Kop buzzing, but he was honest about the scale of the club's ambitions this season.

  • BATTLE OF THE REDS

  • The Castlewood Group Battle of the Reds between the Liverpool Masters and the Manchester United Masters will be held at the National Stadium on Nov14 at 6pm. The venue will be specially configured to seat 25,000 fans. More than 21,000 tickets have been sold. Tickets are available at www.sportshubtix.sg.

  • Liverpool Masters

    Jerzy Dudek, Stephane Henchoz, Steve Harkness, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Luis Garcia, Dietmar Hamann, Patrik Berger, Vladimir Smicer, Phil Babb, Bjorn Tore Kvarme, Ian Rush, Jan Kromkamp, David Thompson, Michael Thomas, Jari Litmanen.

  • Manchester United Masters

    Nick Culkin, Russell Beardsmore, Lee Martin, Paul Parker, Ronny Johnsen, Bojan Djordjic, Lee Sharpe, Keith Gillespie, Jesper Blomqvist, Ben Thornley, Clayton Blackmore, Quinton Fortune, Karel Poborsky, Louis Saha, Andrew Cole.

Liverpool are 10th in the table with eight games played, six points adrift of leaders Manchester City who lead with 18 points.

He said: "Will we win the league? I don't think we will, but it's important that we try and do the very best and try to get into the Champions League. We're a massive club and we all want to see that."

He also expressed sympathy for Ulsterman Rodgers, whom he said suffered from the "results-based" nature of football.

Rodgers is only the second Liverpool manager after Roy Hodgson since 1959 to not win a trophy during his tenure. Hodgson was in charge for seven months, Rodgers more than three years.

"I don't think he was a failure. He's done very well. He was a very good manager. But if you are not getting results you want, not winning leagues or Cups, then questions are going to be asked," said Fowler. "Sadly for Brendan that's the case."

The Battle of the Reds on Nov 14 will pit former Liverpool players against their counterparts from Manchester United in an 11-a-side, 80-minute match at the National Stadium.

Aiming a stream of barbs at former United winger Lee Sharpe, who was also at the press conference, Fowler said: "The atmosphere is going to be good. It's up to us now to go out there and put a good show on. Hopefully the Liverpool fans will be leaving the stadium much happier than United fans."

The Liverpool team will be managed by another former Kop legend Ian Rush, although Fowler, who enjoyed a stint as player-manager during his time with Muangthong United in Thailand, said he hopes to manage one day.

He said: "Certainly that's a route I want to go down. I love football and I want to be part of it every day."

Recently linked with the manager's job at third-tier side Peterborough, will Fowler make a move for the Liverpool hot seat soon? "It's a little bit too early for that," he replied. "(But) I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested if a new manager comes in and (asks me) to be on the backroom staff. I'd absolutely love that."

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 07, 2015, with the headline Fowler tips leading candidate to do well with Liverpool. Subscribe