By Adrian Musolino
January 25th 2010 @ 5:48am
Related coverage
Fowler ‘crisis’ shows A-League’s precarious state
Former English premier league soccer player Robbie Fowler, right, pictured with the North Queensland coach Ian Ferguson at a news conference in Townsville, Australia, Sunday, March 15, 2009. Fowler will play for the North Queensland Fury in Australia's A League competition later this year. AP Photo/ Michael Chambers
Forget for a moment the cause of Robbie Fowler’s tiff with North Queensland Fury coach Ian Ferguson – that type of disagreement can happen at any club in any league around the world. What’s been fascinating is the response from the public and media.
For the uninitiated, Fowler refused to play on Saturday night against the Brisbane Roar following his demotion to the bench by Ferguson.
With Fowler watching from the stands, the Fury managed a point as Ferguson was left to defend his decision to leave the marquee player on the bench that led to Fowler’s move.
The Fury will hold crisis talks today as the wider football community waits to hear if Fowler will exit Townsville and possibly be lost to the league.
The debate that’s followed has focused on whether Ferguson was justified in benching Fowler in the first place, and although there is a strong case to be made against Ferguson’s decision – certainly when considering the importance of having Fowler start in a home match against a close rival for that reachable sixth place – the debate has also shown how precarious a state the competition appears to be in.
When Fox Sports presenters Robbie Slater and Mark Bosnich reported Fowler’s decision, it was with shock at not only Ferguson’s decision but seemingly at the damage done to the league as a whole.
Judging by various comments, the overwhelming feeling is that Ferguson’s decision would result in a severe blow to the A-League and shouldn’t have been made for that reason.
But should a coach really be restricted in his decision-making to protect a marquee player for the good of the league as a whole?
If so, is the A-League in such a precarious position that it must give-in to every whim of such marquee players for the betterment of the game?
Surely that is setting a dangerous precedent for future marquee players of the stature of Fowler.
Some portion of blame must fall on Fowler for his petulance in refusing a place on the Fury bench – ironic considering Jeremy Brockie’s injury in the opening minutes would likely have seen Fowler come off the bench anyway.
He has been, it has seemed, a model of professionalism during his time at the Fury, particularly on the field, so why the sudden act of irresponsibility?
We cannot know the exact reasoning for Ferguson’s and Fowler’s decisions, but it appears tensions have been simmering between the pair for sometime and came to a head at the weekend.
Fowler’s acknowledgement that his family hasn’t settled in Townsville is a fair indicator that his time in the north of Queensland is coming to an end.
Fowler’s time with the Fury has been one of the success stories of the A-League season thus far, consistently increasing crowd figures across the country (except for Gold Coast, where his visit coincided with Clive Palmer’s crowd cap), and his presence and performances have been the brightest spark in a challenging year for the expansion franchise.
Let’s hope a compromise can be reached between the two parties so they can end the season with dignity, and that we haven’t seen the last of Fowler in the A-League.
The A-League desperately needs players of his ilk in the competition, but clubs shouldn’t have to sell their soul to retain them.
Get Australia's best Football opinion emailed daily.
Like this content? Buzz it up!
Free Email updates:
Our daily emails are only sent if there is content for the sport or that author. You can subscribe to multiple daily emails; or get the daily Roar email with all our content in it. We value privacy. More...
(45)
Vince said | January 25th 2010 @ 6:36am | Report comment
I think it is a ploy by the England WC 2018 bid team, could you imagine the boost generated by a Fowler signed Come Play jersey?
Marshall said | January 25th 2010 @ 11:51am | Report comment
Interesting theory!
Anthony said | January 26th 2010 @ 1:52pm | Report comment
Who is Fowler?
Marshall said | January 26th 2010 @ 2:35pm | Report comment
He’s better known as God
Gaz said | January 25th 2010 @ 6:57am | Report comment
Robbie’s refusal to sit on the bench should be seen as a protest against an incompetent coach. It’s not just a petulant dummy spit. It’s a valid way for Robbie to show people that Ferguson is not cut out for coaching at this level.
Here’s a marquee who has given the Fury everything whenever he’s out on the pitch, and yet they won’t even make the finals. That’s gotta hurt, and people in Nth QLD have gotta be asking who’s to blame?
Hint: Not Robbie Fowler.
And if he does leave Australia, that should make a few more people realise that we don’t just need top marquees, we also need top coaches and top referees if we are to continue developing the local game.
markwakefield said | January 25th 2010 @ 9:13am | Report comment
i don’t disagree with you about the quality of ferguson’s coaching but to suggest that ” It’s a valid way for Robbie to show people that Ferguson is not cut out for coaching at this level” is appalling… this behaviour is an aspect of football that should not be put up as an example of how to react to being benched… if it was to do with the quality of the coaching as you say then why wait until he’s been put on the bench? it’s a dummp spit plain and simple from someone who thinks theyre above the aleague but are willing to take the money to play in the competition… i’d love to hear your thoughts on ned zelic but i guess what you’d say already… further more fowler’s form warranted the benching…
Gaz said | January 25th 2010 @ 10:28am | Report comment
To expect totally professional behaviour from players when they are clearly not in a totally professional environment is a bit rich, isn’t it? And let’s note that Ferguson was a coaching student of Lawrie McKinna. ‘Nuff said!
markwakefield said | January 25th 2010 @ 10:38am | Report comment
i have no idea what you mean… if you have something to say you should just say it… eg, specifically how is the coach unprofessional?
Gaz said | January 25th 2010 @ 3:59pm | Report comment
Should we start with the mediocre squad he assembled, after all kinds of problems? Or should we jump straight to his decision to leave the A-League’s #1 star on the bench? Or should we just let the table do the talking?
dannyshepherd said | January 25th 2010 @ 6:23pm | Report comment
none of those things answer to your accusations of unprofessionalism but i dn’t disagree with any of them…
Al said | January 25th 2010 @ 10:46pm | Report comment
It is not a valid protest at all considering he let down his teammates more so than his manager. No player is bigger than the club, not even a marquee player.
sunshine said | January 25th 2010 @ 7:22am | Report comment
Funny thing, I heard a rumour doing the rounds a couple of months ago that Fowler was happy with Australia but not in North Qld. He may be lost to the fury but may pop up as a sky blue marquee next season.
Jeb said | January 25th 2010 @ 8:32am | Report comment
Hate to say it as a roar fan, but having fowler in sydney would be very good for the league as a whole. SFC is the most important team in the competition as their popularity correlates with the amount of media the league gets nation-wide. Fowler shown this year that he’s still class and he brings people to games.
Australian Football said | January 25th 2010 @ 7:40am | Report comment
Robbie Fowler is nearing the end of his playing career—-this is about the control of the Fury coaching job… Don’t be surprised if Ferguson is sack and Robbie is installed as a player manager…
~~~~~~~
AF
Vince said | January 25th 2010 @ 8:30am | Report comment
AF
Interesting angle.
I think Fury could do worse than install Fowler as Player/Manager – his experience at the top level is invaluable and he would definitely attract more players to the tropics than Fergie (no disrespect to Fergie)
The Fury recruitment policy (aside from Fowler which was a fluke I believe) has been shambolic (I mean seriously, Jade North as a Marquee?) and a side with a solid spine of experience and lots of promising younger players is probably the way to go
Australian Football said | January 25th 2010 @ 9:22am | Report comment
Vince,
just after I pressed the comment button I then realised that Fowler would have to have a FFA coaching cert. So that will not happen unless he has one (he wouldn’t have) or they could install a puppet coach with a FFA cert with Fowler calling the shots while he gains a FFA coaching cert.
But yes you are a 100% right. Fowler would certainly attract a lot of good players to the club from overseas. Then that would make the club a better one and his ambition of eventually becoming a manager in the EPL much easier. Gaining some experience here in Australia, to test the waters with his ideas, before returning to the UK.. All very hypothetical of course and unlikely—-but an interesting idea that could be crossing his mind.
whiskeymac said | January 25th 2010 @ 10:38am | Report comment
How about this stry on the fox site? Roar sign Patrick Kluivert
Brisbane Roar have secured the services of Barcelona and Netherlands great Patrick Kluivert for a two-week coaching stint.
first thought was wow but then 2 weeks? can he teach reinaldo and Nichols how to hit the barn door in 14 days???
what a good idea to get some expertise in – big name retirees who do want to “teach” might get a gig like this.
Australian Football said | January 25th 2010 @ 10:56am | Report comment
whiskeymac,
well luckily I checked out FOX before I replied.. Now that is great news, not only for the ROAR but for the HAL..
I first thought you were making fun of my comment
Mick said | January 25th 2010 @ 8:34am | Report comment
No player is bigger than the club. The coach, no matter how controversial their decisions are, will always call the shots. As a Fury supporter, I didn’t like what happened on Saturday either, but these things happen. We saw it with Beckham at Real and Ronaldo at Man U. I just hope that Fowler stays on with the Fury, we need him.
whiskeymac said | January 25th 2010 @ 8:57am | Report comment
this is true and fundamental to any clubs integrity. Just as Craig Moore found out at the Roar star power shld not supplant the actually club’s “core” itself.
whiskeymac said | January 25th 2010 @ 8:48am | Report comment
All this supposes that he will go. I hope this won’t derail NQ too significantly as i understood that they were building a solid, if not spectacular, fan base and grass roots up type model. I agree that the Robbie Fowler marquee-ism was a fluke but kudos to them for doing it (both of them) as it has too date been exceptional and one of, if not the, most succesful partnerships between HAl and a “big name”.
The club has struggled at times, but so have others. CCM and Adelaide, Roar etc have all been disappointing this season whereas the Nix and Glory have been relatively average despite supposedly exciting new squads. IMO the coach has been no better and no worse than many of the others in the HAL.
But with unsettled family rumours surely the death knell for any season 2 – and the absent marquee position looming at SFC – i agree that if he were to stay here then SFC might well be his destination. fowler replacing (corica retiring maybe and) aloisi on the pitch – feeding brosque and giving support up front. he did wonders for McBReen maybe he cld make Bridge a better player also… cld be a good move for SFC, the HAL and RF. NQ just needs to bounce back if they do lose them.
If he stays. Well has he ever indicated he wanted to coach? Dwight did but has Robbie?
Australian Football said | January 25th 2010 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Robbie has gone on record that he wants to manage Liverpool one day..
AndyRoo said | January 25th 2010 @ 8:52am | Report comment
I don’t think playing for another A league club as likely.
He will hopefully finish this season at the fury and if he does decide to leave Nth Qld I think it will likely be back in the UK where I am sure he could get just as much $$$ and without any drama.
Gaz said | January 25th 2010 @ 9:16am | Report comment
Fowler told the Daily Mail that what appealed to him about the Fury was being part of a brand new club in a fairly new league. I have to wonder if he wasn’t inspired by Jason Culina’s decision to come here, which certainly generated enough headlines for Robbie to notice.
Anyway, if he wanted to be part of an exciting new venture, then why would he move to Sydney? Or even stay for Year Two at NQ?
I guess that if, like Culina, he felt himself to be an integral part of the Fury set-up, then he might want to push on with the dream. But Fergie’s decision to start him off the bench made it quite clear that Fowler is just another player. OK, well then… so much for any big emotional commitment. Adios????
Duncan said | January 25th 2010 @ 9:58am | Report comment
The coach reasoned that a change in system 1-4-1-4-1 led to the decision. Then one can assume that the formation was played out at training and if so where was Fowler- playing at the top of the formation, in midfield or collecting balls as they flew over crossbar! I gather from the media reports that he was hit with the news in the lead up to the match.
From an a-league perspective marquees need to be playing everyweek and from NQ perspective they need their best player on the park simple as that – the coach has made a serious blunder and will need to save his job TODAY!
I for one have no interest in watching NQ other than to see Fowler.
hazza said | January 25th 2010 @ 10:42am | Report comment
Fowler has been one of the more successful marquees for the league. Put him in a Melbourne or Sydney team where the service is better and he would be in the top couple of strikers in the league. Would love to see him continue playing in A-league. He would be be a great pickup for any capital city team. Fury would be better suited to having a Brazilian or African as their marquee.
Punter said | January 25th 2010 @ 11:01am | Report comment
I just hope Robbie Fowler stays in the A-League.
Simmo said | January 25th 2010 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
Fowler to Melbourne Heart. You heard it here first.
Other forums have latched onto a newspaper interview Fowler did with Liverpool FC’s website last week. He said he likes Australia, the kids are fitting in well but his wife isn’t too happy with living in Townsville:
“I first came down here for a week to see what it was like and if I’m honest I didn’t really like it at first. I thought it was too quiet and remote and everywhere seemed a bit dead. But the more I’ve been here, the more I’ve liked it. The kids are very adaptable to where they are, but I think my wife still needs a bit of convincing. It’s not like back at home where there’s more stuff to do and more families that we know, so she’s still adjusting.”
Will she like Sydney or Melbourne better?
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/fowler-on-oz-weather-and-lfc
Al said | January 25th 2010 @ 10:51pm | Report comment
I reckon Fowler will be back in Liverpool sooner rather than later. One thing the A-League needs less of is Eugene Dadi penalties.
Australian Football said | January 25th 2010 @ 11:19am | Report comment
This is interesting—-I’ve had read that Robbie was not happy with the proposed 4-5-1 then I read it was a 4-3-3 then finally I have seen the interview on TWG Ferguson was going with a 4-1-4-1 formation that Robbie was not happy with… The more I read about this Robbie/Ferg-gate affair I’m of the opinion that Ferguson is unstable and suffers from indecisive decision making that lead to Robbie’s withdrawal.. It seems to me now that Robbie had learnt of this news when he turned up for the game and was told he was to start off the bench… Conclusion: Ferguson is a poor manager and an amateur and must go..
Marcel said | January 25th 2010 @ 11:23am | Report comment
Why is it that when it comes to football that some aspects of the media delight in running around yelling the sky is falling at even the slightest opportunity. Fowler is a great asset to the league because of his profile and his occaisional touch of genius. He is also too fat (still), prone to drift out of the game and his coach thinks he is out of form and needs a break, maybe even a wake up call. He plays for the second worst team in the league.
His actions were juvenile and unprofessional. They may be damaging for his personal reputation, but to suggest , as the title of this article does, that they erode the foundations of the entire league, is just ludicrous.
markwakefield said | January 25th 2010 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
well said marcel…
Joe FC said | January 25th 2010 @ 4:20pm | Report comment
Couldn’t have said it any better Marcel.
Punter said | January 25th 2010 @ 2:52pm | Report comment
Looks like Fowler staying, according to Nth Queensland Bulletin.
Mick said | January 25th 2010 @ 3:09pm | Report comment
Yup, Punter’s spot on: http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2010/01/25/109725_sport.html
NQ Fury: 1
Naysayers: 0
whiskeymac said | January 25th 2010 @ 3:14pm | Report comment
aye – http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/fowler-to-stay-with-fury-20100125-mtzw.html
DaMan3000 said | January 25th 2010 @ 3:43pm | Report comment
YAY!
Gaz said | January 25th 2010 @ 4:01pm | Report comment
Let’s see how long this lasts.
Towser said | January 25th 2010 @ 4:07pm | Report comment
Brings up interesting questions about marquee players in a developing league. Theres been suggestions that Robbie Fowler is a “true” marquee player in that he puts bums on seats, because he played for a club in the EPL with huge support in Australia. Certainly at away matches that cant be disputed. Whereas John Aloisi even Jason Culina havent put bums on seats.
If John Aloisi had been dropped(he has in reality of course) or indeed Jason Culina nobody would have batted an eyelid. Why? Because Football in Australia still has a cultural cringe about European football & in particular big stars from EPL clubs.
So on one hand Robbie brings in crowds because he is a former football god,but on the other hand if somehow the god loses his magical powers temporarily, the coach has to ignore it & play him regardless. Even though another player may be in better form or fit in better to the coaches current strategy to win. Remembering that his(coaches) job is on the line.
What this has emphasised to me is a huge chink in the “true marquee player” armour. That in reality he can & is expected by many to be above the normal rules of coach player relationships.
Supposing as some have suggested(myself included) that the FFA can afford to sponsor a Robbie Fowler at each A-League club. So that we have a crowd pulling 2 marquees at each match. Ryan Giggs(ManU) at SFC & Steve Gerrard at MV. Big players from big clubs with huge support in Australia.
Arnie now coaches SFC(scary thought) & Ernies still at MV. Huge crowd turns up full of the people who dont normally grace the A-League in numbers. Supporters of ManU,Liverpool.
Arnie drops Giggs,Ernie, Gerrard. Imagine the outcry ,indignation. What if theres 12 clubs each with a “true marquee” & all coaches drop underperforming “former Gods”?
The very people the A-League needs that huge untapped as yet, Euro followers are pissed off,vowing not to return to watch what they consider an inferior league. Like the saying “I’m only here for the beer” there only there for the football gods of European football.
So is it better then to modify the marquee player(500,000 maximum) that is recruit current International players from countries outside the major leagues(Central & some South American countries,Asia,Africa for instance). Or is it better to give a club the option of utilising the marquee money (say Aloisi’s 1.3 million) to recruit better players.
You could argue that SFC would be better off then than other clubs. You could also counter this by saying that they already are better off by being able to afford a marquee.
Seems to me Robbie Fowler sitting in the stands with his son has opened a can of worms.
Smokygrayson said | March 12th 2010 @ 1:03pm (2 weeks ago) | Report comment
The topic you raised is worth a blog on its own Towser, good points.
Mick said | January 25th 2010 @ 5:28pm | Report comment
When Kosmina put Junihno on the bench for Sydney FC the fox sports clowns said stuff all……..
When Ferguson wanted to put Fowler on bench the fox sport clown say it is a disgrace…..
Whether there is friction there or not the fox sports clowns do play it up
Mick said | January 25th 2010 @ 9:05pm | Report comment
yeah, that’s another mick talking there, different from me 4posts before. The point is Fowler is staying.
jimbo said | January 25th 2010 @ 10:39pm | Report comment
Exactly Mick,
Fowler and Ferguson had a difference of opinion about the team formation and selection.
Its blown over, Fowler has re-confirmed he is honouring his 2 year contract with the Fury and the A-League moves on
All the controversies and criticisms are actually good for the A-League – not going to destroy it.
Australian football and its administration are more aware than ever of the issues and under more pressure from the opposing codes than ever before and know they have to lift their game to do better.
All of us from players, fans, club officials right up to the FIFA WC bid team – all the controversies bring the issues out into the open and we have to deal with them and hopefully do better next time.
Much better than the bad old days when NRL and AFL didn’t even talk about us and Soccer Australia just denied it, ignored it and things got worse.
Midfielder said | January 25th 2010 @ 11:22pm | Report comment
Tow
You have a point and I agree… BUT and a big BUT IMO is Robbie at his peak would have been rated in the top ten strikers in the world… only Harry when for a couple of years when he was voted in the top 5 left sided players comes close to RF at there peak…
Aloisi never ever rated or was in RF class… the issue I have is why did Fury simply say RF went over on his left foot at training and will not play and sort in out behind closed doors…
But if you drop a RF in an A-League team then be prepared to answer questions .. especially went most were saying he is puling his weight…
Daniel King said | January 26th 2010 @ 7:50am | Report comment
Robbie needs to pull his head in, it’s not all about YOU Robbie. When you’ve gone this club still has to survive, get the crowds in. In order to do that we need you at your best now, not strolling round the field for 90 minutes boring everyone to death.