Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has lifted the lid on his 2001 bust-up with Phil Thompson and believes it is one of the reasons he left the club the first time round.
With Reds centre back Joe Gomez in a well-publicised scuffle with Manchester City man Raheem Sterling this week, Fowler has been reflecting on his own heated head-to-head.
“When I wasn’t playing I wasn’t a nice person as I wanted to play all the time,” he told Sky Sports. “I let my anger out in a number of ways that probably wasn’t ideal.
“Was that the reason why I left Liverpool? It wasn’t pivotal but it is certainly one of the reasons and I probably think I knew my days were numbered anyway. A lot of clubs were trying to get me out of the club at the time and Liverpool were talking to them.”
OPINION
Obviously that well-publicised incident with Thompson on the Liverpool training ground didn’t help Fowler extend his stay on Merseyside, and it was a real black mark on what was an electric first spell with the club. He scored 171 goals in 330 games in that first stint, including 98 in 154 games in three seasons between 1994 and 1997. He was absolutely sensational, one of the most natural goalscorers the English top flight has ever seen. He went on to do OK for Leeds United and Manchester City, but was never quite the same player. He returned to Anfield and put in a solid effort in a short second stretch, but it was his attitude more than anything that killed off his first Reds reign. He says as much above, to be fair. He realises that he wasn’t enough of a team player and perhaps his desire to play regularly was to his detriment. It spilled over with the Thompson incident, but it seems like everything is fine now, and Fowler is still a beloved figure at the club.
