Kevin Keegan initially used fitness as an excuse and warned not to expect much at the tail end of last season. We didn’t, and it is a good job, because not much is exactly what he delivered.
But after a supposedly intense pre-season fitness regime to get him back into shape, we have seen little improvement, if any. Fowler is clearly still carrying a few extra pounds and he is lacking the pace and verve that he displayed even as recently as his Leeds days.
Fitness however, shouldn’t be an issue. Yes, we have seen that it affects his ability to harry defenders, make himself available for colleagues and pounce on loose balls, but it doesn’t affect his ability to convert when the ball comes to him, on his left foot. That, we were told, is where he will prove his worth.
At the start of this season, admittedly, those chances were not falling his way. But what concerns me is that over the last 6 weeks, Fowler has been handed those chances and yet we are still to see him pay dividends.
Such a lack of success would be a blow to anyone’s confidence but we are talking about instinct here so confidence doesn’t even come into it. We are talking about chances that fall out of blue, on your strong foot, with a clear shot at goal. The most natural goalscorer in the land would still be converting them, despite a dip in self-esteem.
Robbie Fowler therefore, is not a natural goalscorer. At the moment he is a run-of-the-mill Premiership striker and certainly not one that demands the eighth highest salary in the league.
Fowler established that reputation because he had confidence in his ability and the hunger to prove it. A confidence player is a more accurate way to describe Fowler, and it is up to Keegan to recognise that in order to re-establish that hunger.
With that salary, and guaranteed selection in the first-team squad, Fowler is in the comfort zone at the minute. What Keegan needs to do is draw a line in the sand, forget about the past and judge Fowler from today forward.
By all means, leave him in the firing line – I’m sure a goal at The Red Themepark tomorrow would do him nicely - but do not continue to pick him solely on the basis of that worn out myth.
If need be, a spell in the reserves would be sufficient in reminding him that, just like the rest of the squad, he has to earn his place. A few goals and it might just do him some good. Think hard Kevin because, after all, it is your reputation at stake too.