A recent Guardian poll revealed that 73% of the nation want Robbie Fowler recalled to the England squad. We asked two top celebrities whether Robbie should be included in Sven’s plans.*

Elizabeth Woodcock: “No”
Robbie Fowler has been playing well for Liverpool and has scored four goals in his last five games. However it is still a surprise that nearly three out of four respondents to the Guardian poll think that he is due an England recall. Fowler has been out of the international reckoning since 2002 and his club form until recently had been indifferent. His profile has been raised by returning to Liverpool and queries over his future mean that he is receiving lots of media coverage. This shows the influence that playing for a big club can have: as well as being provided for on the pitch by a highly skilled and well organised team, the player’s status rises appreciably. If another out of favour international, like Darius Vassell, had joined Liverpool in the January transfer window, I predict that they would also be being touted for a return to the England set-up. But Sven should stick with Darren Bent and/or Jermain Defoe who can provide pacy impact as substitutes. Fowler is a more prolific goalscorer than this pair, but does not have their pace and I think his scoring potential would be neutralised when facing a top international defence. Fowler has a rich and controversial footballing history and is back in the limelight now that he has returned to Liverpool. But we shouldn’t get carried away - Fowler’s time in international football has passed.

Art Malik: “Yes”
I’m backing Robbie to be included in England’s squad for Germany. If Sven wants to pick the best squad available then this has to include a proven goalscorer at the highest level who is just returning to form. Fowler is a confidence player and this confidence has been restored since returning to a top club side. With Michael Owen’s fitness in question it is essential that we have another player available who has predatory qualities. Sven may choose to take either Bent or Defoe, but surely choosing both does not provide any greater breadth to the side. Both are talented and quick, but neither is proven at international level, and in a sense they offer similar attributes to the squad. Fowler however provides a different dimension. If we want pace late in the game to put a defence on the back foot, then let’s see SWP or Defoe. But of course we need an end product - there’s no point attackers running rings around defenders if there’s no one to put the ball in the back of the net. If England are chasing a game then they need the option of bringing a genuine goalscorer off the bench - if Robbie doesn’t feature in the squad we quite simply don’t have one. In conclusion: an England attacking line-up for 2006 with Robbie Fowler looks far more rounded and dangerous than one without him.

* Celebrities have not been approached: responses are assumed.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 24th, 2006 at 8:10 am and is filed under Analysis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Return to home page.