\n
\nSteven Gerrard is not the only former Liverpool legend making a splash as a coach in Saudi Arabia\u2019s exciting new football world.<\/p>\n
\nRobbie Fowler the player never bowed to a challenge and was one of the sharpest strikers in Europe. Now, more than a decade after hanging up his boots, the former England, Liverpool and Manchester City forward is showing he has taken that same mentality into management as the coach of First Division Al-Qadsiah.<\/p>\n
\nThe 48-year-old has led his new club to three wins and a draw in an undefeated start to the 2023-24 league campaign, and would love nothing more than to join the big boys of the Roshn Saudi League next season.<\/p>\n
\nFowler, however, is not getting carried away at such an early stage.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere\u2019s always going to be pressure on you, and you have to accept that,\u201d he said. \u201cThe owners (Aramco) would like to get promoted and I also would like that. I want to be successful, of course. From a club point of view, there\u2019s got to be some realism there though. Regardless of where you finished last season and how much money you\u2019ve spent, there\u2019s no guarantee or entitlement to say we\u2019re going to get into the pro league.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMy primary example for that is Chelsea,\u201d said Fowler. \u201cThey\u2019ve spent almost a billion pounds on players and they\u2019re probably further away from the top four than they\u2019ve been for years. So, there\u2019s no guarantee if you bring in lots of players that you\u2019re going to be successful. It just doesn\u2019t work like that. But if you have that club ethos in place and a group of players totally committed to the cause then, of course, anything is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nDuring a playing career that saw him net 163 goals in 379 Premier League appearances between 1993 and 2009, Fowler racked up honors \u2014 an FA Cup, two League Cups, a UEFA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup, as well as two PFA Young Player of the Year Awards in 1995 and 1996. Now he is racking up every conceivable coaching qualification he can get his hands on \u2014 the most recent coming in the form of an LMA Diploma in Football Management.<\/p>\n
\nAl-Qadsiah is the latest stop in a managerial career that has already taken him from Thailand to Saudi Arabia via Australia and India.<\/p>\n
\nFowler\u2019s relationship with Al-Qadsiah started with a consultancy role before he was made head coach in June 2023, after going through the same interview process as every other candidate.<\/p>\n
\nA now seven-game unbeaten run, including the opening four league matches, is exactly the start Fowler would have dreamed of \u2014 sitting joint top of the table alongside Al-Jabalain and Al-Arabi after picking up 10 points from a possible 12 in the league.<\/p>\n
\nBut that does not tell half the story. Fowler took a squad of 27 players to Turkiye on a pre-season tour, yet only two out of that initial group have started in the team\u2019s league games thus far. It is evident Fowler\u2019s team now have an identity, an impressive early-season feat considering the new nucleus of his first 11 only joined the squad two days prior to the start of the campaign.<\/p>\n
\nMeanwhile, the training ground \u2014 which still consists of a single pitch and a new state-of-the-art gym \u2014 is a far cry from seasons past. Part of Fowler\u2019s consultancy role was trying to produce an environment in which the players could thrive and, thankfully from his point of view, the owners are evidently very understanding of what the players\u2019 needs are.<\/p>\n
\nFowler\u2019s sole goal is to get the most out of every resource available to him, priding himself on instilling the theme of family culture at clubs he has managed.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cPre-season is all about getting your squad together and getting your ethos across, but we couldn\u2019t do that here,\u201d Fowler told Arab News. \u201cWe had to just get on with it. We\u2019ve effectively had a new team and a new squad, so to implement what we\u2019ve wanted to do in that short space of time and remain unbeaten … Without blowing my trumpet, I think it\u2019s pretty remarkable to be honest.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m all about creating that family environment. If you\u2019ve got that synergy with the staff, then they do that little bit more. It\u2019s not just about the man-management of players; it\u2019s about the staff too and treating them like they\u2019re the best people in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAl-Qadsiah is the fourth team Fowler has coached fulltime, following stints at Muangthong United, Brisbane Roar, and East Bengal respectively. Both personally and professionally, Fowler has learnt so much from those different cultural experiences.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn terms of where I\u2019ve been, every country has its different standards and \u2018remit\u2019 if you like,\u201d he added. \u201cIt all boils down to you as a person, ultimately. If you can understand and respect the values of the country that you\u2019re in, then that\u2019s a huge move in the right direction already.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cFrom a cultural point of view, you\u2019re learning new stuff every single day. Every player is different and you have to respect prayer times, certainly in Saudi Arabia. At the end of the day it\u2019s all about bringing out the best in every player you have, both on and off the field. Better people translates to better players, and with that the results will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThat has certainly been the case so far for Fowler, whose side\u2019s most recent result was a hard-fought stalemate on the road at Al-Ain in Al-Baha. The early form of Al-Qadsiah, a team that finished 11th last season, has certainly increased expectations around the club.<\/p>\n
\nHis quest for success has coincided with him making the ultimate sacrifice \u2014 a difficult, but necessary decision \u2014 of leaving his family at home in the UK for extended periods of time. Thankfully for Fowler, they are fully supportive of his decisions and understand the journey he is on. What defines success for Fowler, however, is not necessarily simply titles and trophies.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cPeople think success is just winning trophies, but it\u2019s not,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s making a team better \u2014 on and off the field \u2014 and getting them prepared for the next level. Me not winning trophies at a club doesn\u2019t mean I haven\u2019t been successful. If someone comes in after me and helps the club improve further, I\u2019ve played my part in helping them on that journey.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI know I\u2019m on my own journey right now and I\u2019ve had to come overseas to do it,\u201d Fowler said. \u201cBut you know what, as much as I love my family and I miss them, this is what I want to do. If you want something that badly then you\u2019ve got to make sacrifices at the end of the day; try different things and get out of your comfort zone. I\u2019ve done that for years now and I\u2019ve genuinely enjoyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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