ROBBIE FOWLER last night spoke for the first time about his incredible move to Cardiff City and vowed, “I’m here to help fire the Bluebirds into the Premiership!”
Fowler spoke exclusively to the Western Mail as he gets ready to put pen to paper this afternoon on a two-year deal at Ninian Park.
Cardiff manager Dave Jones has dubbed the move as the biggest transfer coup in the club’s history.
And Fowler made it clear he is NOT here for the money and he is NOT here just to cosily wind down his playing days.
The Liverpool legend declared he had chosen Cardiff, ahead of the other teams chasing his signature because they offer the ambition and challenge he wants for the next part of his glittering football career.
“The most important thing for me is that when you look at Cardiff you see an ambitious club and a situation that is going to give me a real challenge,” Fowler said.
“I want to play regular football and achieve things, and Cardiff offer me that opportunity.
“During my time at Liverpool over the last season I wasn’t used as much as I would have liked, but hopefully I can get back to week-in, week-out games with Cardiff.
“As a striker, you need that in order to be properly sharp in front of goal.
“People have said I’m past my best and I’ve heard other sorts of comments like that.
“But they forget I’m still only 32... and that’s not so old. I have had injuries, but I’m in good shape again, I’m raring to go and I can’t wait to get playing for Cardiff.
“I’m really happy to be joining. I’m coming to hopefully help Cardiff with a real push at promotion next season.”
Fowler spoke after being persuaded to join Cardiff by the ambition and drive shown by manager Jones and City chairman Peter Ridsdale.
The two men have been patiently tracking the Anfield goal legend for a number of weeks and Ridsdale will cut short a holiday in Florida to officially seal the deal.
Fowler will easily become the highest paid Bluebirds star in the club’s history, with a reported ?15,000 a week salary and generous goal and appearance bonuses on top.
If he does manage to help Cardiff into the top flight, Fowler will also be handed a massive ?800,000 payment.
But Fowler emphasised money was the last thing on his thoughts. In Cardiff, he sees a club genuinely geared up to push for top-flight football and wants to do his bit to make the Welsh dream happen.
“You look at last season and note the brilliant start Cardiff had, only for them to then drop away a bit,” Fowler continued.
“They had a big run of games where they couldn’t get a win and goals dried up a bit.
“I would like to think I can keep the goals coming this season and the team can get a bit more consistent in terms of results.
“But it’s not just about me, I must stress that. There is a good group of players at Cardiff already and I’m looking forward to supplementing the squad and playing my part in any success we might have.
“If I can pass on a bit of my own experience in big games to the younger players at the club, then of course I will be delighted to do that.”
During a stunning goal-scoring career, Fowler has found the net an astonishing 224 times in little more than 400 starts.
Those goals have each come in the top flight, during two spells with his hometown club Liverpool, and stints with Leeds and Manchester City.
Playing for Bluebirds will see Fowler drop out of the Premiership for the first time, but he has no real issue with that.
“That is not a problem, plenty of other Premiership players have done it and been a success and I don’t see myself as any different,” said Fowler.
“I could have remained in the Premiership and been with a club battling relegation.
“But I prefer to be with a club like Cardiff and try to get promotion. That is a challenge that really does appeal to me in the coming season.”
Fowler confirmed Bluebirds chairman Ridsdale had won him over with his ambitious plans for the club, which include a new state-of-the art home for the Bluebirds.
“Obviously I know Peter from my time with Leeds, when he signed me from Liverpool back at the start of the millennium,” said Fowler.
“Peter wanted success there and he wants Cardiff to be a successful club, too.
“He is a very ambitious man and that has to be good for the club and for Welsh football in general.”
Bluebirds boss Jones said he was delighted by the capture of Fowler and revealed the protracted wooing process which had gone on to lure the star.
“It is probably the biggest signing Cardiff have made. It’s a fantastic coup for this football club,” said Jones.
“I met Robbie out in America first and asked him what he was going to do. Then I met him at a golf tournament at the Celtic Manor, a charity event.
“The conversations went well and I asked Peter to come up and speak to him.
“It has been rolling on for a fair time, but it was just a matter of Robbie speaking to the people he had to speak to out of courtesy really.
“Signing Robbie has given everyone a lift throughout the whole club. Every one of the players is talking about him. I think news like this should give the whole city of Cardiff a lift.”
Jones said he believed Fowler still had the drive and ambition to make his mark in the Championship this season.
“If he didn’t have the hunger and drive, I wouldn’t be signing him, simple as that,” said Jones.
“I wouldn’t have him at this football club if the desire wasn’t there. A lot of people tell me his legs have gone at 32, but I don’t see that.
“I hope Robbie will bring everything that is good about his football to this club.”
Jones insisted the signing of players such as former England internationals Trevor Sinclair and Fowler, as well as Sottish midfielder Gavin Rae from Rangers. showed the progress the club was making.
And he branded “crazy” anyone who might level criticism at the club for cashing in on a ?5m offer from Sunderland for last season’s top scorer Michael Chopra.
“We have attracted Trevor Sinclair, Gavin Rae and Robbie Fowler so we must be doing something right,” stated Jones.
“We were chasing Robbie believing we were going to hold onto Michael Chopra, but the offer came in for Chops and we couldn’t turn that down.
“Anyone who says that wasn’t good business is absolutely crazy. We paid ?300,000 for him a year ago, that is a good profit in 12 months.
“We’re still in the market for someone else as well. If we can attract the likes of Sinclair and Fowler, it should put us on the map to attract other players.
“With what’s going on at Cardiff at the moment, it’s like a new club. It’s certainly a good place to be at this moment in time.”
Fowler clearly thinks so. And he can’t wait to get started in the blue of the Bluebirds.
