Be the best

I often hear people say I was the most naturally gifted finisher they ever saw play the game.

But that just couldn’t be further from the truth.

I worked unbelievably hard when I was a player to improve my finishing. The only reason it looked so natural was because of the number of repetitions I’d done. It only became second nature because I practised so much.

I know what it means to work hard. I’d put in the time required to become a great finisher, and I’ve taken that work ethic into my coaching.

I have to work hard to make it to where I want to get to – I’m well aware of that. But I’m used to putting the hard yards in, and I want to work hard to become the best coach I can be, just like I did as a player.

That’s why I took the path I did.

Without being big-headed, ‘Robbie Fowler’ is a known name in the UK. I could have used my name to get myself a job here, but I didn’t want that. I didn’t want my name to precede me, and I wanted to deserve any jobs I got. That’s why I went abroad.

I’ve managed in three different countries already: Thailand, Australia and India. It's a good standard in Thailand and Australia, while India didn’t have the highest-quality football. But that just meant I had even more of a challenge. I had to work harder.

My first experience of managing was at Muangthong United in Thailand in 2012, when I was offered the role of player-manager after the manager got sacked. I’d been a senior member of the playing squad, and I got the job almost by default.

"I was a specialist goalscorer, but I’ve never wanted to be a coach who only works with strikers"

That was the first time that I’d properly realised I needed to get on with my badges. In the later stages of my playing career, I’d already started gravitating towards the coaching staff more than the players. I started to realise I had more in common with the coaches at Cardiff when I was there in 2007/08. It wasn’t that I didn’t get on with the players, but I would sit at the front of the team bus more than I did at the back. I was more interested in the coaching side of the game than I had been previously.

But when I was given the Muangthong job, it really hit home that I needed to learn.

I still did a decent job – I took over with the club third in the table, and we finished the season third. When the season ended, though, I knew I needed to go home and do my badges.

I knew I wanted to stay in the game, and I wanted to get every qualification I could. I did my B Licence straight away, and over the next few years I did my A Licence and Pro Licence – they take a long time to get through! Now I’m also doing an LMA diploma course, which is another qualification to help make me an even better coach.

I’d also learned in Thailand about the importance of getting the right people around you. You need a great team, and you need to build a positive environment. You need conversations and disagreements to help you find the right answers. I’ve never once thought I was better than anyone else, and I want people around me to challenge me because that’s only going to benefit my teams. Conflab between great minds brings better ideas.

In the years I was doing my badges, I also got loads of experience on the grass at a handful of clubs, including Liverpool and MK Dons, with Karl Robinson. I also did some talks with the Liverpool academy players, to pass on any guidance or advice I could give the kids.

Whenever I’ve needed to get some time in on the grass, I’ve got loads of people I can call on to give me an opportunity. I’ve never been one to sit around and wait for things to come to me, so I’ve always kept myself busy.

"Roy was a brilliant man-manager. He knew how each player needed to be treated"

I’ve also been conscious not to become any kind of specialist coach. I was a specialist goalscorer as a player, but I’ve never wanted to be a coach who only works with strikers.

Everything for me is about good habits. I want my strikers to get into good habits when it comes to finding the back of the net, but I want my centre-backs and goalkeeper to have good habits too, from distribution to defending. That comes from keeping training interesting and exciting for everyone. If everyone buys into the idea of creating good habits from front to back, I guarantee my teams will get results on the pitch.

My philosophy was coming together. I had the identity I wanted my teams to have: possession-based, but passing the right way. That was something I learned while playing in some of the brilliant Liverpool teams I played for. We passed the ball with purpose, and didn’t keep the ball for possession’s sake. We passed the right way: to get forward and score lots of goals.

The Spice Boys team was like that. Back then, tactics weren’t as big a part of the game. The emphasis was on what we could do rather than where the opposition might hurt us. And we had enough talent to carry us through most of the time.

We might not have won as much as we probably should have, but it wasn’t from a lack of trying. Maybe we lacked a bit of consistency, but we were good players in a really good environment, created by Roy Evans.

Roy was a brilliant man-manager. He knew how each player needed to be treated; different players needed different approaches. He’d put his arm around me and just gave me so much confidence. Roy admitted later that he might have been a bit harder on his players if he could do it all again, but I still think he was my best manager. He was the manager I scored most of my goals under, after all!

"Rafa had two televisions on, with football on both. Then he had two laptops open, and he was looking at tactics for the games on them"

Tactics weren’t Roy's thing as much as some of the other managers I played under. But when you think of the managers he worked under – like Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish – there’s no doubt he learned from the best.

Gérard Houllier brought a lot of change. He came in when the game was evolving massively, and some of the players found it difficult to adapt to this new way of doing things. We learned a great deal from Gérard about the game, but also about how to look after ourselves better.

Rafa Benítez was unbelievable. It was always obvious how knowledgeable he was, but I don’t think I fully appreciated just how much work he put in – and how much emphasis he placed on attention to detail – until this one day in 2006.

It was around Christmas time, after I’d returned to Liverpool. All of Rafa's family had gone back to Spain, so he was at home on his own. Sammy Lee needed to get a DVD with analysis of our next opponents to him. I lived near Rafa, so Sammy asked me to drop it with him.

When I got to his house, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

He was in his living room, and he had two televisions on, with football matches on both. On top of that, he had two laptops open. He was looking at tactics for the games on both.

"I knew I had a challenge on my hands, but I had been told I had carte blanche to start afresh"

He took the DVD and put it on as soon as I gave it to him.

It was then that I realised what it took to be a great manager. On top of doing your badges and ticking those boxes, you need to work so hard to give your players all the tools they need to succeed in any given game. I understand that now.

Earlier in my career, I was drawn towards the man-managers; the coaches who made you want to work for them with their personality; who made you want to go that extra yard for them. I’ve definitely taken that side of things into my coaching. It all comes back to creating a positive environment.

I’ve got so much respect for the managers I had who could keep the whole squad happy. Now, I do everything I can to ensure each member of my squad feels wanted and important, so that they’re ready and raring to go when they’re needed.

After a few years of building up an idea of how I wanted my teams to play, putting hours in on the grass, doing all my badges and piecing together my backroom staff, the opportunity came up to go in at Brisbane Roar.

I wanted to go overseas, partly because I wanted to show people that I was ready to go somewhere where I really had to prove myself. I’m proud of myself for doing that.

"Just like those great Liverpool teams I played in, my Brisbane team was about passing with purpose"

I’d played there, so I knew the league, but there was still a massive element of stepping into the unknown.

The team was really struggling when I went in. The season before I arrived, they had conceded 71 goals in 27 A-League games. They finished 2018/19 second from bottom, with the worst defensive record in the division.

I knew I had a challenge on my hands, but I had been told I had carte blanche to start afresh and build my own team.

But I had confidence in my ability, and me and my number two, Tony Grant, spent so much time studying the league and scouting players. We overhauled the squad and reinvented the team, bringing in a lot of new players – the right players to play our kind of football.

We went in with the aim of giving the team an obvious playing identity, and implemented a totally different style of play to how they had played before. The results we had were amazing.

When I left with the season interrupted due to Covid, we were fourth in the league. We'd conceded just 24 goals in 22 games.

"I’ve found that I like playing with two number 10s, and I’ve had a lot of success with playing three at the back"

Our identity was plain to see, as well. We completed the most passes in the league, and had the second-highest average possession and pass-completion rate. Not only that, but we were top of the league for successful passes in the opposition half. Just like those great Liverpool teams I played in, my Brisbane team was about passing with purpose. We kept the ball brilliantly and we did it in dangerous areas, too.

But when the pandemic struck, I just knew I needed to get home. Back then, it was a scary situation, and I couldn’t face being on the other side of the world to my family. If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I could still be there.

A few months later, I was approached about the job at East Bengal in India. They had been in the league below the Indian Super League – which is a closed league, without promotion and relegation. New owners had come in, though, and they had the finances to get the team into the ISL.

It was an exciting project, so I decided to take the plunge with Tony into another new challenge.

We only had 10 days of pre-season with a team that was built for a lower level than the ISL.

That season, we ranked in the top three in the league for possession, and at one point went on a seven-game unbeaten run. We finished the season ninth out of 11, which doesn’t sound great, but we were within touching distance of the teams above us and we really, genuinely weren’t set up to compete at the level of the ISL. It really was an overachievement.

"I’ve done my apprenticeship now, and I want to take the next step in my career"

We were living as a group in a Covid bubble, and we were an hour’s drive away from our training ground. That meant we could only train once a day, because we couldn’t have the players on a coach for four hours a day. Meanwhile, our rivals were able to train twice a day.

These aren’t excuses, but there were reasons it all went the way it did. That was shown by the fact that, the season after I left, East Bengal finished bottom of the league. I only left because of the politics at the club: the owners didn’t sign some forms to fully relinquish the rights to the new owners, so it was all a bit of a mess. The new owners left the project behind, and after that the future was too uncertain.

I’ve taken a great deal from all of these experiences. I have learned so much, and I’ve built up a playing style that I know I can trust in. I’ve found that I like playing with two number 10s, and I’ve had a lot of success with playing three at the back. My teams create overloads out wide and keep the ball in the right areas.

I like to see good football. I want my teams to be pleasing on the eye but, first and foremost, I’m a winner. My teams win.

Being a footballer was never a job for me. I just did a hobby full-time. And it’s the same now as a coach; I’m lucky enough to do what I love for a living.

I took an unusual route to get to where I am now, but I’m glad I did it. I’ve done my apprenticeship now, and I want to take the next step in my career.

Wherever that is, I’ll work as hard as I can to make the most of it.

Author: Ali Tweedale

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