August 17
Houllier: Fowler not on transfer list
Ananova
Gerard Houllier insists he is determined not to let a training ground bust-up between Robbie Fowler and Phil Thompson force his hand in selling the England striker.
The incident is believed to have resulted in Fowler being left out of the Reds' squad for Sunday's Charity Shield win over Manchester United in Cardiff.
But Houllier is adamant the situation can be resolved sufficiently to see Fowler remain at Anfield.
The Frenchman told The Sun: "Robbie is not on any transfer list.
"We spoke at training in an attempt to resolve the current situation.
"These discussions were meant to be constructive and Robbie spent time with Phil Thompson.
"Nothing would please any of us more than for the matter to be resolved quickly - and I hope that will be achieved in the near future."
August 16
Fowler stance key to future
Liverpool Echo
Gerard Houllier today refused to confirm if Robbie Fowler will play a part in Saturday's Premiership opener against West Ham.
The Liverpool manager is still considering his options after the much publicised bust-up between the England striker and assistant manager Phil Thompson.
However, despite the furore, Houllier will offer a way back to Fowler if he returns from international duty in the right frame of mind.
The player returned to Merseyside facing an anxious wait to discover if his fall-out with Thompson will keep him on the sidelines for another week.
Houllier met his star striker this afternoon hoping Fowler's response would end the latest round of speculation about his future.
Since being dropped from the Charity Shield, Fowler's career at Anfield has been the subject of doubt.
So far, neither player nor manager will speak publicly about the situation, but while a shadow hangs above current
So far, neither player nor manager will speak publicly about the situation, but while a shadow hangs above current contract negotiations, Liverpool are insistent Fowler can still be part of their plans.
Equally, Houllier is determined Fowler must accept the club discipline which has become a feature of his management.
The vice-captain has felt Houllier's wrath on several occasions during the last three years but has always bounced back to win favour.
It remains to be seen if the latest incident - which by all accounts Fowler initially thought was only a minor one - proves to be the final straw for both parties.
Fowler played 45 minutes of England's 2-0 defeat to Holland last night but has kept a diplomatic silence while on international duty.
Houllier returned from France this morning to begin Liverpool's final preparations for the new season.
August 16
Keegan wants to rescue Fowler
The Times
Kevin Keegan last night revealed that he would like to rescue Robbie Fowler from his Liverpool misery.
The Manchester City manager realises that the striker is unlikely to take a drop into the Nationwide League but he believes that City will be in the FA Barclaycard Premiership next season and challenging for a place in Europe the year after.
Fowler’s future at Liverpool was thrown into doubt after he was dropped from the squad for the Charity Shield against Manchester United on Sunday.
Keegan said: "It would probably give the chairman a heart attack if I said I wanted to sign Robbie Fowler — but I would like to. Maybe the timing is not right because we are not in the division in which he wants to play, but next year we could be."
August 15
Eriksson denies Fowler talk
TEAMtalk
Sven Goran Eriksson has denied reports that he has contacted Lazio and Inter Milan telling them they should offer £15million for Robbie Fowler.
Reports in yesterday's tabloids suggested the England coach had told Fowler he needs regular first-team football in order to make the England starting role his own and that he had recommended The Reds striker to the Italian giants.
But speaking at the press conference ahead of tonight's friendly with Holland, Eriksson strongly denied he has contacted Italy and that Fowler has nothing to prove as far as his international situation is concerned.
"I have not recommended Fowler to a couple of Italian clubs. In my job it does not matter where a player plays as long as it is with a good club," he said.
"I would never suggest that one of my players goes to another club and I would be very ashamed if I ever did that.
"No Italian clubs have phoned me about Robbie Fowler. That is the truth."
August 14
Fowler divides Liverpool fans
BBC Sport Online
Robbie Fowler has split Liverpool fans as the debate over his future intensifies.
The striker was dropped for the 2-1 Charity Shield win over Manchester United in Cardiff.
And it has emerged he had a minor training ground bust-up with coach Phil Thompson in the build-up to the game.
More than 4,000 BBC Sport Online users have responded to our vote on whether Fowler should be sold.
And opinion has been divided on the star, who could command a fee of more than £15m.
Fowler fans point to his prolific strike rate and loyalty to a club who he followed as a child.
They believe if it comes to a choice between the striker and boss Gerard Houllier, most would side with the player.
But others are fed up with his off-the-field antics, seeing the frontman as a disruptive influence in Gerard Houllier's squad.
They feel he is not pulling his weight, and should be released.
Tim Pitts said: "Robbie needs to stop acting like a spoilt kid, and get on with it like the rest of the team.
"No, he shouldn't go, Yes, he should play more, Yes, he should act like a professional and prove why he should be in the team with his feet."
But David Winson is among those who feels Fowler has few peers.
"I feel that Robbie Fowler is the best striker England has had since Gary Lineker," he said,
Fowler may get the chance to let his boots do the talking for England in Wednesday's friendly against Holland.
August 14
All eyes on Robbie
Liverpool Echo
Robbie Fowler's Liverpool future remains clouded in doubt.
Speculation was rife today that the striker's Anfield days are numbered and that Gerard Houllier might be prepared to listen to offers of around £15million.
Real Madrid, Valencia, Chelsea and Leeds are all thought to be monitoring the situation.
However, with Fowler preparing for tomorrow's England v Holland clash and Houllier away from Melwood, the matter won't be resolved until later this week.
The Liverpool boss has already shown that he prefers the partnership of Michael Owen and Emile Heskey in attack when it comes to the big games, with Fowler starting both the FA Cup and UEFA Cup finals on the bench in May, although he was in the starting XI for the Worthington Cup final.
However, this was not behind Houllier's shock decision to omit Fowler from his 18-strong squad for Sunday's Charity Shield win over Manchester United.
Fowler was involved in a minor training ground bust-up on Friday as Houllier prepared to finalise his team for Cardiff.
The suggestion is that the striker had a heated exchange with assistant manager Phil Thompson which resulted in the 26-year old being overlooked completely for a game in which he was desperate to play.
Contract talks between Liverpool and Fowler had been planned for this summer but so far only preliminary negotiations have taken place.
Less than two weeks ago it was put to Fowler that the talks had not gone well but he remained in a positive state of mind.
"Negotiations are at very early stages so we've not delved in too deep. There's no problem," he said.
The matter has been further complicated by reports that England boss Sven Goran Eriksson has told Fowler he must be playing first team football to hold down a regular international place.
Eriksson, who sees Fowler as the man to lead the England line alongside Michael Owen, is said to have recommended the player to former club Lazio.
Now we must wait and see whether the Fowler incident blows over or signals the end of a famous Anfield career.
August 14
Houllier: I still need Fowler
By John Edwards/Daily Mail
Gerard Houllier will hold clear-the-air talks with Robbie Fowler this week aimed at reassuring the troubled Liverpool striker that he still has a future at Anfield.
Sportsmail can reveal that Houllier dropped Fowler from his Charity Shield squad at Cardiff on Sunday as a result of a minor training-ground incident involving assistant manager Phil Thompson.
Fowler disappointed, but...
(Photo: BBC)
But while the latest disciplinary action against the controversial 26-year-old marksman was widely interpreted as spelling the end of his Anfield career, Houllier has resolved to convince Fowler that he still has a role to play with his home-town club.
The Liverpool manager is on a break with his family in France but will sit down with Fowler later this week in an effort to thrash out their latest differences.
While Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds have once more been alerted to uncertainty over the £15million-rated England goalscorer's position on Merseyside, Houllier is confident he can win Fowler over and talk him into accepting a lucrative five-year contract.
The make-or-break meeting will take place when the players return from international duty on Thursday - exactly a week after the bust-up which cost Fowler the chance of a place in Liverpool's line-up for the showdown with Manchester United.
Houllier had decided Fowler would start the game after being on the substitutes' bench against Champions League opponents FC Haka in midweek, but changed his mind after seeing the striker storm off following his clash with Thompson.
Fowler ignored an order to apologise to Thompson and found himself dropped from the side and excluded from the squad altogether as Liverpool toppled the Premiership champions 2-1.
Houllier has been scouring the market for other options up front but has no intention of parting with Fowler while Liverpool close in on a place in the opening phase of the Champions League and prepare for a European Super Cup date with Bayern Munich, as well as domestic commitments.
He is also aware that Liverpool will need all the attacking options they can muster if they are to sustain a spirited challenge in the Premiership.
Although Fowler was bitterly disappointed at missing out on a starting place in last season's FA Cup and UEFA Cup finals and unhappy at again being left on the bench in Finland last week, he is in no hurry to desert the club he has served for 10 years.
Fowler is preparing to move to a new home on the Wirral to distance himself from trouble-spots in the Liverpool area that have snared him in the past.
He believes he showed further signs of his ability to accept responsibility by marrying Kerry Hannon, the mother of his two children, during the summer.
Houllier, for his part, is ready to give him another chance to cement a place in his plans for overthrowing United as the power in the land and will outline his case when the pair meet.
With Michael Owen indicating a willingness to reach agreement on a new five-year contract and highly-rated 19-year-old Czech Republic striker Milan Baros expected to complete a £3.3million move from Banik Ostrava when a work permit is granted later this season, Houllier is pressing ahead with his attempt to build a squad to rival Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.
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