Liverpool FC: Robbie Fowler and the Top 10 Reds Cult Heroes

There are few teams in world sport that can boast a history as rich and eventful as Liverpool FC’s.

Manchester United may have won a record 19 Premier League titles, but the fact remains that their Merseyside rivals come from an equally as rich pedigree.

Throughout Liverpool’s history, the club has had the luxury of fielding a wealth of high calibre players: Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush to name but a few.

It would be foolish to think, however, that to earn the affection of fans, you need to be a world beater. It is equally as special when a player genuinely wins over the affection of the Kop because of their eccentricity, work rate and unpredictable nature.

The players in this list would not make a Liverpool dream team, but their names are held in equal esteem with the superstars who would.  

Igor Bišćan

Was he a defender? Was he a midfielder? A winger perhaps? The truth is, despite spending five years at Anfield and costing £5.5 million, it seems that Liverpool fans will never know.

When the Croatian signed in 2000, it was widely believed that Houllier had made a great capture; Bišćan had previously attracted interest from Juventus, Ajax, AC Milan and Barcelona.

Despite his apparently dozy facial expression, Bišćan regularly impressed fans with feats of trickery and full blooded displays.

He played a pivotal role in Liverpool’s 2005 Champion’s League campaign, frequently making piercing runs against the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea and Juventus. His good form, however, was not enough to earn him a place in the starting 11 against Milan in the final, and he remained an unused sub for much of the night.

All together now… “IIIIIIGOOOOORRRRR!!!!”

Joey Jones

Despite being a full blooded footballer, Joey Jones will be remembered for a fantastically original banner made by fans in his honour for the 1977 European Cup Final against Roma.

The banner read "Joey Ate the Frogs Legs, Made the Swiss Roll, Now He's Munching Gladbach.” For true die hard Liverpool fans, the banner is as invaluable as any major trophy.

Jones was signed by Bob Paisley for £110,000 in 1975, arriving at Anfield from Welsh outfit Wrexham.

Despite not being the most naturally gifted of footballers, Jones enjoyed a deep connection with the fans because of his dogged determination to win the ball and undying love for the club.

“Mad” Erik Meijer

Statistically, Erik Meijer is remembered as a terrible striker, scoring two goals in 24 games.

Affectionately, he is revered as one of the most passionate striker to ever wear the famous red jersey, even if it was amongst the reserve team.

The stand out moment of his time at Anfield was when he joined Liverpool fans ahead of the UEFA Cup final against Deportivo Alaves in 2001. The Dutchman was seen drinking beer and singing songs amongst a flurry of Liverpool fans.

Although he did not feature in a European Cup final for Liverpool, he always played as if he was in one. He gained notoriety for slide tackling three defenders in quick succession in a reserve match with the scores level. Although his efforts ultimately led to the Dutchman conceding a throw in, Mad Erik turned to the players he had tackled and clenched his fists in celebration.

Jamie Carragher paid tribute to him, saying, "he was just a great fella to have around the place and a great fella to have on the pitch when he did play, a real team player who'd really put himself about. He was just unfortunate at the time that we had so many good strikers and he was probably No. 4 choice before he got the chance to move on. Mad Erik, I think he's definitely a cult-hero."

He is now a patron for AFC Liverpool, a football fan club set up by a loyal group of Reds fans.

Ronny Rosenthal

When Ronny Rosenthal became the first non- British player to cost an English club more than a million pounds, he instantly became one of the most talked about strikers in the country.

Despite Rosenthal’s hefty transfer fee, he had a mediocre career at Liverpool, mostly deputising for Ian Rush.

Despite being an uninspiring player, he has fired his way into club history thanks to an extraordinary miss. In a Premier League encounter against Aston Villa in September 1992, the Israeli found himself with an open goal in the midst of acres of space. Despite having all the time in the world to score, Rosenthal struck the ball onto the cross bar.

John Aldridge

When John Aldridge first arrived at Liverpool, the parallels between him and Ian Rush were unmistakable. Like the legendary Welshman, Aldridge was fitted with an imposing moustache, and a formidable appetite for scoring goals accompanied it.

Aldo scored 26 goals in his first season at the club, securing the fans' affection despite missing a penalty against Wimbledon in the 1988 FA Cup Final. 

The following season, Aldo was left traumatised by the Hillsborough stadium collapse, a catastrophe that claimed a total of 96 lives. As a native Liverpudlian, Aldridge was particularly affected by the disaster and attended as many funerals as was humanly possible.

Following the tragic incidents, Ian Rush was re-signed by Liverpool, and despite King Kenny’s best efforts to play the attacking duo together, Aldridge was eventually muscled out of the Liverpool team.

He now does commentary on BBC Radio Merseyside and, during his coverage of the game in Istanbul after the game was won, shouted "FIVE TIMES, BABY! FIVE TIMES!"

Bruce Grobbelaar

One of the most important ingredients that makes up being a legendary goalkeeper is eccentricity. Jens Lehman had it, Fabian Barthez definitely had it, as did Jerzy Dudek, but Bruce Grobbelaar was by far the most insane.

Thanks to Dalglish’s favoured tactics of playing a high defensive line, Brucie was often called upon to serve as a “Sweeper Keeper,” a physical role that he clearly relished. At times, it seemed that the Zimbabwean wanted to play anywhere out on the pitch apart from between the posts.

He is best remembered for his antics during the 1984 European Cup final; during the penalty shoot-out, Grobbelaar put on a bizarre dancing display to distract the Roma penalty takers.

Whatever he was doing to make his legs look like spaghetti clearly had an impact on the Italian club, both Bruno and Francesco Graziani missed their spot kicks thanks to the antics that have forged Brucie’s slot in Liverpool folklore for an eternity.

Liverpool won the shootout, thus making Grobbelaar the first African to ever lift the European cup.

Gerry Byrne

Gerry Byrne signed for Liverpool as an amateur in 1955, but it was not until 10 years later that his crowning glory in a red shirt finally came.

Ironically, Byrne’s proudest moment in a Liverpool shirt caused him an excruciating amount of pain. Three minutes into the 1965 FA Cup Final against Leeds United, Byrne was tackled by rival skipper Bobby Collins, breaking his collarbone in the process.

At the time, substitutions were not permitted in FA rules, thus forcing Byrne to play the entirety of the match. An 0-0 draw meant that he had to endure a further 30 minutes of pain in a bid to help Liverpool win the trophy.

Despite being in immense pain, Byrne made a marauding run down the left flank before crossing the ball for Roger Hunt to open the scoring with a header.

Liverpool went on to win the final 2-1.

Shortly after the FA Cup Final, Shankly played Byrne in the semi-final of the European Cup against Inter Milan, who had heard of Byrne’s bravery in the FA Cup Final, in a bid to intimidate the Inter players. A 3-1 Liverpool win suggests Shaklee’s tactical masterstroke did just that.

David Fairclough

Despite being at Anfield for almost a decade, David Fairclough found chances to break into the starting 11 limited.

The born and bred Liverpudlian was unfortunate to find himself beneath the combinations of Kevin Keegan/John Toshack and Kenny Dalglish/Ian Rush in the Red’s pecking order.

That being said, he did prove himself to be a very capable deputy, scoring 34 goals in 98 appearances for the club, most of them from the bench.

The most famous of his goals was a decisive second in the European Cup Quarter Final against St. Etienne.

Fairclough was placed in 18th position in a list of 100 players who shook the Kop, ironically placed ahead of John Toshack and David Johnson, two players who kept him out of the Liverpool first team.

Dirk Kuyt

When Dirk Kuyt arrived at Anfield from Feyenoord, he had garnered himself a reputation in the Eredivisie for being a prolific goal scorer.

In 101 games for the Dutch outfit, Kuyt scored 71 goals. He is yet to truly bring that goal scoring touch to Anfield despite being at the club for more than five years.

Despite his inability to consistently score the back of the net, he arguably has the greatest work rate in the current Liverpool squad. Despite not being the quickest striker in the Premier League, he is physically strong and prepared to go in for the challenge.

His versatility and undying work-rate has seen him become an important player for the Reds.

Although he has found it difficult to score, he has found the back of the net on several important occasions for Liverpool, most notably a hat trick at Old Trafford last season.

“Put your hands up for Dirk Kuyt; he loves this city.”

Robbie Fowler

Is Robbie Fowler too good to be remembered as a cult hero? Perhaps.

The fact remains, however, that the former golden boy of Anfield is remembered for his discrepancies off the pitch as much as he is for being a lethal goal scoring machine on it.

It seems that the former England international enjoyed a backward career, peaking in his early 20s before slowly falling into the shadows of footballing history.

Despite being a lethal weapon under the reign of Roy Evans, Fowler found himself ousted from the team by Gerrard Houllier in 2001 after falling behind Michael Owen and Emile Heskey in the Anfield pecking order.

He is the only player in an any of Europe’s major domestic leagues to score a minimum of 30 league goals in three consecutive seasons; however, his form on the pitch was not enough to keep him from trouble off of it.

Alongside Steve Macmanaman, David James, Phil Babb and Jamie Redknapp, Fowler became known as a "spice boy" in the English media for their excessive drinking and flamboyant party lifestyle.

His most infamous moment came in 1999 against Everton. After scoring in the local derby, Fowler knelt to the floor and sniffed the markings of the penalty area to simulate cocaine use. He later stated that it was a dig at Everton fans following accusations of drug use.