‘Hurt me more than anything’ – Liverpool star was dropped for Community Shield after bust-up with assistant manager

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was identified for his rocket shot as a participant, so maybe he has extra sympathy than most for Phil Thompson.

The 50-year-old will get pleasure from a much more low-key Group Protect outing as Liverpool assistant than one in all his iconic predecessors.

The previous Rangers supervisor was unveiled because the alternative for his Dutch compatriot John Heitinga because the Merseysider’s No.2 coach.

The ex-Netherlands worldwide will help Reds boss Arne Slot within the dugout for the primary time in a aggressive setting this Sunday.

Regardless of his ties to Liverpool’s Premier League title rivals Arsenal this season, Van Bronckhorst has made a seamless begin to life at Anfield.

His famend unflappable manner has made him a perfect match to deal with the membership’s array of celebrity personalities.

In distinction, a significant backdrop for Liverpool’s latest Group Protect historical past has centred round simply the alternative.

Gerard Houllier got here into the 2001 curtain raiser hoping to construct upon the head of his Anfield reign, having overseen a treble.

Nonetheless, Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Manchester United was soured by Robbie Fowler’s shock exclusion from the matchday squad.

Fowler, affectionately referred to as ‘God’ by Reds followers, stays one of many membership’s most profitable academy merchandise ever.

The legendary striker made 369 appearances over two spells along with his boyhood membership, scoring 183 objectives – seventh on the all-time listing.

He additionally gained 5 trophies throughout his Liverpool profession, which might have been six had he not been unnoticed of the 2001 Wembley squad.

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Why was Robbie Fowler unnoticed of the 2001 Group Protect?

Then-Liverpool supervisor Houllier confirmed his frontman had been in a coaching floor bust-up along with his assistant supervisor, Thompson.

The pair ended up in a livid verbal sparring match after a misdirected Fowler shot nearly struck Thompson in coaching.

“In case you insult your boss, it’s possible you’ll be fired the next day, whereas typically we’re a bit extra understanding,” mentioned Houllier, as reported by the Guardian every week after the match.

“I gave him the chance to apologise on the spur of the second and after coaching that day.

“I took him apart on the day after the incident, I waited till Sunday lunchtime earlier than the Charity Protect, after which I brokered a get-together between Phil and him on Thursday.

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“I left the 2 Scousers collectively to type it out, however to this point it has been unsuccessful. I am a affected person man.

“At some stage, it will likely be solved, however till then, Robbie will not be within the squad.

“He isn’t transfer-listed, and he will not be; nor will this have an effect on negotiations over his new contract. Now it is right down to him.”

Fowler, who ultimately apologised weeks later, later claimed he’d felt that summer time that Houllier had already deliberate to promote him.

What occurred between Robbie Fowler and Phil Thompson?

“What occurred simply earlier than the beginning of the season confirmed my fears,” the ex-England ahead wrote in his 2005 autobiography.

“It was simply earlier than the Charity Protect in opposition to Manchester United on August 12. The day earlier than we have been because of head to Wales, we have been coaching at Melwood and I used to be practising my capturing, firing balls into the empty internet.

“As I used to be doing it, Phil Thompson stood behind the purpose. As I shot, the web billowed out a bit, and the ball went close to him.

“It could not have hit him, as a result of there was a internet in the best way, and I’d have needed to have a radioactive shot to burn the web. However he began screaming that the ball may have hit him . . .

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“He got here out with all of the stuff they have been clearly saying behind my again.

“Thompson mentioned I might been at Liverpool too lengthy, that was my drawback. Now what sort of remark was that from a person who had served Liverpool for thus lengthy, and needed to remain on the membership all his life? He ranted on a bit extra, and I simply mentioned that solely at Liverpool underneath him and Houllier may they get irritated about strikers practising capturing at purpose.

“On the day of the sport, Houllier hit me with this unimaginable bomb-shell. He hadn’t been on the coaching session the place I might had the row with Thompson, however simply a few hours earlier than kick-off he mentioned I wasn’t taking part in. He mentioned I wasn’t even on the bench.

“On Monday, Houllier referred to as me into his workplace and informed me I used to be dropped as a result of I had been impolite to Thompson, including that I would not play once more till I apologised.

“This was a multi-million pound enterprise, and so they have been excluding the captain as a result of he had kicked a ball right into a internet when somebody was standing inside just a few metres of it. How silly is that?

“Houllier mentioned I wanted to apologise, and I mentioned I did not really feel any have to.

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“He referred to as a gathering between me and Thompson. After I received to the coaching floor, as a substitute of going to the supervisor’s workplace, Houllier led me to the center of the coaching pitch. Thompson threw his arms within the air for no cause, and I used to be considering, ‘That is unusual’. The following day, there was an image in all of the newspapers. Jamie Redknapp got here in laughing, saying I might been caught in a sting.”

The standoff between Fowler and the teaching employees noticed the participant additionally unnoticed of the squad for the primary sport of the Premier League season – a 2-1 dwelling win over West Ham.

In his guide, Fowler says that after two weeks he made “an apology of kinds… and informed them what a proper load of t****** they have been wanting”.

“Phil Thompson accepted my apology with a smile like he had gained the lottery, the mistaken ‘un,” he added.

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What occurred subsequent?

Fowler fittingly scored on his return from exile in a 4-1 Champions League victory over FC Haka at Anfield on August 21, 2001.

Two months later, nonetheless, the saga proved the start of the top, and his fears have been certainly realised as he was bought to Leeds.

“Issues like that occur on coaching grounds day-after-day, arguments between gamers and coaches, however the quantity of publicity it received was scary,” mentioned Fowler upon his arrival at Elland Street.

“I missed out on one other medal due to that, and that’s what damage me greater than something.”

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What has Phil Thompson mentioned about it?

“There was a difficulty with Robbie. There isn’t any issues. That is the very first thing,” Thompson informed the No Tippy Tappy Soccer podcast in February.

“Robbie and me are huge mates. And it was only a coaching floor response. We had ideas; we needed to sit down once I got here in with Gerard Houllier.

“Our gamers of the morning, we would have 4 luggage of balls, ten balls in every, and so they’d take all of them out, and so they’d launch them into the far purpose, down the far finish. Incorrect. Lack of respect.

“As a result of who needed to gather them? The medical employees and the technical employees needed to go and gather these balls. So we have gone proper, the balls go within the bag till we have finished the nice and cozy up, till we begin our session, then the balls come out.

“So this present day, I am simply there, we’re simply ending the warm-up, and we will form of [go through] what we’re doing, what the session’s going to be about.

Subsequent factor, I am strolling throughout the purpose line the place the purpose was. This ball flashes previous me, a yard previous me, and misses my nostril by six inches.

“It clearly may have hit me, may have hit a participant – So I mentioned, ‘Who’s finished that? You understand the principles, who’s finished that?’

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“And Robbie went, ‘It was me. So I went over, I mentioned, ‘You understand the principles greater than anyone. I mentioned, ‘The ball’s staying within the bag till we begin the session.’

“And he mentioned, ‘Massive nostril’. And I used to be wanting round, I assumed any individual else had come into the world. So me and him are squaring up.

“Gerard Houllier interviewed the employees, and he interviewed the gamers who have been all there. We had a gathering, and he mentioned, ‘Robbie, till you apologise to Thommo, you are not concerned in any staff choice.'”

On their reunion, Thompson added: “Gerard involves me and says, Robbie needs to see you within the remedy room.

“So within the remedy room, Robbie went, ‘Tom, I am sorry’. He says, ‘You understand, you understand how I’m.

“He mentioned, ‘You understand, I am cussed.’ I mentioned, ‘Robbie, I may be like that.’ He mentioned, ‘Yeah, Tom, however you did not miss beating Man United.’

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“And I mentioned, ‘I do know, Robbie, that wasn’t my drawback. That was you.’ And he went, ‘Yeah, however..'”

“And I mentioned, ‘Robbie, it isn’t an issue.’ I mentioned, ‘It’s what it’s.’ Then each of us hugged within the remedy room, and off we went. And we would by no means had an issue after that. Yeah, Robbie may need felt…

“And what? It was nice. A number of years in the past, simply earlier than Gerard Houllier died, simply after COVID, we have been doing an interview, me, Robbie, Carra [Jamie Carragher]on the Titanic in Liverpool.

“We have been sitting in, they have these cameras all arrange, much like what we’re at this time. And we mentioned, ‘Can we ask the query?’ Robbie mentioned, ‘Yeah, yeah, we’ll have a bit little bit of enjoyable about it.

“However when the cameras got here to Robbie, he mentioned, ‘You understand what?’ And he went, ‘This was about me. This was about Robbie Fowler.’

He mentioned, ‘All I considered was myself and me.’ And he mentioned, ‘I did not care about anyone else.’

“And he says, as you get a bit bit older and also you end taking part in, you realise, and I am sitting there wanting and going, oh my goodness, how you have grown up, Rob, and the way you realise as a coach, as a result of he’d grow to be a coach.

“And I mentioned, it was an enormous second in me. However he had a distinct concept of what really occurred on that day. And Robbie did.

“He contemplated, and he went, ‘I am unable to keep in mind what occurred two weeks in the past. By no means thoughts, form of 10 years in the past.’ So it was an enormous second.”

“He is a superb boy,” Thompson concluded.

Hearken to protection of the Group Protect as Crystal Palace tackle Liverpool dwell on talkSPORT at 3pm on Sunday!