'Eventually it has to give' - Fowler reacts to Roar goal famine

Bullish Brisbane coach Robbie Fowler is adamant the goal drought which has blighted the Roar’s start to the season won’t last much longer, with leaders Melbourne City in line to suffer a possible backlash on Sunday.

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The Liverpool legend, whose finishing prowess lit up English football for well over a decade, has watched in frustration as winless Brisbane have gone 270 minutes since Roy O’Donovan’s late leveler in round one against Perth Glory.

It’s the club’s longest goalless sequence since a four-game run in November 2006.

But Fowler isn’t letting two draws and two defeats from the opening four games blunt his belief that the squad he’s assembled are adept enough to make waves in the A-League.

“It’s plain and obvious for anyone to see the amount of chances we have created,” he said ahead of the visit of undefeated City to Dolphin Stadium, the 10,000-capacity venue which he hopes will witness a Roar revival.

“Regardless of what anybody might say I feel we’re playing an exciting brand of football.

“We move the ball around to try and drag players out of position, and we’re creating plenty of openings as well as looking defensively much stronger than last year.

“Something tells you it’s got to give eventually. We’ll keep plugging away and once everybody gets their shooting boots on we’ll score goals and we’ll win games.”

As a rookie coach with a playing history which evokes awe, Fowler knows his every move is being scrutinised in his new life as a tactician and mentor.

And there won’t be any knee-jerk reactions or shifts in philosophy for the visit of City, whose own goal threat will be greatly enhanced by the return from a hamstring injury of hot-streak Socceroos striker Jamie Maclaren.

“We’ve signed players who are proven goal-scorers in whatever league they’ve played in ... you look at Roy O’Donovan for example who’s averaged one goal in every two A-League games,” added Fowler.

“Results-wise of course we’d like to have done better but I don’t think it’s all bad.

“We’re not fussed in terms of how we’ve been playing and we’re not a million miles away from where we want to be.

“In football it only takes one ricochet to go in and things change.

“We probably need a little bit of luck in terms of showing a bit more composure in front of goal and maybe trying to get that first win is playing havoc with our lads.

“They’ve been a little tentative when it comes to shooting but I think once we get that first victory you’ll see a more relaxed and grounded bunch of players.

“We’re doing OK - it’s not as if we’re losing games by paying awful football. We’re not deserving to lose.

“Obviously the only stat everyone should be worrying about is goals.

“But if you are a stats person you could look at the shots we’ve had, the chances we’ve created, the times we’ve been in the opponent’s final third and say we’re an exciting team.

“Eventually it’s going to give because we have a team with too many good players for that not to happen.”

City, though, present a significant hurdle, with Fowler relishing pitting wits with his opposite number, Frenchman Erick Mombaerts.

“For us, it’s a chance to go out and show a lot people just how good a team we are,” he said.

“We know we’re probably not favorites just because of the way Melbourne City have started the season.

“We just have to capitalise on any mistakes they make and any chances that come our way.

“We’ve had an incredibly difficult start. This is only our second home game in six weeks since the beginning of the league. We’ve had three away games in tough places.

“Western Sydney were top of the league, Perth are the reigning premiers and we played Adelaide off the back of their FFA Cup final win.”

Fowler says there have been no surprises in his new off-field role as a man under the microscope.

“You come into this job with your eyes wide open,” he said. “I’ve been in the game long enough to know how football clubs work, staff work, how players work.

“Of course it’s different ... But the older I got towards the end of my playing career I started to look at the ifs and the buts of what might happen if you were ever in that scenario (as a coach).

“But it’s really nothing that I haven’t witnessed before. Results wise, it’s just a case of keeping the boys’ morale boosted.

“At the end of the day, we’re playing good stuff. There are going to be times when you win games and they’ll be times when you lose games.”