Robbie Fowler says he looks back fondly, if not a little frustratingly, at his three-year spell at City, which produced some real highs and some agonising lows.
The nadir was unquestionably his last-gasp penalty miss against Middlesbrough on the final day of the 2004/05 campaign.
Playing against Middlesbrough with a place in the UEFA Cup up for grabs for both sides, Fowler had the chance to earn the three points needed to guarantee European qualification.
Boss Stuart Pearce brought on Nicky Weaver and pushed goalkeeper David James up front in a frantic finale as City searched for the winner with the game tied at 1-1.
Referee Rob Styles penalised Franck Queudrue for handball - only for Fowler to see his spot-kick saved by Mark Schwarzer.
He had to be coaxed out of the dressing room to face the fans after the game, such was the desolation he was feeling.
And don’t for one minute think the passing of time has dulled Fowler’s distress at that miss.
“I was devastated, really devastated.
“Obviously after the game, the players go into the dressing room and then come back out to do a lap of appreciation because it’s the final match of the season.
“I didn’t want to do it. I was disconsolate and I knew I’d let a lot of people down. That weighs heavy on you, trust me.”
“I didn’t want to do it. It was going around and around in my head. I just didn’t want to be there. And it was Chappy [former kitman Les Chapman] who said ‘come on, I’m taking you out’.
“I remember walking around and there were obviously a few fans having a go because of what had happened and what it meant but the majority were very, very good with me.
“Regardless of that – and however supportive that was and I appreciated it – I still felt terrible because I felt I had let them all down.
“It was a truly horrible moment as a football player.
“Since I’ve retired though, I’ve always tried to turn negatives into positives. When you look at where City are now, I feel better. I feel better about the journey they’ve been on.
“I wonder if we had got into Europe that season, City may not have turned into the club they are now.
“If we’d got into Europe, maybe the owners might not have sold because they might have thought they could take City onto new heights.
“Not everyone will agree with that but it helps me and gives me some comfort.
“It still doesn’t change the fact that I was in bits about it and for a long time after it, too. I still think about it to this day.”
If that was a down point in his spell in blue, 4 February 2004 at White Hart Lane is a game that echoes inside him for all the right reasons.
Kevin Keegan’s City snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after staging a remarkable second half comeback to overturn three-goal deficit with 10 men in an FA Cup fourth round replay that will live long in the memory.
Fowler may not have scored but the emotions he felt as goals from Sylvain Distin, Paul Bosvelt, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jon Macken won the tie are never far from his mind.
“I hear they still speak about that game at the club. And, in all honesty, I still do too,” said Fowler.
“It was incredible, wasn’t it. When you think of greatest ever FA Cup games? I know there’s been some amazing matches in that competition, big moments, incredible finals but I’m not sure anything comes close to that? Does it?”
“3-0 down. Down to 10 men. Playing against a team who battered us in that first half?
“And we had an Icelandic goalkeeper, Arni Arason, making his debut that day too!
“I remember thinking we had no chance in that game at 3-0 down at White Hart Lane. You think ‘wow this could go a bad way’.
“But it’s like in any game of football at any level, you get a goal and it lifts your belief and confidence and magical things can happen.
“Sylvain Distin pulled one back for us and it gave us an unbelievable kickstart. I wouldn’t say we went for all-out attack but there were times when we were a little bit open and that’s why Arason was so massively important. He made some unbelievable saves.
“But then we got the second and then Shaun Wright-Phillips popped up for the equaliser to pull it back to 3-3. Then Jon Macken scores the winner just before the end. What a finale!
“One thing that I was gutted about was I never scored in the game. But I do know I genuinely played a part in it and I think every single person who finished the game did.
“It’s up there as one of the greatest ever FA Cup games, no doubt.”
That cup classic summed up the boss who orchestrated the comeback, Kevin Keegan – a man who loved his teams playing swaggering, swashbuckling football that exhilarated and entertained the watching public.
And it was Keegan who persuaded Fowler to swap Leeds for City the year previous.
In 2001/02, Fowler had impressed at Elland Road, securing his spot as top scorer with 12 goals and helping David O’Leary’s emerging team finish fifth in the Premier League.
It was a team full of attacking prowess, Alan Smith, Robbie Keane and Mark Viduka alongside Fowler in a forward line jam-packed with quality.
But, as has been chronicled, Leeds went through financial dire straits soon after and Fowler was one of the star names who had to depart.
Fowler is honest in his appraisal of that scenario, admitting he didn’t want to leave.
Nothing against City in that sentiment. More a nod to the contentment he felt at Leeds.
In spite of a yearning to stay in Yorkshire, when City came calling he was more than happy to put pen to paper on a deal, especially when Keegan opted for a face-to-face meeting, a personal touch that meant a lot to Fowler.
“I think everyone obviously understands and realises what was going on at Leeds. I was probably one of the higher earners. I just needed to go.
“I thought Leeds was a good club and maybe tried to do things a bit too quickly.
“So it just became evident that they were struggling financially. Players needed to come off the wage bill and I was obviously on that list.
“I didn’t want to leave Leeds. That’s nothing against City. That’s me being comfortable in the environment at Leeds and enjoying my spell there.
“I eventually spoke to Kevin and he obviously sold the club. Not that Manchester City needs to be sold because it's one of the big clubs of English football.
“I knew what Manchester City was. I know it’s not the Manchester City that it is today, don’t get me wrong, but it had the history, the fanbase, everything needed really to take that next step.
“Kevin told me all about the club, the players, his hopes and aspirations and how the club had the potential to go places and he really wanted me to be there and help them.
“I remember Kevin came to see me in my house in Liverpool. I thought a lot of that. That showed his character. When you’ve got someone willing to go out of their way to sign you, it means a lot.
“He was ultra professional in putting that welcome mat out for me. That impressed me.
“I loved playing for Kevin. I am a big believer in man management. If you’re a good man manager, I think that goes a long, long way.
“I know you need the technical and tactical aspects of the job but I think man management is huge. “If you’re willing to go out of your way to meet the player at his house, say all the right things, make them feel comfortable, then a player will go above and beyond for you.
“Being a footballer is no different to a normal 9-5 job in terms of your relationship with your boss. “When you have a good boss, you think ‘I like him, I will do more for him’. Kevin had that way about him. There’s not enough man management in football.”
Fowler arrived at City in January 2003 and scored just two goals in the remaining months of that 2002/03 campaign.
He'd suffered an aggravation of a pre-existing hip injury in the 2002/03 pre-season at Leeds and he admits that injuries were behind his frustrating start to life in blue.
“It wasn’t a great start for me at City. I think that’s fair to say. My body wasn’t right.
“I was never comfortable. It was probably evident.
“It did take me a while. But despite that tough beginning, I think the fans ended up liking me over the course of my stay at the club and that was an accomplishment. It was something I was proud of and still am, when you consider the start I had.”
That rapport, which took time to develop, was certainly helped by his record against our rivals and neighbours, Manchester United.
Fitness had continued to plague Fowler into the following 2003/04 campaign as City finished 16th in the table, scoring 10 goals in 41 appearances.
But he did bag one in the most important of games – a 4-1 home victory over United in the first Etihad derby in March 2004.
Fowler bagged another in his penultimate game in blue, a 3-1 Etihad victory in January 2006.
He looks back fondly at those moments.
“When you think of the clubs I’ve played for – Liverpool, Leeds and City – they’re the three biggest rivalries with Man Utd so you can see why that game means so much to me.
“I always had a good record against United. In terms of derby matches, I’d played in Merseyside derbies for Liverpool against Everton so I knew how important City v United would be.
“We weren’t the club United were at the time. But we produced some great performances against them whenever we played them.
“I was lucky enough to score against them a few times in a City shirt.
“My last goal for City was the third goal in a 3-1 win when Darius Vassell broke through and passed to me. And I obviously gave the United fans a bit of stick after that one, too!”
In between those two Blue v Red games, the 2004/05 campaign saw a renaissance of sorts for the ‘Toxteth Terrier’ as he ended the season as the club's top goalscorer and gained the approval of fans, finishing in the top three in the Player of the Year poll.
It may have ended with the Middlesbrough misery but it was a progressive campaign for Fowler as he looked to sparkle in the spotlight left following the departure of former strike partner Nicolas Anelka to Fenerbahce in the January of that campaign.
“That season was excellent in terms of where we’d been and what we were trying to achieve.
“We were playing a good brand of football and I was playing alright too.
“We were starting to really feel good, we’d got a few new players, some emerging talent, like Shaun Wright-Phillips. I loved his balance as a player. I know he was diminutive but the amount of times he’d be able to keep hold of the ball up against an opponent was phenomenal.
“I was amazed how he could do that. He was just a kid at the time too.
“He had a good shot on him and a fantastic work ethic.
“I just felt the place was starting to buzz from a playing point of view.
“We felt we were on the cusp of something. I was really pleased with how far I’d come at City, from that difficult start to being top scorer in this season in question.
“It takes some doing to do that, I think.”
But that optimism, despite missing out on a UEFA Cup spot, was short-lived as Stuart Pearce’s side finished 15th in 2005/06.
As for Fowler, he left in January 2006 as injuries stopped him in his tracks for much of that final season in blue.
New signings Darius Vassell and Andrew Cole, who arrived that summer, were regularly leading the line for Pearce’s new-look XI with Fowler only able to manage five games of that final campaign.
He did score four over that quintet of games, though, his goal against Manchester United supplemented by a hat-trick in the 3-1 FA Cup win at home to Scunthorpe.
But it wasn’t enough as he eventually left for Liverpool on a free transfer.
“Again, I was struggling with injuries,” added Fowler.
“My back was playing up again. I wasn’t playing as much.
“And when I was fit, I was in and out of the squad, not just the team.
“I have always been a player that wants to be starting games, wants to be involved.
“When the chance of going to Liverpool came up, I don’t think anyone – fans, players, staff – begrudged me the chance of going back there.
“Liverpool is my club, in all honesty, everyone knows that.
“But I always want City to do well. I liked the club, I liked the place, I liked the people, I liked the fans.
“I love the fact that both clubs are doing so well now in the Premier League.”
Words by Paul Brown. Design by Izzy Rendell
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