Pal Fowler has to earn Blackburn Rovers deal, says Ince

9:50am Saturday 2nd August 2008

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By Andy Neild »

BLACKBURN boss Paul Ince insists he will not allow his friendship with Robbie Fowler to cloud his judgement when he makes a decision on the striker’s future.

Fowler, who was a team-mate of Ince’s with both Liverpool and England, is currently on trial at Rovers, in the hope he can persuade the Ewood chief to give him a contract for the rest of the season.

Ince’s decision to hand the veteran goal-poacher a shock Premier League lifeline initially caught many supporters by surprise last month.

However, the Rovers boss has dismissed suggestions the move is just an ‘old pals’ act’, claiming he still believes Fowler has something to offer at the highest level, providing he can prove he is fully recovered from the hip injury that kept him sidelined for six months of last season.

Ince said: “When you’ve had an injury like Robbie’s had, it’s going to take time to get back up to speed again and I want to give him as much time as I possibly can.

“And that’s not an old pals’ act because I was with Robbie for two years at Liverpool.

“If he’s not good enough, then he’s not good enough - full stop. I can’t afford to start doing old pals a favour because this is my first job as a Premier League manager.

“But if he gets himself sharp and fit, then I think we’ve got a very good player there.”

Fowler has not played a competitive match since he picked up a hip injury midway through last season whilst playing for Cardiff City.

However, the 33-year-old is gradually starting to feel his way back, after appearing in several of Rovers’ pre-season friendlies this summer, and he will get another chance to impress today, when Rovers take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in the latest of their warm-up matches at Molineux (kick off 3pm).

Ince said: “Robbie needs time. His last full game was in October last year, so he needs another two or three weeks to really get sharp.

“But he’s coming along nicely and he’s making some great runs. He’ll get sharper over the next few weeks.

“He’s in a fortunate position where there’s no rush for him. He’s done well throughout his career and I’ll give him as much time as he needs to get fit, although we’ll obviously have to come to a decision before the start of the season.”