Date of Birth: 28 11 1977
Place of Birth: Aberdeen
Position: Defender
Nationality: Scotland
International Caps 7
International Goals 0
Gavin Rae Rumours and Transfers
22 07 2007
Robbie Fowler has agreed to join Cardiff on a 2 year contract.
The 32 year old forward was released by Liverpool at the end of last season and has discarded will move to Leicester City and Sydney FC in Australia's A-League.
Fowler will be re-united with Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale, who was in charge at Leeds when he signed from Liverpool for £11 million in November 2001.
He expects to be officially unveiled at a news conference in Cardiff early next week.
"It is taken a lot of hard work however thankfully it is done now," Cardiff manager Dave Jones informed BBC Wales Sport.
"I met Robbie on holiday in America, only a chance meeting, and asked him what he was doing. He was not sure so I went on the internet to check his record and found he was not a bad player so I thought we might chase him. Peter [Ridsdale] has worked really hard on it and I am glad he's decided to we are the club he would like to join."
Fowler's arrival at Ninian Park comes just over a week after Cardiff sold last season's top scorer Michael Chopra to Sunderland for £4.5 million.
Jones said he would sign Fowler even if Chopra had stayed, and stressed the former England forward still has the hunger to be successful.
"He's certainly got that, that is not in question," added Jones. "And to bank £4.5 million for Chopra and then to get Robbie Fowler on a free transfer is good business. It puts the club in a healthy position, which is what we have been fighting for over the last 12 months."
Sydney FC had hoped to lure Fowler, and the former England forward was impressed with the set up after travelling to Australia for talks.
But his representative George Scott said Sydney were unable to compete financially with the other offers for Fowler.
"The only thing against them is that Robbie is a Premier League player and he is used to Premier League money," mentioned Scott.
"The Premier League is unique in terms of the crazy money it generates and there is nothing in the world that replicates it, not even Spain. That money is well beyond Sydney and the Australian league and we know that. It is really a battle between money and quality of life and think me, quality of life counts for a lot of money. All the money in the world is not going to buy your family's happiness."
Fowler becomes Cardiff's 6th summer signing of the summer, following Trevor Sinclair, Gavin Rae, Steven MacLean, Tony Capaldi and Michael Oakes to Ninian Park.
Jones said he still would like to bring another goalie and a forward before the start of the season, however categorically dismissed reports that Cardiff had agreed a £1 million deal to sign Blackburn's Francis Jeffers.
"That is a total fabrication of a story," mentioned Jones. "I only do not know where these people get it from. Someone asks you a question, you have given an answer and all of a sudden 2 and 2 becomes 10. It is totally untrue and I find it absolutely amazing."
Fowler made his Liverpool debut as an 18 year old in 1993, scoring 171 goals in 330 games before joining Leeds for £11 million in 2001 and then Manchester City for £6 million in 2003.
Fowler returned for a 2nd spell at Anfield in January 2006, even though his starting appearances were limited.
23 06 2007
Cardiff City hope to increase their team further by signing a goalie in the next few days.
On Friday the Championship club said the arrival of Scotland midfielder Gavin Rae and fellow countryman forward Steve MacLean.
"The next target is a goalkeeper, we are pretty close, hopefully, to that happening," Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale informed BBC Sport Wales.
Irishman David Forde is the Bluebirds' only senior goalkeeper.
That follows the departure of out of contract Neil Alexander and player-coach Martyn Margetson's retirement.
But at least the outfield strength is looking rosier at Ninian Park, with the recruitment of Rae, MacLean plus full back or midfielder Tony Capaldi, who was out of contract at Plymouth.
"We have made no secret that we require more strike power up front and Steve MacLean's got a very good track record," Ridsdale added.
"We have been tracking him throughout the summer however Sheffield Wednesday were very keen to hang onto him. In midfield last year we struggled if Riccy Scimeca and Stephen McPhail were not available for every game, so what we have done again is transfer to increase those options with Gavin. At one stage he was captain at Rangers, a very experienced player and we are delighted to secure his services as well. We faced stiff competition from a number of other clubs who also would like to sign these 2 players. That they have chosen to come to Cardiff City instead makes it a very exciting time for us."
22 06 2007
Cardiff City sign Scottish pair Gavin Rae and Steven MacLean.
Both are free agents, Rangers having released midfielder Rae whilst forward MacLean was out of contract with Sheffield Wednesday.
Cardiff beat off stiff competition from the likes of Hearts and Norwich for Rae, 29, capped 11 times by Scotland.
MacLean, 24, was also in demand, the forward who started his career at Ibrox having finished joint top scorer for the Owls last season with 13 goals.
He arrived at Hillsborough from Rangers for an undisclosed fee in July 2004 having enjoyed a successful loan spell with Scunthorpe United in 2003-04.
MacLean was voted Player of the Year in his 1st season with Wednesday, after becoming the 1st Owl to score 20 goals in a season for 11 years.
However, a broken leg sustained in 2005 wrecked the following season.
Rae joined Rangers from Dundee in January 2004 in a £250,000 deal.
However, a series of knee injuries curtailed the Ibrox career of the hard-tackling midfielder and he was not offered a new contract.
Cardiff have not said the terms of the contracts offered to the pair.
12 06 2007
Norwich City have made an approach for Scotland midfielder Gavin Rae, recently released by Rangers.
Carrow Road assistant manager Jim Duffy informed the Daily Record, "Gavin is one of a number of players we are looking at and he's someone I know very well. He was at Rangers, he's a Scotland international and he is a player we have discussed. We have spoken to his agent and hopefully we will get the chance to have a further chat later this week."
Rae, capped 11 times for Scotland, joined Rangers from Dundee in January 2004.
However, a series of injuries curtailed the 29 year old's Ibrox career and he was not offered a new contract.
Hearts have expressed an interest in Rae however the player has mentioned he would like to experience football in England.
