Fowler ready in two to three weeks: Fury

Critics are ready to say "I told you so" as North Queensland marquee signing Robbie
Fowler recovers from a long battle with injury.

And doesn't Fury chairman Don Matheson know it.
But the North Queensland boss has assured supporters of the A-League debutants that
they will see the Liverpool legend in full flight sooner rather than later.
"I know a lot of people are sitting back saying 'oh, here we go'," Matheson told AAP.
"But we are aware of his age, what his body is doing and we are managing it as best
as we can.
"We are comfortable that the lad will be up and running in two to three weeks."
The signing of the 34-year-old former England striker raised eyebrows with some
cynics considering a recent injury history in the UK.
And the nay sayers sharpened their knives when Fowler went down with a groin strain
in April.
Two months later the man still referred to as "God" by Liverpool supporters is yet
to reach full fitness.
He was a notable no-show when the Fury played their first official game, a recent
1-0 loss to S-League club Tampines Rovers at Singapore.
It was much to the disappointment of the 3,000 fans who attended the Singapore game
after Fowler's visit was heavily promoted.
Matheson said he was as frustrated as anyone with Fowler's fitness battle.
"For a bloke who is paying his wages I would have liked to have seen him out there
two weeks ago," he said.
"As frustrating as it is for everyone who wants to see him out there, we will play
the safe card with him before taking risks in trial games.
"This guy already knows how to play football, we've just got to stick a lot of work
into him.
"But unfortunately if we do that and we injure him, we'd lose him for the whole thing."
Matheson is well aware that critics have gone to town with Fowler's signing, saying
he arrived in Townsville with a prominent paunch.
"Fowler was never the slimmest forward, but he now appears to be cultivating a very
un-Premier League belly," UK-based The Times Online website said, introducing an
article titled "Sport's top 10 biggest bellies".
"By the look of the unflattering photos of the former England and Liverpool forward,
North Queensland are getting more than they may have bargained for."
But Matheson assured Fury supporters that Fowler was on track for their 2009-10 debut.
"Is it (groin injury) something that is going to affect his career over here -
absolutely not," he said.
"It is so close to being right it is not funny."