Robbie Fowler believes he will have to 'live like a monk' to ensure he gets the long-term contract he craves at Liverpool.
And while boss Rafael Benitez insists there is no magic wand to make his
strikers regain their form, Anfield fans believe he has a goalscoring magician
in his ranks who can change the course of the club's season.
With Peter Crouch out with a heel injury, it is likely that Fowler -
determined to extend his initial six-month deal into a contract for life - could
start his first match since returning to Anfield when the Reds take on local
rivals Wigan at the JJB stadium.
Benitez has skipper Steven Gerrard back from a knee injury, but is also
without Luis Garcia (knee) and Stephen Warnock (groin).
Benitez has been careful with Fowler's comeback, insisting he trains rather
than plays to regain his fitness, but now could be the time to give the
30-year-old his head to arrest a run of three successive away league defeats.
Fowler cannot wait, and can also see the humour in his current situation.
'If I am honest, I have got six months to get a contract and I am doing
everything I can to get it,' he said.
'If it takes me being what is seen as a good boy for six months, that's what
I have got to do.
'I suppose I have got to live like a monk for a while. I want to stay here
for a few years, and to achieve that certain sacrifices have to be made.
'In the past people have had the wrong perception of me. There were times I
did stupid things, but it was never what people made out and I would like to
think all that is behind me now.'
Fowler's goals are needed as Benitez seeks solutions to a drought that has not
seen any of his strikers - Crouch, Fernando Morientes and Djibril Cisse - score
this year.
Benitez said: 'There is no magic wand I can find as a solution, it is all
down to hard work and training.
'Fernando has always scored, Cisse too and Crouch got plenty last season and
has been scoring okay until recently.
'But we have energy and confidence and I do not mind a long season. That
means we are winning and reaching finals.
'If the choice was a short season and no finals or a long one like this, I
would prefer the long version.'
The return of Gerrard, who missed the defeat at Charlton with a knee injury,
is key to Benitez's thinking.
He added: 'It is really important for us to have a player available who has
scored 18 goals this season.
'When people worry about whether our strikers can score, it is good that we
have someone from midfield who can do that.
'I know my players are disappointed, they understand how important it is for
our supporters to win every game so they will be more determined to put things
right.
'We have been making mistakes that we did not do in previous matches. We need
to learn and put things right, we have the same players and we still have
confidence.
'Before Christmas we were winning a lot of games in a row and people were
talking about the title and being contenders. Expectation was high.
'Then we lost at Manchester United, we lost at Chelsea, we only drew against
Birmingham and then it is even worse and we lose at Charlton.
'But the gap is very slight. If we had drawn at United and held on to beat
Birmingham, two results that changed in the last minute, things would be a lot
different. It is always small details.'
But Benitez knows it will be hard in a local derby few would have thought
possible a few years ago.
'Wigan are a very good team playing with confidence and team spirit,' he
added. 'You can see that the manager is determined to win every game and he and
his team are aggressive always.
'This is very important when you are coaching a small club, if the players
believe in themselves. That makes it easier.'
