'I was ex-Prem star with TV nickname - now I travel world with Liverpool icon'
They played against each other in Merseyside derbies and forged a coaching alliance, in red and blue, on three continents.
Former Everton midfielder Tony Grant and Kop legend Robbie Fowler have been pals since they were team-mates for Liverpool Schoolboys, and their globetrotting adventures included an audience backstage with Sir Elton John at one of his farewell tour gigs in Australia.
The Rocket Man’s first No.1 in the UK charts was his duet with Kiki Dee, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, and Grant’s wife - whose name, wait for it, is Kiki Dee - was gutted to miss out on meeting Sir Elton in Brisbane.
Grant would later work as his pal’s assistant coach in India and Saudi Arabia, but now he has gone back to his roots by launching A&K Football Education, an inspired initiative to help wayward kids back into mainstream learning.
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Reintegrating youngsters chewed up and spat out by Covid lockdowns and a daunting street culture is a far cry from the Premier League ’s glamour and affluence. But Grant’s project with business partner Kevin Kirby offers renewed hope to lost souls who, in many cases, have not been to school for two or three years.
“There are a lot of kids who find mainstream school too much of a challenge and they go missing,” said Grant, now barely recognisable from the refined midfielder known as ‘Rodders’ at Goodison Park because of his passing resemblance to Only Fools & Horses character Rodney Trotter.
“They were stuck in the house during the pandemic and it’s had a massive impact on how they behave.
“We are trying to make a difference by changing their mindset with a course based on football skills and physical activity, with wellness workshops to improve their mental health and give them an opportunity to gain qualifications in maths and English.
Grant (R) alongside Robbie Fowler as members of the Liverpool Schoolboys squad in 1991 (Mirrorpix)“We’ve already had one success story - a quiet lad who’s been out of school for more than two years, and who had every reason to stay away after a dental operation. I wasn’t expecting to see him if he was feeling groggy, but I couldn’t believe it when he walked in straight from the dentist’s chair and I honestly believe he came in because he feels he belongs here.”
Grant, now 49, and Fowler will tell their Life Stories at a one-off show in Kilkenny on June 5. Their yarns about working for Brisbane Roar in Australia’s A-League, East Bengal in India and Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia are worth a wider audience.
“Wherever you work in the world, a country’s greatest assets are its people and the culture,” said Grant. “Rob’s a really good man-manager, so when we were in Saudi earlier this year, if some of the players had to go and pray when there was a team meeting scheduled for 5pm, prayers came first because it’s their culture, it’s who they are.
“And the weather has a big influence on how you train and play - we are lucky in Europe because when it’s cold and raining, you are grateful to run around, but when it’s 40 degrees you can’t go flat-out for 90 minutes.”
Grant (L) in action for Everton during his Premier League heyday
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Australia? Great experience, sad the way it ended.
“Rob knows everyone, or everyone knows him, and when Elton John played one of the first dates on his farewell tour in Brisbane, we were invited to go and meet him behind the scenes before the show.
“I think Elton’s favourite team was going through a few managers at the time, and Robbie said to him, ‘Listen, why don’t you put in a word for me about the Watford job?’
“When I rang my wife back home in England and told her we had been given an audience with one of the great superstars, she burst out crying because she wanted to be there. And not just because her name is Kiki Dee!
“We managed to get the last plane out of Australia before the country was locked down and we would have been stuck there for ages.”
Grant has followed Fowler across the globe to take up various coaching roles (Getty Images)Grant and Fowler were soon in demand again - this time in one of the world’s fastest-growing leagues. “Almost straight away after we got home, we were contacted by East Bengal in the Indian Super League,” said Grant.
“The club is based in Kolkata, but the ISL was all being played in a bubble in Goa because of Covid. After 10 days in hotel quarantine, we only had 10 days to prepare the squad for our opening game, against our big rivals ATK, also from Kolkata, and we hadn’t even met the players.
“We were doing well, against all odds, for 70 minutes until a shot from the edge of the box somehow beat our keeper, even though it was in the middle of the goal and along the floor, and we lost 1-0.
"It was a tough one to take and although working under lockdown had its challenges, I was OK. It doesn’t suit everyone but I’m quite introverted and fortunately I’ve always been quite happy in my own company, but It was so hard on the missus.
“I worked in Australia for eight months and she was with me for six weeks, and in India we spent six months apart because of Covid restrictions.”
Grant now runs A&K Football Education in Liverpool with Kevin Kirby (L) (Steve Allen)The double act’s brief spell at Al-Qadsiah earlier this year was a curate’s egg - and Grant hasn’t solved the mystery.
He said: “I don’t understand why they sacked Robbie because he was undefeated (six wins and two draws) in eight games and he did an outstanding job there.
“When we got the bullet, they said they wanted to switch to a Spanish model. The Spanish fella who took over from us has had three or four defeats already… we wouldn’t have lost those games.
“But Robbie and I go back about 35 years, and you learn to take everything football throws at you. Now I’m trying to give something back.”
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