Robbie Slater

Robert " Robbie" Slater ( born November 22, 1964 in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England ) is a former Australian football player. Although born in England, he played - after he was pulled early after Australia - the Australian national football team. For this he competed in the period from 1990 to 1997 forty-four internationals and shot during his six goals.

League career

Robert Slater, named Robbie, was born on 22 November 1964 in Ormskirk, England. As a teenager, he came to Australia and played only through the youth teams, until he was obliged in 1982 by the St. George Saints and henceforth in the Australian National Soccer League, the predecessor of the A-League, played. In 1983 he became an Australian Champion by winning the National Soccer League. The next year he played with the idea to Nottingham Forest to change, because the two clubs could not agree, he remained in Australia. At the end of the 1985/86 season, he spent a short spell at the Blacktown City Demons to switch in 1987 to Sydney United. After two years, he was only at Hajduk Split in conversation, as no agreement could be achieved, he moved in 1989 for one year at RSC Anderlecht. There, however, he could not assert himself and changed at the end of the season for the then Belgian second division club RC Lens. In Lens he played until 1994 and experienced in that time one of the most tragic moments in his career. In a game against Paris Saint- Germain he was attacked by a Parisian fan with a baseball bat, which he almost died. During this time he also met his future wife Natalie know. At the end of the season 1993/94 he moved to England to Blackburn Rovers and in 1995 there was the first Australian players of English football champions. At the end of the season he moved to West Ham United, a year later for Southampton FC in 1998 and again for a few months to Wolverhampton Wanderers. At the end of the season 1997/98 he returned to Australia and moved to the newly established Northern Spirit, where he played until the end of his career in 2001.

National

Slater did in the years between 1990 and 1997 a total of 44 games for the Australian national team, including 28 A- internationals. His last game he played in the Confederations Cup in 1997 against the team from Saudi Arabia. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Australian Football Federation. In 1988 he took part in South Korea 's Olympic football tournament.

After the soccer career

Slater wrote in the late 1990s an autobiography about his career titled The Hard Way. Today, he analyzes and commented games of the English Premier League, the Australian A -League for the Australian pay TV channel Fox Sports. He also appeared in the 2002/03 season coach of Australian football club Manly Warringah Dolphins and today operates the Newington College, a football school in New South Wales.