And our leader for assists in the League is...

[ElRobbie]

Desperate bid to return this to a football discussion and not a slanging match:



I think he is a very good flick header of the ball. It's not the type of football I would like us to play all the time but in some situations (such as against Chelsea) he is the ideal player to exploit weaknesses in other sides. He is a very aware player who often brings others into the game and is in many ways a quite stylish target man (in terms of play if not appearance). He does however lack power in his heading, just not sure that he is to blame for us exploiting his height with long balls which is at least as much a consequence of a lack of quality creative wingers.



For these goals his positioning and movement were the parts which a lot of players couldn't pull off. He also did it more than once and I have rarely see him try that sort of thing, so arguable it could be called good technique and a good choice of the type of shot to use.

I think Crouch is a good player. I like him and think he offers a lot to our squad, but I have said it before and I'll say it again he is probably not going to be a regular starter if we are to challenge for the league. Having said that I was thinking about wether I would take Howards £12m fictional offer for him, the answer is not at the minute but probably in the Summer.

Fair play to you mate, at least your offering an intelligent and thought out reply.

The top and bottom of it is, no matter what people say on here, this isn't a personal attack on Crouch and I'm not blaming him personally for our style of play or his shortcomings. Believe it or not I cheer when he scores and am happy for him when he does well, any player who is on the pitch for us I want to see do well.

I'm just looking at the bigger picture and I get really frustrated by our style of play at times and I think having Crouch in the team, again not his fault personally, means we play a different style which I personally don't like to see at a club like ours.

In life I'm generally someone who prefers to concentrate on putting negatives right, its the only way to move on and make something better, by all means celebrate the postives, but ignoring the negatives isn't right in my eyes, and I just can't help but be frustrated every time Crouch heads a tame header at the keeper or everytime someone plays a pass to him and he hasn't got the pace to get onto it, or everytime the play breaks down and goes backwards when he gets the ball, it just frustrates me, its not his fault personally I know, but we did buy him and knew his limitations and I think we should aspire to play better football. It's just the tameness (is that a word of it all that really grinds me.

Now I don't think that's so unreasonale or dim-witted, or thick, or the worst post I've ever read, etc etc, I'm entitled to voice my opinion on a discussion forum, if people don't like it, fair enough.

[ElRobbie]

The problem is ElRobbie, how or why do you expect people to argue with you on an adult level when you take such a critical and pessimistic view on the subject?

It's a discussion forum mate, I didn't realise you weren't allowed to have critical views, I though that was just part and parcel of discussion

I think I've made plenty of valid points and explained myself as well as plenty of overzealous ones.

[Shaggy]

Now I don't think that's so unreasonale or dim-witted, or thick, or the worst post I've ever read, etc etc, I'm entitled to voice my opinion on a discussion forum, if people don't like it, fair enough.

Of course you are mate but when you make juvenile comments such as the ones belittling Crouch’s recent overhead kicks for being “unmarked, six yards out”, and in the same breath claiming his assist for Kuyt on Saturday (excellent awareness) was a bloody FLUKE, you’re gonna get some stick.

[NICKZS]

Of course you are mate but when you make juvenile comments such as the ones belittling Crouch’s recent overhead kicks for being “unmarked, six yards out”, and in the same breath claiming his assist for Kuyt on Saturday (excellent awareness) was a bloody FLUKE, you’re gonna get some stick.

..til you're blue in the face Shaggy, mate. He ain't gonna have it.

[Flake]

..til you've blown in his face Shaggy, mate. He ain't gonna have it.

[ElRobbie]

Of course you are mate but when you make juvenile comments such as the ones belittling Crouch’s recent overhead kicks for being “unmarked, six yards out”, and in the same breath claiming his assist for Kuyt on Saturday (excellent awareness) was a bloody FLUKE, you’re gonna get some stick.

I can handle the stick, as long as you can back it up with something, to be honest I can't remember reading much of anything of any real substance from yourself, yet you're trying to belittle me?

[NICKZS]

[Shaggy]

I can handle the stick, as long as you can back it up with something, to be honest I can't remember reading much of anything of any real substance from yourself, yet you're trying to belittle me?

[Red Chilli]

We'll never win the league with players who score goals and set up others for goals

[Redlife]

We'll never win the league with players who score goals and set up others for goals

Exactly.

[Red_Al_77]

Crouch is never going to be pleasing on the eye. He is not the stereotypical centre forward. He looks weird and I suspect his feet stick out the bed.

However I don't think Rafa actually considered these issues when he bought him. He bought Crouch because he is 6' 7" and he is awkward. He also bought him because he offers that something different. It's called variety. What is the point in having 4 CF that do exactly the same. Crouch is there as an impact plyaer for those games that Rafa feels needs that type of player. People need to accept that and move on. Crouch is different and some of us (myself included) agree with our manager for not following the norm and just buying four strikers out of the same box.

[ElRobbie]

I'll tell you what, Red Chilli, you've got me thinking, how about this, why don't we have a wager?

I'm willing to bet anyone and everyone that when/if we next win the Premiership, it won't be with Crouch starting more than say, half our games, why don't we put on a figure on it, 20 games? £5 a man?

So the bet would be in summary - When we next win the Premiership, if Crouch has started more than 20 games I'll give you all £5 a head, if he hasn't, you all give me £5 from each of you?

[lfc4ever]

If Crouch plays 20 games when we next win the PL title, then he gets a medal and you don't.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Crouch is never going to be pleasing on the eye. He is not the stereotypical centre forward. He looks weird and I suspect his feet stick out the bed.

However I don't think Rafa actually considered these issues when he bought him. He bought Crouch because he is 6' 7" and he is awkward. He also bought him because he offers that something different. It's called variety. What is the point in having 4 CF that do exactly the same. Crouch is there as an impact plyaer for those games that Rafa feels needs that type of player. People need to accept that and move on. Crouch is different and some of us (myself included) agree with our manager for not following the norm and just buying four strikers out of the same box.

Amen

[Red Chilli]

I'll tell you what, Red Chilli, you've got me thinking, how about this, why don't we have a wager?

I'm willing to bet anyone and everyone that when/if we next win the Premiership, it won't be with Crouch starting more than say, half our games, why don't we put on a figure on it, 20 games? £5 a man?

So the bet would be in summary - When we next win the Premiership, if Crouch has started more than 20 games I'll give you all £5 a head, if he hasn't, you all give me £5 from each of you?

El Robbie, I think I know why you single out my posts to have a rant at and I can assure you I'm not in the least bit bothered. I know you're a WUM so you're wasting your time.
As for betting with you, I doubt you'd see the bet through and anyway what does 20 starting games prove? It doesn't prove anything. Gary Mac had a significant impact on us winning the treble in 2001, but I doubt he started 20 games for us.
Crouch could be a sub 37 times and score or provide the winner each time, does that make his contribution insignificant?
The answer is no.

So I'll decline your pointless internet challenge, if you want to score internet points of someone you're barking up tyhe wrong tree