Crouch interview

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Peter Crouch has revealed that he just loves life at Anfield and is hoping he can fire the goals to help Liverpool achieve Champions League glory this season.

The 18 goal marksman admitted there is no club he would rather be at than Liverpool and added he wants to be part of Rafael Benitez's plans for bringing back more trophies to Anfield.

"I knew there were a lot of rumours earlier in the season about other clubs being interested, but I always made my feelings clear when I was asked about the future," said Crouch.

"There's no way I'd want to leave Liverpool. Where do you go from Liverpool other than to a club at a lower level?

"I love it here and being at a top four club you know you've a chance to play in the Champions League every year and continue to compete for trophies.

"I also think there's a great team developing here and with the help of the new owners we could put in a serious challenge for the Premiership over the next few years. I want to be part of that.

"It's been going really well for me recently. I'm on a good scoring run and to be in with a chance of finishing top scorer in the Champions League is great."

The Reds number 15 has scored seven goals in this season's competition and is currently level with AC Milan ace Kaka. However, UEFA haven't counted Crouch's effort against Maccabi Haifa because it was in the qualifying round and not from the group stage onwards.

"UEFA say I'm on six goals, but I'm definitely counting the qualifying game because that was an important one for us," added Crouch.

"To be up there with such a quality player as Kaka is fantastic. I do take a lot of satisfaction from that. But if you ask me what I'd prefer, I'd rather the team won the Champions League than finish top scorer.

"I feel over the last few years I have proved myself at the top level, whether it's been the step to a club like Liverpool, the Champions League or internationals. That's down to working with such a good manager who always wants you to keep on improving.

"There are parts of my game I'm still looking to work on. People have mentioned my heading quite a bit this season.

"To be fair, I've always scored goals with my head, but there were a few occasions earlier in the season when I should have scored headers. It's something I was aware of so to get a few recently was pleasing.

"In a funny way, I think the nose operation came at a good time in the season where a little break has done me the world of good.

"When I came back I felt really fresh and sharp and it's gone on from there. There were a few of us who took time to hit our best form earlier in the season, but now we seem to be clicking at the same time which bodes well for the big games to come."

Meanwhile Crouch is keen to put one particular erroneous story to rest that circulated from a story on television this week which claimed that Liverpool's top scorer is a Chelsea supporter.

"I was stitched up a bit by that Geoff Shreeves ****," Crouch admitted.

"When I was younger my dad did take me to see Chelsea, but when I was with my mates I was more a QPR fan, so it's not like I was ever a big Chelsea supporter.

"You've also got to remember the Chelsea back then was nothing like the Chelsea it is now. I remember going along there when they were in the old Second Division.

"Put it this way, there's no question where my allegiance is now. I'm firmly in the red camp. The same applies to my dad.

"He's been travelling to our European games with Jamie Carragher's dad and his friends, so you don't have to worry who he'll want to win. **** Shreeves - he's a c*nt.
"We know what the hype is going to be like over the next two weeks and it's already started. I'm looking forward to everything about it.

"Last time Liverpool played Chelsea at this stage I was on the outside looking in, hoping rumours that Liverpool were interested in me were true and wishing I could be part of such a big game.

"Now it's going to happen you just want it to come about. You're always focused on the game, but there's no escaping the attention of such a massive match."

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<KURTANGLE>YOU TIT</KURTANGLE>

[Darth Marty]

superb.....nuff said

[Shaggy]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premiership/liverpool/article1652847.ece

It would probably be pushing the point to say that Peter Crouch has gone from zero to hero at Anfield, but the player who could not hit the proverbial barn door at the start of his Liverpool career looked all but a shadow of the one who helped to guide the club into the Champions League semi-finals this week.

Crouch will probably continue to divide opinion for as long as he remains in professional football, but while he is still far from the finished article and, some may argue, several notches below world class, the England forward finally appears to be winning the trust of Rafael Ben&#205;tez.

Having seen Ben&#205;tez stick by him at the start of last season when, struggling to deal with the pressure of playing for a top club, he went 18 games without a goal for the club, Crouch experienced something of a cooling in his relationship with the Liverpool manager at the beginning of this campaign.

Ben&#205;tez was concerned that Crouch’s excellent form for England, when five goals in three games prompted premature talk of the forward breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals, had gone to his head.

But having witnessed the player buckle down since, the Spaniard is convinced that Crouch not only understands what it means to be a Liverpool player, but has all the makings of a winner — 23 goals for club and country this term certainly strengthen the manager’s argument.

“There are two kinds of players — the competitors and those who can play,” Ben&#205;tez said before this afternoon’s match away to Manchester City.

“The competitors are the winners who can play in a top side for years. You can talk about [Paul] Scholes or [Ryan] Giggs at Manchester United, or [Steven] Gerrard or [Jamie] Carragher here and Peter is heading for that bracket.

“He had bad times, people were waiting for the first goal, but after that he settled down. The problem was that he was playing for the national team and people were talking about Bobby Charlton’s record, and he was having problems with his lady. You can’t be focused or calm if people are talking about you as the new Bobby Charlton. You can't be focused all of the time if you have a girlfriend like he has. She is fit. Fit as ****.

“Now he understands what it means to be in a top side under pressure every week.”

[Johnny]

rafa made one mistake this yr.Crouch should have played in every game possible.

[captainfog]

I knew it, I just had to keep reading

Lovely stuff

[wavydavy]

rafa made one mistake this yr.Crouch should have played in every game possible.

Couldn't agree more. If Crouch was 3 or 4 inches shorter the press and everyone else in the media would have a totally different attitude towards him. How ****ing funny was Gullits reaction to Richard Keys' " If only he did a little more" comment after Wednesday's game!

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premiership/liverpool/article1652847.ece

It would probably be pushing the point to say that Peter Crouch has gone from zero to hero at Anfield, but the player who could not hit the proverbial barn door at the start of his Liverpool career looked all but a shadow of the one who helped to guide the club into the Champions League semi-finals this week.

Crouch will probably continue to divide opinion for as long as he remains in professional football, but while he is still far from the finished article and, some may argue, several notches below world class, the England forward finally appears to be winning the trust of Rafael BenÍtez.

Having seen BenÍtez stick by him at the start of last season when, struggling to deal with the pressure of playing for a top club, he went 18 games without a goal for the club, Crouch experienced something of a cooling in his relationship with the Liverpool manager at the beginning of this campaign.

BenÍtez was concerned that Crouch’s excellent form for England, when five goals in three games prompted premature talk of the forward breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals, had gone to his head.

But having witnessed the player buckle down since, the Spaniard is convinced that Crouch not only understands what it means to be a Liverpool player, but has all the makings of a winner — 23 goals for club and country this term certainly strengthen the manager’s argument.

“There are two kinds of players — the competitors and those who can play,” BenÍtez said before this afternoon’s match away to Manchester City.

“The competitors are the winners who can play in a top side for years. You can talk about [Paul] Scholes or [Ryan] Giggs at Manchester United, or [Steven] Gerrard or [Jamie] Carragher here and Peter is heading for that bracket.

“He had bad times, people were waiting for the first goal, but after that he settled down. The problem was that he was playing for the national team and people were talking about Bobby Charlton’s record, and he was having problems with his lady. You can’t be focused or calm if people are talking about you as the new Bobby Charlton. You can't be focused all of the time if you have a girlfriend like he has. She is fit. Fit as ****. “Now he understands what it means to be in a top side under pressure every week.”

FLMAO