Go Crouch!

[6sheep]

despite the fact andorra were dire, i thought stevie g was excellent
lots of excellent passes, tackling back & interchange with his teammates
got a good response from the crowd & scored a great goal

[univofchicago]

For England....

Crouch, 13 games, 10 goals.

That piece of stat is quite deceiving...

He has made 13 appearances, but six of them came from the bench.

[univofchicago]

CROUCH 50/1 TO TOP THE CHART

William Hill are quoting Peter Crouch at 50/1 ever to become England's all time leading goalscorer.

The lanky striker has now scored ten goals in his last nine international games following his brace against Andorra on Saturday but will need to surpass Sir Bobby Charlton's mark of 49 to achieve that accolade.

Crouch has also been cut from 11/2 to 11/4 with bet365 to be the country's top England goalscorer in the qualifying stages of Euro 2008 after his double.

Spokesman Steve Freeth said: "Crouchie continues to bang in the goals and he now has legions of punters who just back him blindly in an England shirt - you wouldn't have said that a year ago!

"To be fair the Nags Head would have had too much for Andorra, let alone England, but you can only beat what's put in front of you and Crouch continued his red hot form at international level."

Meanwhile, England are 14/1 to hit six or more goals against Macedonia in their next qualifying game with William Hill, 20/1 to win all of their qualifying games for the championships and 25/1 not to concede a goal in Group E.

Hills also offer 11/4 that David Beckham will play any part in any of England's Euro 2008 qualfying games.

I wonder if Brendan and Ryan still thinks Crouch is "****e"...

[Red_Polo]

That piece of stat is quite deceiving...

He has made 13 appearances, but six of them came from the bench.

Good point

Go Crouchy

[GordonGecko]

It would be fairly ironic if Crouchie was the top premiership goal scorer this year....that would certainly shut a few people up.

[tsb]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LrhSNWIh1g

[univofchicago]

Andorra
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago
Greece
Uruguay

That's a selection of the sides that Crouch has scored his international goals in, all bar two of the games have been friendlies too.

That's what he posted on SCM...

Ironic that, because the same Ryan (and Brendan) argued all the goals Cisse scored for Liverpool, France against TNS, Kaunas, Faroe Islands were just as meaningful as the ones scored against more stiffer opposition in the Premiership/CL. "Goals are Goals" and as long as the striker scored goals and is "prolific" it's all "Okay" - that was the crux of their argument all year. Anyone who disagreed would be insulted and ridiculed, starting another slanging match...

Double standards me thinks...

[FowlerLeftFoot]

That's what he posted on SCM...

Ironic that, because the same Ryan (and Brendan) argued all the goals Cisse scored for Liverpool, France against TNS, Kaunas, Faroe Islands were just as meaningful as the ones scored against more stiffer opposition in the Premiership/CL. "Goals are Goals" and as long as the striker scored goals and is "prolific" it's all "Okay" - that was the crux of their argument all year. Anyone who disagreed would be insulted and ridiculed, starting another slanging match...

Double standards me thinks...

[Shaggy]

That's what he posted on SCM...

Ironic that, because the same Ryan (and Brendan) argued all the goals Cisse scored for Liverpool, France against TNS, Kaunas, Faroe Islands were just as meaningful as the ones scored against more stiffer opposition in the Premiership/CL. "Goals are Goals" and as long as the striker scored goals and is "prolific" it's all "Okay" - that was the crux of their argument all year. Anyone who disagreed would be insulted and ridiculed, starting another slanging match...

Double standards me thinks...

Very much so. Someone ought to point this out if they haven't already.

I didn't see anyone else scoring hat-tricks against Jamaica or scoring against T&T before Crouch got England out of jail.

The Crouch haters will be feeling rather meek at present, I suspect, and long may it continue.

[Shaggy]

Steve McClaren reflected on Peter Crouch's latest goalscoring contribution for England and declared: "He's phenomenal!"

The Liverpool striker netted in each half of Saturday's 5-0 victory over Andorra to take his tally at international level to an astonishing 10 goals in 13 games.

"What a record he has," said McClaren. "He received great service from Stewart Downing and Steven Gerrard, but he still had to score.

"He is a great team man. I wouldn't say he is undroppable, but when he's scoring goals at the current rate you need him in the team. He was phenomenal and he's doing very well at the moment.

"And we have computer statistics that show he constantly runs further than anybody during a match."

[GordonGecko]

"And we have computer statistics that show he constantly runs further than anybody during a match."

He is a robot afterall.....

RoboCrouch

[Shaggy]

From today's Observer...

As befits someone 6ft 7in tall, Peter Crouch has been making great strides.

He has certainly moved on by a distance from the time England supporters at Old Trafford booed his entrance as a substitute, let alone the period when David O'Leary offered him on loan from Aston Villa and received one firm offer.

Like many young Premiership players before him, a few games on loan at a lower level, in this case with Norwich City, did wonders for fragile confidence. Villa did not reap the benefit, their supporters remaining as unconvinced by six goals in 37 appearances as those England followers who jeered him against Austria and Poland only 11 months ago. But Southampton and Liverpool have had greater cause for satisfaction, and yesterday he was back at Manchester United's ground as an established international and Champions' League striker, with a record of 10 goals in his last nine England games - seven of them at Old Trafford, including yesterday's double. That record in itself is something of a rebuke to Sven Goran Eriksson, who said of him after his mauling from the Manchester crowd: "Peter Crouch will probably never score lots of goals but he will create lots of goals."

"It seems like a long, long time ago," the player himself said on Friday. "Now I've had the chance to play at the World Cup, on a big stage for Liverpool and a good few games for England, I think a lot more people can see I can play."

Since the earliest days he has been the victim of sizeism, labelled "freak" by fans (often not just opposing ones) and stereotyped as a big target-man: "I think some people make a judgement before they see me play. I'm not your average-looking footballer, I'm the first to admit that. People see me and say, 'Long balls, lump it up to him', but I think I can do a lot more than that. I've had knocks in my life but I've always believed the best way is to laugh it off, be strong mentally and carry on and show people what you can do. It's one of those things I've dealt with my whole life. Now I've started to get the respect I feel I deserve."

Like most of the England squad in Germany, his performances were admittedly mixed at best. "I think it will have improved me," he says. "It was a great experience, although we felt we could have gone a bit further, and that stood me in good stead for this year."

A touch of good fortune - which in football can often mean the misfortune of others - never hurts. But for injuries to Michael Owen and Dean Ashton and the suspension of Wayne Rooney, Crouch would have been as low as fourth striker on Steve McClaren's pecking list this week rather than first choice. He has been reminded of that by the guest appearances of Owen and Rooney at England's headquarters in Manchester, the Lowry Hotel. But Crouch, the original footballing matchstick man, was the one going to the match as player, not spectator, and was well aware ahead of Wednesday's game in Macedonia of the need to continue staking his claims: "With those players being out, it's a chance for myself and Jermain [Defoe]. Anytime you play for England there's always going to be someone willing to take your place, whether it's Wayne, Michael, Andy Johnson or Darren Bent. You need to take your chance when you get it and impress when you can."

McClaren, though he was leaning towards giving Ashton that opportunity, has duly been impressed with Crouch, of whom he said after two goals in seven minutes against Greece last month: "Peter has emerged and matured. He's different, he gives a different aspect that's not nice to defend against. He's not just good in the air, his feet are great. He can bring others into the game, which helps our midfield, who can run beyond him and get Defoe a bit of space. He's a valuable player for this squad."

The appreciation is mutual, Crouch enjoying working under Eriksson's successor and his new assistants. "Steve's strength is working with players. He can improve anyone. He's a lot more hands-on [than Eriksson], does a lot more of the coaching. Terry Venables is a hands-on guy who wants to be involved, and Steve Round is very much part of it."

The greater emphasis on pace and width, and the preference for two outright strikers rather than a split system, also appeal to a player bound to thrive on a proper supply of crosses. "I'm not renowned for electric pace but at Liverpool we've got Craig Bellamy, Jermaine Pennant and Mark Gonzalez, and I enjoy playing with players who beat people, get to the by-line and cross the ball. The manager [McClaren] is keen on width, and with a player like Stewart Downing you know when he gets the ball he's more than likely going to cross it. At times you may have to play up front on your own to help out the team, but any striker will tell you that you want to be playing with a partner, it's easier."

Crouch has become a good conversationalist, his fluency reflecting a new confidence in his football. Yet he is shrewd enough to observe: "It's all right talking and saying you deserve to be in the team. But you have to produce it."

[univofchicago]

Great article...

But I'm far more interested in what the Crouch-bashing journalists have to say...For example, Paul Wilson of the Observer...

[Shaggy]

Great article...

But I'm far more interested in what the Crouch-bashing journalists have to say...For example, Paul Wilson of the Observer...

Yes I'd like to hear what those fat *******s Martin Samuel and Brian Woolnough have to say.

I had the misfortune of sitting through Jimmy Hill's Sunday Supplement last season, where he discusses the world of football with three journalists. It was the day after Crouch got booed on at Old Toilet.

Woolnough, in his infinite wisdom, actually labelled Crouch "a disgrace". He was laughing as he said "Crouch was a disgrace. He will never be an international footballer...", and Martin Samuel sat there laughing and agreeing, and insinuating that was he a freak - dismissing Crouch with the utmost disrespect.

Well then you ****ing fat moronic *******s, what you say now huh? Huh?

[Shaggy]

Just had this email from a Vermin...

you're right, he bags against utter tripe. and that's who england have in this group so long may he continue.

but if you're game shaggy, then i'm also happy to pretend he's better than he is and we'll continue to overlook his glaring misses game in game out, cos by his 5th chance, we know he'll notch and then we can sing those cutesy little songs about him.