Crouch storms out?

[kurtangle01]

If, and it's a big if, he's walked out then there's only one way this will go and that's Crouch heading for the exit door. He never had a problem with rotation last season but I think that since Torres has come in he feels sort of inadequate. Knowing that a quality player, and real quality at that, is coming into the club that plays in your position must be hard to deal with but it's how a player responds that counts. Crouch hasn't responded well, some say he hasn't had a chance to but whe you see the quality of his performaces this season I don't think he's desrved much more than he's got. He's been more of a hinderance when he's been in the team.

[AFII]

Yes, and do you remember how we finished with over 80 points that season? And then how Rafa spent in excess of 20M in the transfer market and decided to rejig his attack after only a few games, making Kuyt his #1 and Bellamy the #2?

And then how Crouch, despite no longer being first choice, was able to finish top scorer for the club, one of the top scorers in the Champions League and posted a very impressive 76% win record compared to 36% for the rest of the strikerforce?

Or how about when Rafa then went and spent over 40M without buying a single quality wide midfielder to pick out Crouch with crosses?

I'm not saying Crouch is a world class striker but a lot of people don't realise how effective he can be for a team. Rafa included.

Sorry but this his utter crap.

No player is bigger than the team. If we built a team to fit Crouch then we would be very vulnerable when he is off form or injured.

We should build a team to fit the team, not one player.

[Dhav]

Let's try to regain some sense of reality and ask whether, given how Crouch has come across in his time at Anfield, this genuinely sounds like something he'd do...

Hence why I said "if the rumours are true"

To be honest it doesn't sound like typical behaviour from Crouch, but lately I've seen interviews where he's saying "I knew I made it when..." and stuff like that - he's beginning to come across a lot less humble than he has in the past.

[Joe King]

Yes, and do you remember how we finished with over 80 points that season? And then how Rafa spent in excess of 20M in the transfer market and decided to rejig his attack after only a few games, making Kuyt his #1 and Bellamy the #2?

And then how Crouch, despite no longer being first choice, was able to finish top scorer for the club, one of the top scorers in the Champions League and posted a very impressive 76% win record compared to 36% for the rest of the strikerforce?

Or how about when Rafa then went and spent over 40M without buying a single quality wide midfielder to pick out Crouch with crosses?

I'm not saying Crouch is a world class striker but a lot of people don't realise how effective he can be for a team. Rafa included.

Rafa has decided to spend £20 million on Torres, you actually expect him to drop Torres for Crouch? He did it against Birmingham and we seen what happened. Torres came on and was the more active player, he looked more likely to score.

Rafa doesn't play the style which suits Crouch anymore, the one where we would cross from wide and 50 yards although the back line do like to hoof.

Crouch may have been the top scorer for the club last season but don't you think he could have had more. Rafa knows and thinks if Torres is onto those chances, he would be more likely to score.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

Crouch owes Liverpool alot he was a lower team slugger till he came to us, he has done well for us but just not that excellent quality that we need

> Tottenham Hotspur
> Dulwich Hamlet (loan)
> IFK Hässleholm (loan)
> QPR
> Portsmouth
> Aston Villa
> Norwich City (loan)
> Southampton
> Liverpool

[Craig_H]

Rafa has decided to spend £20 million on Torres, you actually expect him to drop Torres for Crouch?

I dont think anyone would expect that.

It's clearly Torres plus one.

Crouch though, hasnt had a fair share of chances to be that 'one'.

[AFII]

If this is true then it explains why every club has sold him after a short time.

[Craig_H]

Crouch owes Liverpool alot he was a lower team slugger till he came to us, he has done well for us but just not that excellent quality that we need

> Tottenham Hotspur
> Dulwich Hamlet (loan)
> IFK Hässleholm (loan)
> QPR
> Portsmouth
> Aston Villa
> Norwich City (loan)
> Southampton
> Liverpool

Crouch outperformed Kuyt last season, so perhaps Dirk's agent too should be writing letters to some lower teams too?

[Dhav]

If, and it's a big if, he's walked out then there's only one way this will go and that's Crouch heading for the exit door. He never had a problem with rotation last season but I think that since Torres has come in he feels sort of inadequate. Knowing that a quality player, and real quality at that, is coming into the club that plays in your position must be hard to deal with but it's how a player responds that counts. Crouch hasn't responded well, some say he hasn't had a chance to but whe you see the quality of his performaces this season I don't think he's desrved much more than he's got. He's been more of a hinderance when he's been in the team.

I feel there's some truth in this. Torres has visibly and conspicuously risen the bar, and Crouch when he has played has seemed incapable of reaching anywhere near that standard. When he's played this season, he has offered less than Voronin and Kuyt IMO, never mind Torres

[AFII]

I dont think anyone would expect that.

It's clearly Torres plus one.

Crouch though, hasnt had a fair share of chances to be that 'one'.

That is because he hasn't been good enough. If he had been better in pre-season then he would probably have played more. Instead he looked very uninterested the whole pre-season and didn't put up much of a fight.

[Craig_H]

That is because he hasn't been good enough. If he had been better in pre-season then he would probably have played more. Instead he looked very uninterested the whole pre-season and didn't put up much of a fight.

That's fair enough. But if we're to be consistent with things, is Kuyt going to be cast out into the wilderness in due course too? Because he's been shocking of late and not looked particularly 'with it' either.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

He never had a problem with rotation last season but I think that since Torres has come in he feels sort of inadequate.

Way off the mark for me.

The reason he'd be angry is that Kuyt is continually selected ahead of him, despite him having the worst technical abilty of any Liverpool striker in recent times not named Erik Meijer. And the fact that when it comes to getting into scoring positions he bottles it.

Believe me Crouch has his faults, but technical ability and scoring goals aren't two of them.

Yet a player who's rubbish in both those areas plays instead - and we're talking about strikers here remember. Wouldn't you be angry?

[Joe King]

I dont think anyone would expect that.

It's clearly Torres plus one.

Crouch though, hasnt had a fair share of chances to be that 'one'.

He's played with Torres against Reading and Marseille, now they both weren't the hardest opposition yet do you remember him doing anything?

Sell him, he offers not much now. This is evolutionary process by Rafa and Liverpool and Liverpool can attack in better patterns and try different things instead of the agricultural punt up field.

[bigfooty]

Rafa has decided to spend £20 million on Torres, you actually expect him to drop Torres for Crouch? He did it against Birmingham and we seen what happened. Torres came on and was the more active player, he looked more likely to score.

Rafa doesn't play the style which suits Crouch anymore, the one where we would cross from wide and 50 yards although the back line do like to hoof.

Crouch may have been the top scorer for the club last season but don't you think he could have had more. Rafa knows and thinks if Torres is onto those chances, he would be more likely to score.

Our lack of width has been a huge problem this season and one caused by the awful transfer spending in the Summer where the only recognised wide player we signed was Leto who clearly isn't ready for significant first team action. Pennant has still yet to create a goal since April and yet again we had Kuyt playing as right-winger today.

Crouch is a strong player when balls are coming in from the wings, not as great in the air as he can be but he has good movement, can finish with volleys and can make contact. This season nearly all our goals have come from central areas of the pitch because we just have no decent wide players at all. Crouch naturally struggles in this sort of system as he doesn't have pace.

Think of it like this. Crouch was top scorer last season despite only starting half our matches. Imagine if he started 75% of them AND had a truly exceptional partner like Torres instead of Kuyt or Bellamy.

That's something I'd like to see.

[kurtangle01]

Way off the mark for me.

The reason he'd be angry is that Kuyt is continually selected ahead of him, despite him having the worst technical abilty of any Liverpool striker in recent times not named Erik Meijer. And the fact that when it comes to getting into scoring positions he bottles it.

Believe me Crouch has his faults, but technical ability and scoring goals aren't two of them.

Yet a player who's rubbish in both those areas plays instead - and we're talking about strikers here remember. Wouldn't you be angry?

Kuyt offers much more than Crouch. If I had to choose one to sell it would be Crouch every single time. He's weak, poor in the air, slow and can only play well if he's got the ball played right to him. He also has a head shaped like a fifty pence piece, or at least he must have because he can't head the ball.

It's a matter of opinion I suppose but, imho, Kuyt is infinitely better and offers alot more to our team than Crouch.