Crouch

[Maldini]

He needs to shut the f*** up about not being picked and get on with his game. He was interviewed after each of the CL games and each time he had a little dig/joke about not being picked. It's doing him no favours, I can see Rafa getting pissed off with it fairly quickly. We're only 5 games into a long season, it's not a time to be moaning about not getting picked.

 

He needs to remember where he is, he's not at Southampton anymore where he'd start every week, he can have that if he wants, but it'll mean an empty trophy cabinet at the end of his career. He should look at what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did in his career. He got less games than Crouch has, but he stuck with United and now he retires with 6 league medals, 2 Fa cup medals and a Champions League Medal and is a hero for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Does he want to satisfy his ego or does he want to win?

[floyd the barber]

c`mon he didnt exactly moan in the interview....also havent seen him go to the press directly or through his agent to have a moan...seems like a quality professional to me...of course he wants to be first choice every week, but isnt that the desire Rafa wants.

 

 

He was asked a question where, really he could only give one honest answer.

[Cheesecake]

didnt hear what he was asked but if it was 'do you want to play every week/more often?' If he said anything other than yes then what would that make him?

[Maldini]

He went to Rafa after the first game of the season giving out, that then came out into the press, add that to these two little digs and it's a little bit petulant. At the end of the season if he's 4th choice and has only played 20 games he'll have a reason to go to the manager, at the moment he should concentrate on playing well.

[Michael]

My biggest gripe with him is the amount of clear cut chances he missed tonight. In tighter games against better opposition that could cost us dear.

[floyd the barber]

but wouldnt you say that happens with most quality strikers? rooney definetly misses his fair few of easy chances as did owen......crouch is just an easy target, yes he should have scored a couple more today....but so should have torres the other day, or kuyt could have had another 2 today....it goes on and on..

 

Still think crouch is a great option and would be a first choice in europe.

[Rimbeux]

  Lets get Masched said:

c`mon he didnt exactly moan in the interview....also havent seen him go to the press directly or through his agent to have a moan...seems like a quality professional to me...of course he wants to be first choice every week, but isnt that the desire Rafa wants.

He was asked a question where, really he could only give one honest answer.

 

 

He's been in to see the boss a couple of times already, I dont know who let it be known, his people or Rafa, but Rafa made a point of him not getting it, not understanding the situation. Either way, the questions come from him going in to see the manager about something he's probably had explained to him a number of times.

 

I think he has his people in his ear about where he stands, with interest elsewhere, England etc and comes from a background where you score and keep your 'place'. I think he's uncomfortable with Rafa's take on what a place is and doesn't really buy into the system, or why there's a paper thin call between him starting a game or not being in the squad at all.

[Bootle Buck]

I thought last season after Crouch became a big hit for England and had his own dance and all, Rafa immediately put him in his place and brought him back down to earth. Since then he has not been as preferred by Rafa as previous to that. I don't think Rafa will be impressed if he starts making comments about his selection.

[Nebraska Red]

my only complaint is that he heads the ball all wrong, his first chance today he tried to power his head to the ball instead of just using the pace of the ball and just directing it to the goal.

 

having said that, Kuyt was just as bad with his head. the old guy with the busted nose should show them the way to head a ball.

[Maldini]

I'm putting 2 and 2 together here, but have a look at this video:

 

http://www.skysports.com/video/0,20285,12606_2692274,00.html

 

Pompey have been linked with a bid for Crouchy and Redknapp is talking about getting rid of Nugent for a "top player"...hmmm...It'll probably end up being Anelka though

[floyd the barber]

crouch is far better than portsmouth....as this stage in his career, i cannot belive for one 2nd he would go there, especially with the euro`s coming up...

 

i reckon pompey want "the beast"

[Koogan]

His heading was again abysmal and he had enough chances for a hat-trick. Definitely not irreplaceable.

[R A Softlad]

Why sign someone only to sell him a few weeks later?

 

I think Crouch would be a mug if he left now but he does need to stop listening to the papers/agents and just play when he gets the chance which will be plenty this season.

 

With 6 goals between our 4 strikers already Rafa is showing he's right to keep it fresh.

[Cunny]

  Michael said:

My biggest gripe with him is the amount of clear cut chances he missed tonight. In tighter games against better opposition that could cost us dear.

 

 

I thought Kuyt was more guilty of missed chances than Crouch last night.

[Koogan]

  Cunny said:

I thought Kuyt was more guilty of missed chances than Crouch last night.

 

BUT, he also did score twice as many!

[Stevie H]

  R A Softlad said:

With 6 goals between our 4 strikers already Rafa is showing he's right to keep it fresh.

yep.

[Gomez]

  R A Softlad said:

Why sign someone only to sell him a few weeks later?

 

Because some one makes it worth your <Harry Redknapp's> while?

[nb]

In my opinion Crouch proved one thing yesterday: That he should be fourth choice. He did a decent job, but his position and finishing are not good enough, he also slows the play down a lot. Crouch is a good player, but Torres, Kuyt and Voronin have deserved to be ahead of him. He should keep his mouth shut and get on with it.

[muleskinner]

When players such as Bellamy, Parker & Ljundberg on £70,000+ a week contracts, Crouch and his agent will be thinking his current deal is a bit undervalued and may well think the time is right for a rise, here or elsewere.

[sean]

Silly thread this, though i do agree in some part with Maldini, if any top striker wants to guarantee himself a game every week he needs to move away from the top 4 clubs in England. Maybe Boro or Pompey as this is the way the very top level clubs operate. Got to be kept fresh with a rigid spine throughout. We've got the latter in about 6 or 7 players now.

[Rimbeux]

  muleskinner said:

When players such as Bellamy, Parker & Ljundberg on £70,000+ a week contracts, Crouch and his agent will be thinking his current deal is a bit undervalued and may well think the time is right for a rise, here or elsewere.

 

There is a strange skew in the wages in the PL now. There is the top tier with the likes of Gerrard, Terry, Ronaldo on over £5m a year, then there has emerged a strange layer, where high quality players like Alonso, Giggs, Cech are keeping company with this new breed of West Newcastle 'elite'.

 

These are players like Dyer, Barton, Duff and those above who are paid roughly twice what their quality is worth going by what most of their level are on, in order to 1) persuade them to move from squad roles at better clubs or leading roles at other middling clubs, and 2) to make some kind of grandiose over-inflated statement of the club's ambition and that players actual ability. If Crouch wants some of that, it wont say much for his ambition.

[Knox_Harrington]

  nb said:

In my opinion Crouch proved one thing yesterday: That he should be fourth choice. He did a decent job, but his position and finishing are not good enough, he also slows the play down a lot. Crouch is a good player, but Torres, Kuyt and Voronin have deserved to be ahead of him. He should keep his mouth shut and get on with it.

Disagree with that bit in bold specifically. Of all of our forwards Crouchy's movement in the box looks to be the best. While he could do with stepping his finishing up he still looks most likely to get on the end of things.

 

More generally speaking if he wants to play every week he should go. If he wants to win things he should stay but all this stems from the manager's incorrect decision to not play him in the final; think about it as Crouchy would - if I'm not getting picked for that final last year, what final am I getting picked for this year?

[Guest Anders Honoré]

  Knox_Harrington said:

Disagree with that bit in bold specifically. Of all of our forwards Crouchy's movement in the box looks to be the best. While he could do with stepping his finishing up he still looks most likely to get on the end of things.

 

Agree with that. He lacked sharpness last night, but he moves like you'd want a striker to move.

[ManxRed]

Worst. Headerer. Ever.

[Tobes Rafa]

Just going off track for a second, can someone please explain to me how Portsmouth can be considering selling Nugent after only signing him in the summer? Is there not a rule that a player cannot move twice in one calendar year? Or does it not count if both times are in the same transfer window?