| PETER CROUCH PROFILE
by Daniel Clein Date of Birth - 30/01/81
Nationality - English
Position - Striker
Squad Number - 15
Cost - £7m
Club Hons (Lpool) - Super Cup 2006, FA Cup 2006
Club Hons (other) - 1st Division 2004
Intnl Hons - England Caps
Other Clubs - Tottenham, IFK Hässleholm (loan), QPR, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Norwich (loan), Southampton |
Eyebrows were raised in July 2005 when Rafael Benitez splashed out £7million to bring giant striker Peter Crouch to Anfield. The then 24-year-old had already amassed seven clubs in a less-than-stellar career, and many Liverpool fans feared the signing of a 6 ft 7 frontman would herald a return to the long-ball game often employed under Gerard Houllier's stewardship. Others felt a player who had played most of his football in the Championship and the lower reaches of the Prem would fail to make the step up in class required, despite the fact that the forward had recently been capped by England.
For a while, it looked as if the critics might be proven right. Crouch failed to find the net in his first four months in a Liverpool shirt, even missing a penalty against Portsmouth in front of the Kop, although he also won plaudits for his deft touch and unselfish teamwork. The breakthrough finally came in the home tie against Wigan on the 3rd of December with a memorable brace; the first a speculative long-range effort that looped ridiculously into the air off Leighton Baines and beyond the despairing Mike Pollitt, the second a delightful cushioned lob over the advancing Wigan 'keeper.
Crouch would find the net for Liverpool another 11 times that season, including the only goal of the game in the FA Cup fifth round tie against United, but it was his performances at international level that turned the player into a national sporting icon. After scoring his second England goal in a May 2006 friendly against Hungary, he hit the headlines for what followed next; a jerking, robotic dance celebration that briefly became a sensation. Four days later, he scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 win over Jamaica, despite again missing a penalty, and with Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney struggling for fitness, Peter Crouch went to the 2006 World Cup as England's top striker.
In the event, he was the only England forward who scored a goal in Germany, with England crashing out on penalties against Portugal. Crouch - harshly dropped for the returning Rooney - came on as a substitute when the hot-headed Scouser was red-carded, but couldn't turn the tide. It was, however, a testament to the player's effectiveness that England looked a more dangerous side with 10 men than they did with 11. Crouch's present tally of 11 goals in 17 internationals marks him out as a player of genuine class.
Crouch began the 2006/7 season in barnstorming fashion, with the winning goal in the Reds' Community Shield victory over Chelsea. Though the big man has struggled to find the net with regularity in the league this season, his four goals in the Champions League group stage were a major factor in Liverpool's qualification as winners of Group C. Highlights of the season so far include spectacular bicycle kicks against Galatasaray and Bolton at Anfield.
Crouchy will always have his critics - for a big man, he's perhaps not as effective in the air as he could be, and he's not blessed with exceptional pace - but with excellent technical ability, a natural height advantage, phenomenal work-rate and good awareness, he stands out as a dangerous striker possessing a rare combination of talents. His not insubstantial fanclub will be hoping that speculation linking the player with a move away from Anfield at the end of the season is nothing more than a tall tale.
