I was never a fan of Peter Crouch in his early years. Like most people, his ungainly style and his massive height made me question whether he could ever be more than a beanpole who could win you headers in the air. After a successful time with Portsmouth in Division One, Graham Taylor took a chance with the player in the top flight. I thought it was just another bad signing that Taylor had made during his unsuccessful spell as manager at Aston Villa, and my suspicions proved initially to be correct as he failed to hold down a regular first team place at Villa Park. Unsurprisingly Crouch was on the move not long after and he found himself at Southampton.
Saints manager Paul Sturrock, known for his direct style, obviously wanted Crouch to play the target man role, and I thought I’d better steer clear of watching the South coast club during that season. As Southampton flirted with relegation it seemed that Crouch’s move had failed once again, but a dramatic turn around in fortunes occurred for the then 24 year old. Under new coach Harry Redknapp, Crouch came into some inspired form and scored 16 goals as the Saints battled to avert the drop. Despite the failure to avoid relegation, Crouch’s stock had risen during the last few months of the campaign.
My opinion of the player had not changed that much but I was shocked to learn that Liverpool had offered 7million for the player. My overriding thought was “what was Rafa thinking?” A view, which was reinforced when he failed to score in his first 19 games in the Premier League for the Reds, only breaking his duck with a massively deflected goal against Wigan.
Over the next few years during Crouch’s stay at Anfield however, my opinion of the player changed dramatically. It became apparent that Crouch had made big strides in his development as a footballer, and despite the fact he still had an ungainly style of play which was ridiculed by some, his ball control and hold up play were very good for someone who was 6ft7 tall. With the lack of form of Fernando Morientes, Crouch was relied upon quite regularly as a lone frontman and he continued to develop his all round game. Bizarrely, it became obvious that his talents with the ball at feet out shone his aerial ability, and although he won his fair share of headers, his most memorable goals for Liverpool came with his feet.
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