SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums College, Pro & International Soccer Bazza........ tell me you love Peter Crouch!

Hurst66: See my post under the England V Paraguay thread. But it was nothing to do with service. Again I will say, Crouch gets a pass for having a bad first touch and below average ball skills because he is tall. Again, the summarisers were saying " he's good with his feet for a tall guy". Again, why should it make a difference.??
He gave away too many fouls as we were moving forward. Why does a guy 6' 7" need to foul someone to win the ball in the air?? Plus he doesn't win all the air balls because his positioning, anticipation and timing are not good. To be honest, given the strikers Liverpool have I'm surprised he ever gets on the field for them.
Sorry man, he just doesn't have it. Paraguay are an average team, but way better than our warm up opponents. Sweden will mark him out of the game if he plays because he is easy to mark. He doesn't dribble well, he's not fast, his first touch is poor so the only way he beats you is in the air. England should not be playing the hoof ball with the talent they have.
Only Sven would think Crouch is good enough. This is a guy who took Emile Heskey to the last World Cup and he was out of his depth, as is Crouch.
As for the heat, that is a terrible excuse. This is Germany for God's sake not Mexico. They are professionals and they have been training over there for over a week now so their fitness should not be an issue. Beckham was just using it as an excuse for another mundane performance by him. It is time Sven realised that you cannot give someone a permanent place on the team because he hits a nice ball from a set piece. They have to contribute more than that and he didn't.

Owen couldn't do it.....

Lampard couldn't do it.......

Rooney couldnt do it.....

England Will Get Better, Insists Crouch

Peter Crouch has insisted England will raise their game and overcome either Germany or Ecuador in the second round of the World Cup after struggling to overcome Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in Nuremberg.

Crouch scored his sixth goal in his last five internationals yesterday to break the deadlock with seven minutes remaining, before a fierce shot from Steven Gerrard settled the clash in injury-time.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's side again failed to fire on all cylinders in a performance similar to the single goal success over Paraguay at the weekend.

But they are through to the last 16 - after needing earplugs to obtain a decent night's sleep before the game following the loud celebrations which followed Germany's 1-0 win over Poland on Wednesday.

'We kept going to the end. That was the most important thing,' said Crouch, who was later shown on German television pulling Brent Sancho's dreadlocks as he jumped to score the goal.

'Sweden found to their cost that Trinidad can put up a good fight and they did that against us as well but we managed to break them down again.

'We have ground out two results but if you had said at the start of the competition we'd have six points, we'd have taken that but we do know we can play better and I am sure we will do.

'Would I prefer Germany or Ecuador? We've just got to win the next game against Sweden.

'We'd love to have nine points out of nine and I am sure, whoever we get in the next round, we will improve and win that as well.'

Crouch admitted: 'There was a bit of noise outside the hotel on Wednesday night with Germany winning and there a lot of fans celebrating in the city.'

The Liverpool striker had been guilty of a glaring first-half miss but showed sufficient character to keep plugging away and was rewarded with his close-range header from David Beckham's pin-point cross.

Crouch said: 'It was great to score in a World Cup and it was a special moment for me. I was still thinking about that first-half miss.

'It was disappointing but you can't let your head drop. You've got to keep getting in there.

'With our quality of delivery, especially with David Beckham from the right, you are always going to get other chances and thankfully I managed to take the second one.

'I've got six goals in five games. I am really enjoying it. I am loving it playing for England at the moment and with the creative players we've got in the side, you are always going to get chances.'

Much of the focus was on Wayne Rooney after he came on for the final 32 minutes - his first action in early seven weeks after a broken metatarsal.

But Crouch was also quick to praise the contribution of Aaron Lennon and Stewart Downing as substitutes on the two flanks.

He said: 'There was a lift when Wayne came on - but not just Wayne. I thought Aaron Lennon and Stewart Downing gave us a real lift as well, especially attacking-wise.

'I think we needed that, fresh legs to come on and run at players.'

How many times do I have to say it....HE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!
He missed an open goal when he tried a scissor kick which was way beyond his capabilities. He missed an open goal header after that. Great he scored, after 83 minutes of pumping the ball up to him. Well, I hate to tell you, if we play that tactic against a good team, we will be 4 or 5 down by the time he heads his goal.
It is Svens fault no question. Gerrard and Lampard do not work as a combination, they cancel each other out. Gerrard had been completely a non-factor until he scored. It should be Gerrard on the right, Carrick and Lampard in the center mid and have either Cole or Lennon wide left depending upon if Rooney is playing.
Crouch should not be seen in an England shirt ever again. Againt Argentina or Brazil they will laugh at him. But we won't get that far.
We have some of the most gifted players at the World Cup and we are playing the long ball game to accommodate Crouch. It is ridiculous!!
To top it all when he put Rooney on he took Owen off!!! That was unbelievable. You take off one of the best strikers England has had and leave on one of the worst.
Last game the excuse was the heat, this time Beckham said "we can only get better". Give me a break. Sven is not playing the right team or tactics. Too careful, too cautious. We should have destroyed T&T.
If Beckham could come on like a football kicker and just take corners and free kicks that would be great. But we can't do that and he does nothing the rest of the game and he should not be in the team.
The best thing that the FA could do is send Sven and Crouch home and let McClaren take over.
We might have a chance then.

Bazza,

Crouch wasn't great yesterday....no doubt about it. But he did end up being England's best option at forward....he scored the goal.

I love the energy that Rooney brings and if he's fit to start, England will be a tough out. But give Sven credit, he took off the right forward when he brought in Rooney yesterday. Sorry Michael Owen, you were not effective.

I love Lampard, but he had plenty of chances yesterday and he didn't come through. You are correct.....Gerrard has to get forward more often, whether he comes from the middle or from the outside.

Give Beckham an break. With England's all-star roster they can afford to carry a role player on the pitch and nobody serves the ball better than Beckham.

Great job by Lennon yesterday off the bench.

It is what it is Bazza, team is set....have to play with the cards in your hand. England are much better than T&T and significantly better than most of the teams in the field. They do come out too cautious. Why don't they press forward more often, early in the match? Ferdinand and Terry can thwart any counter and Cole and Carragher can certainly recover.

Definitely need to stick a boot on the opponent's throat early in the match.

Sorry man, we have better cards to deal than you suggest. First, leave out Ashley Cole and put in Wayne Bridge. Then, if Rooney starts, you have Gerrard,Lampard, Carrick and Joe Cole, with Rooney and Owen up front.
If Rooney is not fit, then you go with Owen and Joe Cole up front and put Lennon in midfield.
THAT team might stand a chance.
Owen did not shine becuase they were not paying a game that works to his strengths. Even the owner and coaches at Newcastle are complaining that he is being wasted. They are not playing to the strengths of the other players either.
He seems to be content to leave Crouch up top and whilst he's got Beckham to serve it he's not going to change. But it doesn't work. Things will not get better if he leaves it as is.
It is a shame, because with a better coach and more appropriate tactics they could win it.

OK Bazza......what now?

4-4-2 with Rooney and Crouch up top?

Or 4-5-1 with Crouch out, Hargreaves & Gerrard in, and Lampard pushing forward from the center of midfield?

What do you like?

I like 4-4-2 with Gerrard on the right, Lampard and Carrick or Hargreaves in the center-mid with Lennon or Downing wide left. Rooney and Cole up front. I'd play Walcott up there before your man Crouch!
4-5-1 is a bad tactic with the players we have.

Announcers were speculating yesterday on when would be a good time for Wolcott to make his World Cup debut.......

I suggested "in South Africa".