Owzat wrote:Scottbot wrote:Owzat wrote:Love the way some dismiss Cisse out of hand but would have Crouch back in a heartbeat. Both weren't good enough for LFC when with us
Owzat, your criticism of Crouch when he was at the club was almost as O.T.T as the way you react whenever anyone has a bad word to say about Kuyt. He was and is a good player. You don't score hatricks for Liverpool, Spurs and England if you're not.
Oh yes, the mighty hat-trick against Jam-maker. Fair play the Arsenal hat-trick was good, but the Arsenal defence did give him way too much room.
Did I ever say he wasn't a "good player", just your interpretation and mine on "good" differs, you being much more easily pleased.
My criticism was fair on Crouch, Kuyt isn't prolific either but contributes much more all-round - and I don't mean this fictional holding up of the ball nonsense that Crouch gets credited with. He flicks it on to nobody, or at best passes it backwards. He has no pace, is poor in the air and his overall goalscoring record at club level is ordinary. He certainly makes most of playing poor opposition though, which is why his England record is so good because you play so many ordinary sides in friendlies and qualifiers. That isn't to say he never scores against good sides, just they are rarities like against the mancs in the FA Cup, said aforementioned hat-trick against Arsenal and his goal against Croatia
Wouldn't want Crouch back any more than I'd want Cisse back, 13 goals in 42 games for spudz is about right for him, a nothing special 1 in 3 goalscorer. At least without him we don't play route one football, well at least not as an intended tactic
I just find it strange that you appreciate the work-rate, graft and all-aropund stuff that Kuyt does on the pitch and yet you fail to appreciate the similar qualities that Crouch brought/can bring to the table. The hold up/link up play isn't a myth yanno? There's a lot to be said for having a player whom you can get it into his FEET early before the rest of the team is able to push up and join him. In these circumstances there is nothing wrong with "passing the ball backwards". We've missed that ever since we let him go in my opinion. We haven't had a plan B for the last 2 years but every team needs one. Teams park the bus and sit deep with Torres leadiung the line, at least if we had a big man you can make them think twice about doing that because if they sit deep then you can work the ball wide and get crosses into the box.
It doesn't have to be Crouch but I'm all for signing someone of that ilk. Klose seems to be the best option out there, bearing in mind his age, likely price etc.
