Crouchy (retired)

[Eckybloke]

By his own admission he was too young when he came to us.  Listen to the transfers episode of his podcast if you can, I think that's the one where he goes on about us a bit and how he felt bad for SGT that he couldn't have the success he wanted for him.

He comes across as a genuinely nice, funny and refreshingly honest guy in his podcasts.

[garyshawsknee]

Seems like one of the good guys in the game. Like many of our signings, he came at a difficult time and it never quite worked out, but he developed into a good player.

[LeeB]

I remember him coming on as sub for one of his last appearances and some c*** in front of me on the Holte was booing before he'd even touched the ball, what a fuckin' twat. I had a right go, he was wearing one of the those John Motson style sheepskin coats. Every time Crouch scored for someone else I thought of him. I hope he's stopped going.

I remember having the same issue in the lower Trinity with some twat in a midweek game when he was about to come on. The ****** waved his season ticket at me when I pulled him up on it, whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean.

[danno]

I remember him coming on as sub for one of his last appearances and some c*** in front of me on the Holte was booing before he'd even touched the ball, what a fuckin' twat. I had a right go, he was wearing one of the those John Motson style sheepskin coats. Every time Crouch scored for someone else I thought of him. I hope he's stopped going.

I remember having the same issue in the lower Trinity with some twat in a midweek game when he was about to come on. The c*** waved his season ticket at me when I pulled him up on it, whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean.

I'm quite fluent in "twat". It means "I've paid my money I can say what I want and be an arsehole if I choose".

It also has traces of "better fan than you", the inference being that perhaps you are not a season ticket holder and therefore in no position to question him.

[AsTallAsLions]

ATAL, have you still got the Motson coat? 😉

I swear your honour, I was in the southern hemisphere at the time!

[Damo70]

Packed it in.  Another season in Burnley was too much to bear apparently!

Cracking player - thought he was great for us and got too much unfair stick.

Never let fame get to his head either - favourite quote?  "What would you be if you weren't a footballer, Peter?"

"Single"

All the best big lad!

I think his actual answer to the question "What would you be if you weren't a footballer"? Was "A virgin"! I saw his Villa Park debut against Newcastle and the Newcastle defence couldn't handle him. I think all of their back four got booked for fouling him. I also remember him putting in an excellent performance when we were attempting to claw back the League Cup Semi final second leg tie at home to Bolton. What a great decision it was by DOL to flog him at a loss to Southampton and bring in Carlton Cole on loan instead. In his first autobigraphy he tells how Doug put him up in a luxury hotel suite whilst the deal was going through for him to join Villa. Then when the deal was done Doug had him moved to a tiny cheap hotel room.

[West Derby Villan]

Agree, really did not get a fair crack with us.
I think England could have used him more and better.
Good feet for a big man and comes across as a decent bloke.

This 110%

[Pete3206]

Superb professional who deservedly had a great career.

Sir Graham saw the potential in him and it was a shame it didn't work out for him at Villa.

[dave shelley]

I agree with all the positive comments above.  Always enjoyed his endevour even if it was from distance.  He'd be one of life's nice people whatever his chosen profession had been.  Good luck big 'un.

[West Derby Villan]

And his podcast is very entertaining as well

[Nii Lamptey]

I was lucky enough to meet him during his first week at Villa. I was working as an animator at Codemasters (Club Football video game for PS2/Xbox) at the time, and as a Villa fan, managed to blag my way into the pickup shoot to get head reference for modelling the new/missed players' heads.

We were set up in a portacabin at Bodymoor Heath, whereby the media guy (the fella that used to do ITV sport headlines) would bring the players in to us, one by one. Crouchy came in really sheepishly and had to literally bend over double to get through the door! Was taken aback at how shy he was back then - Lovely, modest guy. Couldn't believe it when he hooked up with Abi Clancy!

Always liked him as a player, and new he'd do alright from that moment on. Congrats on a cracking career Rodders and good luck for the future! 

[CT]

Boro away, last minute, UDLC crosses the ball, keeper parties, Crouchy bangs in the winner.

Mad scenes in the away end. We only had ten men and had defended brilliantly for the second half (Sorensen and Mellberg were outstanding).

Definitely my favourite memory of him.

[SoccerHQ]

I too thought his move to us came a little too early in his career, it was his first move to premier league club and I believe SGT said in his autobiography he was actually still commuting from London in his early months.

Could see in his early games he certainly had a "good touch for a big man" which was repeated non stop throughout his career but a little bit too gangly and in any case Angel and Vassell was a good combination for us in those days so he wasn't developing as quickly off the bench.

Still very hard player to dislike and certainly one who maximised his career to the full. If you'd said to me when he left us in 2004 that within three years he'd have played and scored in a world cup and also played in a champions league final for Liverpool I'd have been laughing for close to three years.

Full respect to Crouchy.

[ktvillan]

Can't say I thought he was great for anyone

108 top flight goals, several World Cup appearances, an FA Cup winners medal and a Champions League appearance would beg to differ!

So? Emile Heskey scored 110. Pretty sure he ticks the other boxes too.

I'll say again - Crouchy's a top lad and I bear him absolutely no ill will. I just don't go in for the revisionism of suggesting he was great for us now that he's retiring.

No revisionism from me, I liked him at the time.  I wouldn't say he was great for us I just thought he had something but others just seemed to see a gangly awkward youth and mocked him for it.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

He should carry on playing and John Burridge should be doing that Carphone warehouse ad. Crouchy only played for 10 different clubs, Budgie got to 29.