Post by Macmoish on Jan 30, 2015 7:36:27 GMT
Peter Crouch Turns 42
Tottenham Official Site - July 28, 2000
Posted on 28 July 2000 -
English Barclays Premiership
Young forward Peter Crouch has joined QPR. The deal went through on Thursday with ex-Spurs boss Gerry Francis taking the 19-year-old to Loftus Road for a nominal fee.
Our director of football David Pleat said: "Peter is out of our Under-19s next season so is not available for the academy team.
"He needs time to develop and I'm sure by the time he reaches his mid-20s he will have the necessary strength to go with his natural physical attributes. He is a very tall boy and has a fair amount of ability but I just felt for his own sake that at this moment in time he would probably get more opportunities, particularly at reserve team level, at QPR. He may even get the odd first team game and will be well coached by Gerry.
"If boys are not going to be part of your group before 21, then you have to let them make their way when they get a chance. Peter is a super lad, he'll listen and learn and we hope he does well. We will all be interested to see how he fares."
An England youth international, Crouch signed professional forms at the Lane in July 1998, a year after joining us as a trainee.
www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/crouch-joins-qpr-280700/
QPR Official Site - August 16, 2000
PETER HAPPY WITH DEBUT
PETER CROUCH enjoyed his full Nationwide League debut as the R's drew 0-0 against Birmingham City.
Peter says: "It was a tight game but I thought we could have won it. We had a couple of good chances to do it. It was a good performance by the team.
"It was good to get my professional debut under my belt. It was the biggest crowd I have played in front of. The Rangers fans really got behind us as well.
"I wasn't particularly nervous before the game. I've played at various different England levels, which was quite nerve-wracking, so I felt okay before the Birmingham match.
"I had one header just over the bar during the game. I thought I could have done a little bit better with that actually. If I had redirected it to the far corner it would have gone in.
"I think it will take time for me to get into First Division football. I did okay against Birmingham but I hope I can do a lot better than that.
"I'm just hoping to be involved in and around the squad. If I play, that's great. That's what I'm looking to do. But I just want to be involved really."
Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/15190/years-today-peter-crouch-joined#ixzz3QHuE62yL
Debut -
QPR Official Site - August 12 2000 - RANGERS HELD IN OPENER
QPR and Birmingham City drew 0-0 at Loftus Road on the opening day of the 2000/2001 season.
Rangers dominated possession but could not test Ian Bennett in the Birmingham goal in this interesting opening day test for both sides.
The pressure on Birimngham boss Trevor Francis is to win promotion, while Gerry Francis' side's form last season means that a play-off challenge is expected in West London. And on this evidence both sides are still short of ideas, especially in attack, and will have to improve in the months to come.
Rangers too often failed to resist the temptation to aim for big striker Peter Crouch, picked up for a song from Tottenham. They found plenty of room down the flanks, as Birmingham's tactical achilles heel against teams that play wing-backs looked evident again in the first-half.
Ian Baraclough down the left and Jermaine Darlington on the right were finding too much space, yet their crosses were always magnetised towards Bennett and David Holdsworth rather than the totem Crouch.
It was Baraclough who squandered the first of three chances made by the evergreen Gavin Peacock in the opening fifteen minutes - the Hoops' best period. His 14th minute effort fizzed wide from 20 yards as his contribution caught the eye.
Clarke Carlisle was another debutant and his performance in the R's defence must have had the Loftus Road fans drooling of the season to come. Carlisle, a £250,000 buy from Blackpool, looked a snip as he won headers, tackles, loose balls and found passes to team-mates.
In the hot sun Birmingham record buy Geoff Horsfield was making little headway against Carlisle and Karl Ready. Horsfield was later booked and was lucky not to be sent off for an assault on the blond former Welsh international, and this strong bustling striker certainly has the aggressive streak that Birmingham's attack has missed in the last few years.
In the second half the game picked up. with Birmingham looking the quickest out of the blocks. Four minutes in a Martin Grainger's whipped in right-wing corner found the unlikely figure of Peter Ndlovu whose glancing flick at the near post unluckily found Gavin Peacock on the line headed clear.
Two minutes later Danny Sonner, on his debut, fired a great effort from 25 yards low to Harper's left as it seemed that Birmingham would take command.
But then Rangers seized the initiaive, Crouch finally attracting a Darlington cross to nod just over before Michael Johnson had to time his tackle on Chris Kiwomya from six yards in the 65th minute.
It was the transfer-listed Ndlovu, who nearly went to Nottingham Forest last week, that was the greatest threat in the Blues defence. he turned Darlington inside out before firing a great cross that just evaded Horsfield, who seems to lack a yard of pace in these early days.
Harper pawed away a great Grainger long-range free-kick, as the midfielder The second half was much better than the lacklustre first period, and stuyart wardley found a well-tiomed run to rach a Kiwomya pass but could not control the ball.
Harper was the busier glovesman and had to save from Sonner with fifteen minutes left, and instantly the former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder nearly gifted Richard Langley a goal with a poor defensive header but the shot was straight at Bennett. That summed up a poor afternoon's fare.
Harper Heinola Darlington Carlisle Ready Morrow Wardley Rowland Langley Crouch Kiwomya + Miklosko Connolly Jeanne Greeves Kulcsar
And years later, Gerry Francis Talking...
Sep 4, 2009 Daily Express
PETER HAS HAD THE LAST LAUGH, SAYS FRANCIS
Saturday September 5,2009
By Frank Wiechula
NOT surprisingly, Peter Crouch has provoked some big debates, fluctuating opinions and even terrace ridicule on his sometimes circuitous route to the top.
At 6ft 7in, the tallest man ever to represent England internationally, he is used to jibes about his height, ability and perceived ungainly style.
But it has not stopped immensely likeable striker Crouch from playing for some of our biggest domestic clubs – attracting more than £33million in transfer fees, Tottenham being the most recent at £9m – and building an outstanding England record of 16 goals in 34 appearances.
Come Wednesday, Crouch, 28, could be preparing for his second successive World Cup after winning over his third England manager in Fabio Capello.
But one man hugely instrumental in the early days of the Crouch success story, Gerry Francis, is not the slightest bit surprised at just how well he has risen to the challenge and defeated the doubters.
Francis, the former QPR and Tottenham manager and a one-time England captain, said: “We had him as a kid at QPR and I signed him as a schoolboy before I went to Tottenham. Then when I went to White Hart Lane we took him with us, where he signed professional forms.”
By that stage Francis had returned to his spiritual home as QPR boss again, but he never forgot about Crouch, who did not make the Spurs senior side.
Francis, now Stoke’s first-team coach, said: “I’d gone back to QPR and I remember talking to David Pleat, who said Crouch wouldn’t be good enough for Tottenham.
“So we brought him back for something ridiculous, like £60,000. Peter went straight into the team and got 12 goals, doing very well in a difficult season.”
But QPR’S relegation in 2001 and their precarious financial state meant cashing in on Crouch. He was sold to Portsmouth for £1.2m and the goals and roller-coaster run started in earnest.
www.express.co.uk/posts/view/125168/Peter-has-had-the-last-laugh-says-Francis
Joins Portsmouth from QPR -
SKY - CROUCH ENDS QPR STAY AS ITALIAN ALSO JOINS
By Alex Livie |
PETER CROUCH has expressed his delight at finally completing his transfer from Queens Park Rangers to Portsmouth, while Graham Rix has also bolstered his squad further by snapping up Alessandro Zamperini.
Lanky striker Crouch finally penned a contract after the formalities of a £1.25 million deal were concluded.
The forward appeared pleased to now have the chance to link up with the Pompey management team.
Crouch said: "I am delighted to sign for Pompey, and their fans are still fresh in my mind from playing down here so recently. I also remember them from when they visited us when they did not stop.
"Add Graham Rix and Harry Redknapp and it did not take a lot of persuading that this is the place to be.
"I am absolutely excited by the prospects and I am determined to succeed at Pompey."
Crouch added that Pompey`s persuasiveness prompted him to sign with them, saying: "Burnley and Preston both wanted me but Pompey seem the most ambitious club and they wanted me more.
"I am far from the finished article and to learn under people like Graham will have a tremendous bearing on my career."
Rix, meanwhile, has beaten off interest from a host of clubs to lure Zamperini to Fratton Park.
The 19-year-old Italian defender was supposed to move from Roma to West Ham, but problems concerning his registration foiled the deal.
He had a trial with Everton last term, but his stay at Goodison Park was cut short after he was stretchered off during a practice match.
It would seem that Pompey`s former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp had a lot to do with the player signing a two-year deal.
Pompey`s director of football revealed what attracted him to the defender, saying: "He's a tall lad with a great left foot and also has great physique, a good build and is good in the air.
"He is worth taking a chance on because he could turn out to be an exceptional talent."
In a third deal, Pompey have also completed the signing of Chelsea youngster Courtney Pitt.
Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/40854/birthday-peter-crouch-flashback-joins#ixzz55eJ5yH1n
WIKIPEDIA
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)
2000 → Dulwich Hamlet (loan) 6 (1)
2000 → IFK Hässleholm (loan) 8 (3)
2000–2001 Queens Park Rangers 42 (10)
2001–2002 Portsmouth 37 (18)
2002–2004 Aston Villa 37 (6)
2003 → Norwich City (loan) 15 (4)
2004–2005 Southampton 27 (12)
2005–2008 Liverpool 85 (22)
2008–2009 Portsmouth 38 (11)
2009–2011 Tottenham Hotspur 73 (12)
2011– Stoke City 225 (46)
National team
2002–2003 England U21 6 (1)
2006 England B 1 (0)
2005–2010 England 42 (22)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Crouch
Tottenham Official Site - July 28, 2000
Posted on 28 July 2000 -
English Barclays Premiership
Young forward Peter Crouch has joined QPR. The deal went through on Thursday with ex-Spurs boss Gerry Francis taking the 19-year-old to Loftus Road for a nominal fee.
Our director of football David Pleat said: "Peter is out of our Under-19s next season so is not available for the academy team.
"He needs time to develop and I'm sure by the time he reaches his mid-20s he will have the necessary strength to go with his natural physical attributes. He is a very tall boy and has a fair amount of ability but I just felt for his own sake that at this moment in time he would probably get more opportunities, particularly at reserve team level, at QPR. He may even get the odd first team game and will be well coached by Gerry.
"If boys are not going to be part of your group before 21, then you have to let them make their way when they get a chance. Peter is a super lad, he'll listen and learn and we hope he does well. We will all be interested to see how he fares."
An England youth international, Crouch signed professional forms at the Lane in July 1998, a year after joining us as a trainee.
www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/crouch-joins-qpr-280700/
QPR Official Site - August 16, 2000
PETER HAPPY WITH DEBUT
PETER CROUCH enjoyed his full Nationwide League debut as the R's drew 0-0 against Birmingham City.
Peter says: "It was a tight game but I thought we could have won it. We had a couple of good chances to do it. It was a good performance by the team.
"It was good to get my professional debut under my belt. It was the biggest crowd I have played in front of. The Rangers fans really got behind us as well.
"I wasn't particularly nervous before the game. I've played at various different England levels, which was quite nerve-wracking, so I felt okay before the Birmingham match.
"I had one header just over the bar during the game. I thought I could have done a little bit better with that actually. If I had redirected it to the far corner it would have gone in.
"I think it will take time for me to get into First Division football. I did okay against Birmingham but I hope I can do a lot better than that.
"I'm just hoping to be involved in and around the squad. If I play, that's great. That's what I'm looking to do. But I just want to be involved really."
Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/15190/years-today-peter-crouch-joined#ixzz3QHuE62yL
Debut -
QPR Official Site - August 12 2000 - RANGERS HELD IN OPENER
QPR and Birmingham City drew 0-0 at Loftus Road on the opening day of the 2000/2001 season.
Rangers dominated possession but could not test Ian Bennett in the Birmingham goal in this interesting opening day test for both sides.
The pressure on Birimngham boss Trevor Francis is to win promotion, while Gerry Francis' side's form last season means that a play-off challenge is expected in West London. And on this evidence both sides are still short of ideas, especially in attack, and will have to improve in the months to come.
Rangers too often failed to resist the temptation to aim for big striker Peter Crouch, picked up for a song from Tottenham. They found plenty of room down the flanks, as Birmingham's tactical achilles heel against teams that play wing-backs looked evident again in the first-half.
Ian Baraclough down the left and Jermaine Darlington on the right were finding too much space, yet their crosses were always magnetised towards Bennett and David Holdsworth rather than the totem Crouch.
It was Baraclough who squandered the first of three chances made by the evergreen Gavin Peacock in the opening fifteen minutes - the Hoops' best period. His 14th minute effort fizzed wide from 20 yards as his contribution caught the eye.
Clarke Carlisle was another debutant and his performance in the R's defence must have had the Loftus Road fans drooling of the season to come. Carlisle, a £250,000 buy from Blackpool, looked a snip as he won headers, tackles, loose balls and found passes to team-mates.
In the hot sun Birmingham record buy Geoff Horsfield was making little headway against Carlisle and Karl Ready. Horsfield was later booked and was lucky not to be sent off for an assault on the blond former Welsh international, and this strong bustling striker certainly has the aggressive streak that Birmingham's attack has missed in the last few years.
In the second half the game picked up. with Birmingham looking the quickest out of the blocks. Four minutes in a Martin Grainger's whipped in right-wing corner found the unlikely figure of Peter Ndlovu whose glancing flick at the near post unluckily found Gavin Peacock on the line headed clear.
Two minutes later Danny Sonner, on his debut, fired a great effort from 25 yards low to Harper's left as it seemed that Birmingham would take command.
But then Rangers seized the initiaive, Crouch finally attracting a Darlington cross to nod just over before Michael Johnson had to time his tackle on Chris Kiwomya from six yards in the 65th minute.
It was the transfer-listed Ndlovu, who nearly went to Nottingham Forest last week, that was the greatest threat in the Blues defence. he turned Darlington inside out before firing a great cross that just evaded Horsfield, who seems to lack a yard of pace in these early days.
Harper pawed away a great Grainger long-range free-kick, as the midfielder The second half was much better than the lacklustre first period, and stuyart wardley found a well-tiomed run to rach a Kiwomya pass but could not control the ball.
Harper was the busier glovesman and had to save from Sonner with fifteen minutes left, and instantly the former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder nearly gifted Richard Langley a goal with a poor defensive header but the shot was straight at Bennett. That summed up a poor afternoon's fare.
Harper Heinola Darlington Carlisle Ready Morrow Wardley Rowland Langley Crouch Kiwomya + Miklosko Connolly Jeanne Greeves Kulcsar
And years later, Gerry Francis Talking...
Sep 4, 2009 Daily Express
PETER HAS HAD THE LAST LAUGH, SAYS FRANCIS
Saturday September 5,2009
By Frank Wiechula
NOT surprisingly, Peter Crouch has provoked some big debates, fluctuating opinions and even terrace ridicule on his sometimes circuitous route to the top.
At 6ft 7in, the tallest man ever to represent England internationally, he is used to jibes about his height, ability and perceived ungainly style.
But it has not stopped immensely likeable striker Crouch from playing for some of our biggest domestic clubs – attracting more than £33million in transfer fees, Tottenham being the most recent at £9m – and building an outstanding England record of 16 goals in 34 appearances.
Come Wednesday, Crouch, 28, could be preparing for his second successive World Cup after winning over his third England manager in Fabio Capello.
But one man hugely instrumental in the early days of the Crouch success story, Gerry Francis, is not the slightest bit surprised at just how well he has risen to the challenge and defeated the doubters.
Francis, the former QPR and Tottenham manager and a one-time England captain, said: “We had him as a kid at QPR and I signed him as a schoolboy before I went to Tottenham. Then when I went to White Hart Lane we took him with us, where he signed professional forms.”
By that stage Francis had returned to his spiritual home as QPR boss again, but he never forgot about Crouch, who did not make the Spurs senior side.
Francis, now Stoke’s first-team coach, said: “I’d gone back to QPR and I remember talking to David Pleat, who said Crouch wouldn’t be good enough for Tottenham.
“So we brought him back for something ridiculous, like £60,000. Peter went straight into the team and got 12 goals, doing very well in a difficult season.”
But QPR’S relegation in 2001 and their precarious financial state meant cashing in on Crouch. He was sold to Portsmouth for £1.2m and the goals and roller-coaster run started in earnest.
www.express.co.uk/posts/view/125168/Peter-has-had-the-last-laugh-says-Francis
Joins Portsmouth from QPR -
SKY - CROUCH ENDS QPR STAY AS ITALIAN ALSO JOINS
By Alex Livie |
PETER CROUCH has expressed his delight at finally completing his transfer from Queens Park Rangers to Portsmouth, while Graham Rix has also bolstered his squad further by snapping up Alessandro Zamperini.
Lanky striker Crouch finally penned a contract after the formalities of a £1.25 million deal were concluded.
The forward appeared pleased to now have the chance to link up with the Pompey management team.
Crouch said: "I am delighted to sign for Pompey, and their fans are still fresh in my mind from playing down here so recently. I also remember them from when they visited us when they did not stop.
"Add Graham Rix and Harry Redknapp and it did not take a lot of persuading that this is the place to be.
"I am absolutely excited by the prospects and I am determined to succeed at Pompey."
Crouch added that Pompey`s persuasiveness prompted him to sign with them, saying: "Burnley and Preston both wanted me but Pompey seem the most ambitious club and they wanted me more.
"I am far from the finished article and to learn under people like Graham will have a tremendous bearing on my career."
Rix, meanwhile, has beaten off interest from a host of clubs to lure Zamperini to Fratton Park.
The 19-year-old Italian defender was supposed to move from Roma to West Ham, but problems concerning his registration foiled the deal.
He had a trial with Everton last term, but his stay at Goodison Park was cut short after he was stretchered off during a practice match.
It would seem that Pompey`s former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp had a lot to do with the player signing a two-year deal.
Pompey`s director of football revealed what attracted him to the defender, saying: "He's a tall lad with a great left foot and also has great physique, a good build and is good in the air.
"He is worth taking a chance on because he could turn out to be an exceptional talent."
In a third deal, Pompey have also completed the signing of Chelsea youngster Courtney Pitt.
Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/40854/birthday-peter-crouch-flashback-joins#ixzz55eJ5yH1n
WIKIPEDIA
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (0)
2000 → Dulwich Hamlet (loan) 6 (1)
2000 → IFK Hässleholm (loan) 8 (3)
2000–2001 Queens Park Rangers 42 (10)
2001–2002 Portsmouth 37 (18)
2002–2004 Aston Villa 37 (6)
2003 → Norwich City (loan) 15 (4)
2004–2005 Southampton 27 (12)
2005–2008 Liverpool 85 (22)
2008–2009 Portsmouth 38 (11)
2009–2011 Tottenham Hotspur 73 (12)
2011– Stoke City 225 (46)
National team
2002–2003 England U21 6 (1)
2006 England B 1 (0)
2005–2010 England 42 (22)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Crouch
