Peter Crouch looking to make an impact for Stoke City
Wednesday 4 November 2015 15:37, UK
Peter Crouch is looking to break back into Stoke City's first team after being on the bench for most of their season so far. Sky Sports News HQ's Rob Dorsett has been to see a man who's tired of sitting down.
"You could've got me a bigger seat!" So says 6ft 7in Peter Crouch, as he joins a group of seven-year olds from Norton-le-Moors Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent. He's here to help them with a practice reading session.
When asked if he'd like to sit to conduct his interview with the Stoke Sentinel, he says he'd rather stand. Not surprising given that he's started every one of Stoke's 11 Premier League games on the bench, and has managed a total of just 51 minutes on the pitch in that time.
"It's been really frustrating. I just have to get on with it, and try to change the manager's mind," Crouch says. "I know I can have an impact on Premier League games, I've just got to convince the manager of that."
For a man who's been linked with several clubs in recent transfer windows, the situation is becoming critical. Will he request a move, I ask him, if he's still frustrated by the time the January transfer window opens?
My attributes don't wane with age, I still feel the same. I'm fit and healthy, I get through 90 minutes without any problems, train every day; age is just a number.
"I'm the type of person who doesn't want to sit around and do nothing, and obviously if it's right for both parties, and it's something I have to do - I'd never say never. But ideally I'll be involved in this Stoke side because it's a team I believe can achieve something.
"I think we have some top players now, we are moving in the right direction and I want to be a part of that. So hopefully I'll be back playing in the Premier League with Stoke City."
The fact that Crouch has had so little game-time, even in the two-match absence of Mame Diouf while he was on compassionate leave following the death of his mother, shows how far the 34-year-old has fallen down Mark Hughes' pecking order. The manager chose to start with Joselu up front instead.
Many Stoke fans think Crouch is a good option; not just with his aerial power, but also with his ability to hold the ball up and bring in the undoubted talents of Bojan, Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri. The man himself is convinced he still has much to offer.
"I don't rely on pace, so I've still got many years in me left," insists Crouch, who signed a new two-year contract at the Britannia Stadium in the summer. He turns 35 in January, but he has no thought of retirement.
"My attributes don't wane with age, I still feel the same. I'm fit and healthy, I get through 90 minutes without any problems, train every day; age is just a number, as far as I'm concerned. I'm fit and ready to go, I feel the same as I did three years ago."
It's a sad situation for Crouch, who was Stoke's club-record signing for £10m in 2011 until that fee was eclipsed by the arrival of £12m Shaqiri in August.
Stoke chairman, Peter Coates, told me a few years ago that signing Crouch was one of the biggest sources of disagreement between him and then-manager Tony Pulis.
Stoke's transfer policy was to only sign players who could maintain or improve their value in their time at the club. Coates didn't see the deal as value for money. He knew that the club wouldn't get their money back, paying a seven-figure sum for a 30-year-old. But he backed his manager, and stumped up the cash. He also told me that, in hindsight, Pulis was proved right, and Crouch was a signing that had moved Stoke on to a new level, enabling them to attract a higher calibre of player.
With so many new signings in the summer, it's clear Crouch feels his star has been eclipsed.
"We signed 12 players in summer, and I knew this season would be more difficult for me to get a lot of games. I just need to take the opportunity when it comes. There's other players in my situation, we're frustrated. But [Hughes] has said he needs the whole squad. I believe him. I signed a two-year contract in the summer, he said he'll need me and the whole squad over season. He believed in me, and my quality.
"When I see all the crosses coming over, it can be frustrating, I'd love to be out there and involved more. But we have some very good attacking players - Bojan, Shaqiri and Arnautovic are players that get everyone off their seats, and it's a great time to be a Stoke supporter."
Crouch thinks it's inevitable that after so many summer signings, it will take the squad some time to gel.
"We had a very slow start, but then we won three Premier League games in a row and played some great stuff during that time. We've had two pretty poor results since then, but I felt we played a bit better against Newcastle. When we do click, it'll be a great season for Stoke I believe, and we should finish in the top 10 again."
Whether Crouch is still at the Britannia Stadium in May to see it, remains to be seen.
