Red watch: Credit Peter Crouch in his desire to play
SO, it's farewell to 'the 6ft 7in Peter Crouch' as he came to be known by all the popular press and TV commentators.
Our erstwhile centre-forward, doomed forever to be known by various epithets which deride his unusual physique, leaves with some reluctance on both sides but for the best of reasons - he wants to play football rather than sit bent double under the Perspex roofs of dug-outs the length and breadth of the land.
Many eyebrows were raised when Rafa splashed out £7million for Crouch in the summer of 2005; indeed mine were so high that I needed a fishing net to bring them down again
Doubts that the much-travelled striker had what it takes to succeed at Liverpool were reinforced by his long wait for his first goal, though strangely this seemed to strengthen his support in the crowd, as Kopites rallied round to defend him against increasing ridicule from outside of the city (and indeed from half of it inside as well).
While in itself no indicator of talent - remember that Erik Meijer was a Kop favourite - the support offered by the knowledgeable Anfield crowd revealed growing recognition that Crouchy had a role to play, in terms of holding the ball up and offering an aerial presence, which had previously been lacking.
Indeed, his ability to retain possession while others joined the attack was credited by Benitez as a major reason for the improvement in our away form in that first season.
When the goals began to flow, albeit irregularly, the quality of the player became evident, drawing seemingly grudging praise from those outside Merseyside.
For even when scoring goals for both club and country, Crouch seems destined to be damned by faint praise.
How often have you heard it said "he's got good touch for a big man"?
As if it is impossible for anyone over 6ft to be anything other than a clumsy, uncoordinated oaf struggling to tie his own shoelaces?
He's a skilful player. Period.
The appalling treatment he initially received at the hands (and voices) of the England 'fans', basically for the crime of being very tall, was typical of the prejudice he has had to fight all his career.
As his goals turned the England crowd around, forcing them to look towards Stamford Bridge for their obligatory boo boy, still the pundits cast doubts on his achievements, slyly noting that his goals had come against the likes of Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Greece, Andorra etc, as if scoring against this opposition didn't really 'count'.
What they failed to notice was that (a) this was a pretty long list, and growing, and (b) nobody else was filling their boots against this supposedly insignificant opposition.
Given his undoubted improvement, many fans and observers were baffled by Rafa's seeming reluctance to trust Crouch last season, and indeed towards the end of the previous season.
Looking back, Benitez's decision to start with Dirk Kuyt as the spearhead of the attack in the Athens Champions League Final, calling on Crouch only for the last 10 minutes when we were 2-0 down, was the beginning of the end for Peter.
The arrival of Torres confirmed his apparent demotion, with the manager apparently reluctant to pair the two together for any games of consequence.
Unreasonably, Rafa seems to think that his initial support of Crouch during his goal-less start should be repaid by a willingness to play a supporting role for the prime years of his career; in these days of footballing mercenaries, it's to his credit that Crouchy has opted for first-team football instead.
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You have to let this kid play,he is not going to get enough games with the Pool so I wish him well he always gave hu=is hearth and sole when played for us,it's sad to see him go but best wishes for his future