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| Peter Crouch in action, photo by Phil
Chambers |
“He’s big, he’s red; his feet
stick out the bed! Peter Crouch, Peter Crouch!”
That’s
what Liverpool Football Club fans sing about their team’s striker, Peter Crouch,
and standing at 2.01 meters it’s
no wonder. Crouch is the
tallest man ever to have played in the English Premiership and for the
national squad.
Although he has been described as gangly and
ungainly, he has silenced his critics with two
outstanding performances in recent pre-World Cup ‘friendlies’ against Hungary
and Jamaica.
He opened his account with a fantastic goal against Hungary in the 84th
minute of the match. However, if the goal was spectacular, the celebration was
even more remarkable. Crouch ran to the touchline and began to
dance ‘robotics’, apparently parodying the
dance moves with which he had impressed the rest of the team at David and
Victoria Beckham’s pre-World Cup party.
“The Crouch”, as the dance has come to be known, was seen again during
England’s 6-0 victory over Jamaica when the lanky striker
scored a hat-trick. He might easily have scored a fourth but
missed a penalty.
Despite the missed penalty, Crouch has earned his boss’s approval and won a
place in the starting line-up for England’s first World Cup
game against Paraguay.
“Peter had a fantastic game. He had almost everything in the air and scored
goals. I think he will start next Saturday. He deserves it”, said Sven Goran
Eriksson, the England head coach.
English hopes have also been raised by the return to training of Wayne
Rooney. The 20 year-old Manchester United star has been out of
action since fracturing a bone in his foot in May. He
has received intensive medical attention including sleeping in an oxygen
chamber to help the injury to heal.
England fans are praying that he will come off the bench to
join the rest of the team in winning the World Cup for England.
