Cascarino: Spurs Star Crouch Should be Ahead of Heskey & Cole for England
Wayne Rooney is a certainty to be in the England side in South Africa this summer and I would expect Jermain Defoe to be joining him in the squad as a likely substitute. Who will be paired up front with Wayne is still up in the air with three of those contenders in the squad for tonight’s friendly with Egypt.
Tottenham star Peter Crouch would be my choice ahead of West Ham’s Carlton Cole and Aston Villa’s Emile Heskey. In fact, I would pick him every day of the week. I have been accused of being a member of the Peter Crouch fan club in the past but I honestly do think he is the best option. Not only is Peter a better footballer technically than the other two candidates but he also possesses by far the better international record. You really can’t argue with his scoring record of 18 goals in 36 caps for England while Cole has yet to net and Heskey has scored just 7 goals in 57 caps.
Crouch has had a decent first season for Spurs and I certainly think Harry Redknapp’s team are better with him in it. His particular strengths are so difficult for defenders to deal with and that has been proven time and again at international level. Peter doesn’t get the credit he deserves as a footballer, his hold up play and ability to play team-mates in makes him a far better option than Heskey who is literally a battering ram and Cole who is unproven at this level.
For me, Hammers forward Cole would be a nervous wreck if selected to start at the tournament and would be a far better option from the substitutes bench where he would not feel the pressure so much. The same can be said for Heskey. For Emile he knows that as soon as he misses a chance, every fan in England will be thinking the same thing, ‘why is he there with his scoring record?’
All three players are major handfuls but with the players England have in midfield, Tottenham man Peter Crouch would be the best option. If you consider the crossing ability likely to be included in the squad with Gerrard, Beckham and now Lennon, there is no-one better in English football to be in on the end of their deliveries. The Spurs man has been written off time and again but you simply cannot argue with his record for England and the problems he causes international defences. Therefore, if I was Capello, I’d select Crouch ahead of both Heskey and Cole.
Tags: Aston Villa, Carlton Cole, Emile Heskey, England, Football Pools, Peter Crouch, Tony Cascarino, Tottenham, West Ham, World Cup
March 3rd, 2010 at 17:07
im a spurs fan and have seen crouchs every game this season, he is useless, cannot score goals at prem level, and only scores agains weak international teams, cascarinno…what are u smoking?, super pav will outscore him after playing 3-4 games as opposed to 28+, top football pundit? top melt more like
March 3rd, 2010 at 17:18
So who would you pick then rich g?
March 3rd, 2010 at 17:38
Glad to see that somepne with proper football knowledge understands Crouchy’s worth. Spurs don’t deserve players like him - he’s the kind of player who needs a positive response from the fans - Spurs fans pillory one player after another ( eg Bale). They don’t seem to understand that a good team is made up of different types of players - not \all goal hugging ones who don’t work for the team. That’s why Spurs have failed to win anything