Comment: Tall order for Saints as they try to replace Crouch

Last updated : 19 July 2005 By Chris C

The news ends weeks of speculation ever since Benitez announced his interest in the former Pompey man. The saga followed the familiar scenario of rumour, denials, refused bids and the inevitable cave-in that we have seen with the departures of James Beattie, Wayne Bridge and Dean Richards.

The real worry is that Saints failed to adequately replace any of their big name departures when we were in the Premiership, ironically with the possible exception of Crouch for Beattie. If we failed to replace them in the Premiership what hope do we have in the Championship?

Crouch was a unique player for Saints and would have created havoc against Championship defences, as he did in the Premiership in his remarkable second half to the season. Perhaps we are now paying the price for the fantastic performance against Liverpool where Crouch shone as the lone frontman in a 4-5-1 formation.

Frustratingly, the hardy Saints fans that made the trip up north saw the beginnings of a promising partnership with Marian Pahars, as Crouch marked his farewell appearance for Saints with two goals against Kilmarnock, both set up by the Latvian wizard.

So, just how will Saints replace Crouch? Harry confirmed that he will receive ‘some’ of the money and was looking at bringing in two strikers. With the likes of Pahars, Ormerod, Blackstock, Jones and Best, Saints don’t need two more strikers. What they need is one excellent striker. The only obvious replacement for Crouch would appear to be Dean Ashton, but Norwich would be unlikely to sell to Saints except for the kind of ‘silly money’ that Rupert Lowe said it would take to buy Crouch, but didn’t.

Yes, a £5m profit in one season for a Villa bench warmer is a lot of money, particularly when it appears that the player handed in a transfer request this week. Yes, the Beattie saga showed that an unhappy player can quickly lose form and, yes, he’s likely to increase his salary by 10 times by joining the European champions.

However, to hang onto Crouch would have marked a serious statement of intent. A close second will be to replace him with the kind of player that will make the league sit up and take notice. If Saints seriously did not ‘need’ to sell Crouch, then it is time Lowe and the board put the bulk of the £7m money where their mouth is and back the manager for once.