Peter Crouch podcast: Jamie Carragher’s shove & Crouchy the dog

Peter Crouch was once again asked questions by listeners for this week’s That Peter Crouch Podcast – and some of his answers truly delivered.

The former England striker will be responding to your questions every week, and in the latest episode, he talks about being shoved by Jamie Carragher, ‘Momo Sissoko’ the rabbit and fitness tests with Asmir Begovic.

Last week, he ranked Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane, Paul Scholes and Xavi, and argued that Ketchup shouldn’t be kept in the fridge.

You can send in your questions for future podcasts to [email protected]

What happened with THAT Carragher shove?

Liverpool were leading 2-0 at Anfield in the 2005-06 Merseyside derby when Everton’s Tim Cahill pulled one back from a corner. The Australian nipped in front of Crouch and headed the ball past Pepe Reina, to the frustration of Reds’ stalwart Jamie Carragher, who shoved team-mate Crouch in the back as Cahill wheeled away to celebrate. Liverpool went on to win 3-1.

Q: In 2006, Tim Cahill scored a header from a corner for Everton. It isn’t clear who is marking him, but Jamie Carragher and Peter Crouch both try and go for the ball. Straight after the ball goes in, Carragher violently pushed Crouch in the back. Do you remember this?

Crouch: “I do remember this, as clear as day. Cahill nicked in but I was at the near post so it wasn’t my fault. Obviously those games meant a lot to all of us but it meant more than anything to Carragher, because he would get so much stick. He was an Everton fan as a kid but he he hated losing against them because all of his mates were Evertonians and they would just kill him.”

Crouch watches the goal back and talks us through it.

“Cahill has got in front of me, and can I just say he was very good in the air for someone of his size [1.78m or 5ft 10in]. He has the run on Momo [Mohamed] Sissoko and I’m in the ‘mid-goal’ space, which is where I stood because I was the tallest and was good in the air so I could head it clear. Sissoko has lost his man and I have seen it late as Cahill gets across me as well, but I wasn’t marking him.

“Carra just pushed me and called me an idiot.

“I got on great with Carra but you have to earn his respect. Liverpool was his club and I remember a couple of times when he felt players were not pulling their weight. There was one player in the Jacuzzi after training and I remember Carra tearing him to shreds for basically disrespecting the football club.”

‘Momo’ the rabbit and ‘Crouchy’ the dog

As Crouch shows his wife Abbey the footage of Cahill’s goal, he suggests the fault lies with Sissoko, who appears to have a special place in the Crouch household. Abbey confirms their pet rabbit is named after the defender, while the latest Crouch addition has already adopted the family name.

Abbey: “We had a rabbit called Momo Sissoko. We bought it for the kids for Easter. We’ve got a new little puppy called Crouchy and he’s just pooed everywhere. His name’s Sonny Crouch but we just call him Crouchy. It’s not an Alsatian because Pete’s scared of tem, it’s a baby black Labrador.

“Peter likes getting in the cage with the dog and he likes treating him with biscuits. He is a good trainer.

“The dog cage is the biggest one we could get online and it fits Peter, all four children and the dog.”

Is Begovic fitter than Crouch?

Crouch played alongside goalkeeper Asmir Begovic at Stoke City, and the former striker is certain he is fitter than the Bosnian. He also reflects on rollicking the keeper for kicking the ball long in the opening minute against Southampton, only for it to bounce over opposite number Artur Boruc and end up in the Saints net.

Q: Do you remember your pre-season fitness training at Stoke? I was one of the staff who tested you. You did OK, but Asmir Begovic was an absolute beast who wiped the floor with you.

Crouch: “I don’t think this happened. I would be fitter than him. In certain departments, people are different, and my flexibility when I came back after the summer was always diabolical.

“I’m quite a stiff man and I do struggle, but fitness wise, every pre-season I came back I was always right up there. For a goalkeeper to have been ahead of me, it was not happening.”

On Begovic’s goal: “As the ball bounced I was expecting Boruc to claim it, so I turned to Asmir and told him to relax and play out because it was early in the game. As I was trying to tell him all of this, the ball is in the back of the net, the whole ground has erupted and then I had to pretend it was a great goal.”