Portsmouth and Liverpool striker Peter Crouch reveals how team-talk from ex-Arsenal man Tony Adams had hilarious outcome

The ex-England striker told how Adams’s rousing monologue to his players in 2008 had a comical outcome as he forgot to name the team after succeeding Harry Redknapp in his first game in charge at Sunderland.

Speaking in his Daily Mail column, Crouch explained his motivational speech wasn’t matched by his attention to detail in a game Pompey won 2-1.

Crouch said: ‘When Tony Adams took over as Portsmouth manager in 2008, I got an idea of what it would have been like to have him as my captain. He had been Harry Redknapp's assistant but was promoted after Harry moved to Tottenham.

‘Tony was desperate to succeed and before his first match, he gathered the squad together in the dressing room. You could see how much it meant to him as he began to speak and his words were emotional and rousing.

‘“Now go out there and do it!” he shouted, as he finished his speech. He turned on his heels and walked out, slamming the door for effect. With him out of the room, everyone started looking at each other, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, the door opened. It was Tony.

‘“Forgot to tell you the team, didn't I?” he said. He hadn't been aiming for laughs but, I promise you, that punchline had us roaring!’

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.