Pompey little-and-large duo get off to a flyer

By Bill Pierce PETER CROUCH and Jermain Defoe have sent a clear message to their Premier League rivals and England boss Fabio Capello after finally launching their little-and-large strikeforce for Portsmouth. The £18.5million (€23.3m) pair, who grabbed three of the goals in Pompey’s 4-1 friendly win at Bournemouth, have never completed a full match in tandem before despite each winning 28 England caps and being on Tottenham’s books. Crouch, who made his £11m (€13.8m) move from Liverpool last week, scored twice against the Cherries and laid on another for Defoe. Said Crouch, who has played for Pompey boss Harry Redknapp in two different spells at Fratton Park and at Southampton, insisted: "Myself and Jermain worked well together. I was really pleased with how it went. Three goals in one game isn’t a bad start.... [read full story]