What the f*** does it matter what he gets paid? Crouch was either physically ready to play, or not. He has had a shorter pre-season than most and may have a slight knock. The only person in a position to judge was Benitez. He chose not to play him. The team on the pitch was good enough to win, unfortunately they did not perform until they conceded a goal. There were other mitigating circumstances, which disrupted Benitez's plans. Its not that difficult to see that two experienced defenders being injured in the first half, had a severe impact on any planned changes. Tomorrow's game is far more important, in the short term, than the result on Saturday. Financially, we are not in a position to lose out on Champions League football.