Tottenham striker Peter Crouch admits it was tough starting his career at QPR.

Crouch says the abuse he copped as a youngster was often difficult to take.

"When I was 19, I was raw and looked very different to everyone else because I hadn't developed physically. The QPR fans were probably thinking - what have we got here?" he told the News of the World.

"I used to be compared to Rodney Trotter from Only Fools and Horses but I am very lucky in the way that my personality is.

"I have always handled that kind of thing the right way by not shouting and screaming about it or retreating into my shell.

"There was one game at Gillingham, though, where the abuse was just shocking.

"I have never taken myself too seriously and I've always managed to have a laugh.

"But there is one sort of abuse and the kind I was getting there really was strange. I was being absolutely hammered and I remember my dad kicking off a couple of times in the crowd. That period was definitely the making of me as a player.

"I came through those times and now I am much more respected in the game. I am a stronger person now and I'm able to cope with whatever is thrown at me."