Source: Alex Livesey/Getty Images Europe
From his early days as a young flaxen-haired
prodigy hailing from the black and white region of the North East, Andy Carroll’s
story has been followed with a keen eye in the football world. The promising academy
product made a very big mark in Newcastle, particularly by scoring a hatful of
goals in their very brief period spent in the Championship. The Toon Army made
their reluctance to sell him known, but when Liverpool bankrolled an “offer he
couldn’t refuse”, Mike Ashley decided to cut his losses and fill the club’s
purse.
Undeniably a force to be reckoned with in the air,
and carrying the playing attributes of an old-fashioned centre forward (a la
Duncan Ferguson and Chris Sutton), “Big Andy” has often attracted attention
away from his obvious ability on the field with his less than desirable
behaviour off of it. His recent loan move to West Ham was met with positive
responses overall, but the dissenting voices were nearly all female. His
headline grabbing antics in October 2010 appear to have gone some way in
putting a bad taste in supporters’ mouths; I refer of course to Andy being
charged with assault on his girlfriend – part of his punishment being to live
with now again captain and close friend Kevin Nolan.
However, despite the naivety of youth and misguided
behaviour, his criticism has more recently focussed on his football. His
somewhat unfair price tag of £35 million, coupled with the task of filling the
boots of one El Nino, piled incredible pressure on him before he had even
kicked a ball. He was quoted in several newspapers as saying that he
did not want to leave Newcastle, the club he had been with since he had
first started sowing the seeds of that famous ponytail. Needless to say, his
game took a severe knock from the moment he put pen to paper in the board room
at Anfield, and is still trying to prove to the world that he can live up to
the cash spent on him.
His efforts have not been helped by the phenomenon
that is Luis Suarez, who has proved to be prolific, exciting, passionate and
hungry. Controversy aside, the Uruguayan is already a Kop hero, and has
received fan and club backing through thick and thin. Carroll on the other hand
has been subjected to much harsher treatment it would seem, being judged (as
are all strikers) on goals scored and trophies won. It may be, however, that
Liverpool’s bitterness for him is an unfortunate consequence of a dry spell of
both trophies and European football. Changes in regime at Liverpool, and an
almost inexplicable disregard of Carroll’s usefulness by new manager Brendan
Rodgers, have all come at a time when the once Geordie prodigy should be
developing into the fantastic and pivotal player that he will hopefully become.
As a Hammers fan, I think his addition to the squad
(albeit probably only until January) has been a revelation for the club. It was
a major coup for the chairmen and the manager, as not only did it add some much
needed raw quality, but it was real statement of their intent. A continuing
battle to acquire the use of the Olympic Stadium along with the aim of consolidating
the club’s place in the world’s greatest league was very nicely complimented by
convincing the striker to sign.
On early assessment, albeit without goals as of
yet, he is fantastic player. He adds something to an already physical squad,
and as soon as he enters the field of play, the captain alone is afforded
freedom to attack more frequently. An almost telepathic understanding between
Carroll and Nolan, nurtured under the watchful eye of Big Sam at Newcastle, has
already bred some visible quality. A new challenge for Carroll, perhaps being
motivated by a lack of striking options currently being enjoyed by Liverpool,
will give him the desire to perform.
It cannot be forgotten that he is still only 23
years of age; with at least another decade of top level football should he stay
fit and healthy. With an already bright England career in the making, it will
surely only be a matter of time before he, and everybody else, will realise his
potential.
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