I DON’T know about you, but I’m a big believer in Andy Carroll’s potential. That’s not to say that I think he did well last season.
Our big forward underperformed massively throughout most of our dismal campaign, and it’s understandable why so many fans feel so strongly against having him at our club.
When I look at Andy Carroll’s first season and a half as a Red though, what I see is a player plagued by an unfortunate string of injuries at a time when the eyes of the world rested upon him because of his enormous record-breaking price tag.
Many forget that Andy Carroll came to Liverpool injured, and that he was rushed back from the treatment table well before he was fit enough to be playing again.
His injury woes eventually returned, and when he did finally make it back to the pitch, fans were impatient and dying to see what our £35 million man could do.
Needless to say, Carroll did not deliver to the levels that were expected of him. But were our expectations unreasonable to begin with?
Even the great Xabi Alonso had a poor season with us once, but this was when he had just returned from injury. Fans rallied against the midfield maestro, but when he returned for us the following season with his injuries behind him, Alonso showed us again why he was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world.
I’m not suggesting that Andy Carroll will inevitably soar to the great heights that Xabi Alonso once reached when playing for us. I’m only saying that we should give the lad some time, because it’s not always easy to hit the ground running when coming back from injury.
The only games Andy Carroll has played for us fully fit were near the end of last season, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence at all that that’s about the time his form for us started to pick up.
Andy Carroll may never be able to justify the £35m fee we paid for him, but I’m sure that with the right support and guidance, we’d have on our hands a formidable and competent centre forward for several years to come.
Which is why I hope the rumours of us loaning out the big man, or selling him, to the likes of West Ham or AC Milan have no truth to them.
The striker has recently begun to rediscover his form for both club and country, and it would be a big waste for us to throw a spanner in the works by sending him off to a different club yet again.
Comments are appreciated.
YNWA
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Awful article. Not sure why you bothered to publish this to be honest.
Judging by the discussion the article has prompted, and all the comments, you are wrong. Again.
Not sure why you bothered with such a flippant remark, to be honest…
ANDY CARROLL DESERVES TO BE TREATED BETTER THAN WHAT HE IS THIS WEEK
CARROLL HAS HAD 18 MONTHS TO SORT HIMSELF OUT,HE,S LAZY,NO BALL CONTROL,ZERO CREATIVITY,JUST BECAUSE HE PLAYED WELL FOR 20 MINS IN CUP FINAL & AGAINST CHELSEA AT ANFIELD ? DOESNT MEAN HE GETS MORE TIME ??? HE IS FAR TOO SLOW AS ARE ADAM HENDERSON SPEARING ? ALL SHOULD GO WITH DOWNING…DALGLISH MADE THIS MESS,RODGERS WILL SORT IT OUT BY PLAYING PLAYERS ON MERIT ??? UNLIKE DALGLISH PLAYING THEM BECAUSE HE PAID TRIPLE THE PRICE FOR HIS FLOPS…
sorry dean but i totally disagree, alright andy’s not going to leave defenders with his speed but his ball control has improved loads, his fitness levels are at an all time high, never stops closing down defenders now. also he’s young enuff to learn tiki taka football, also he can change the game if tiki taka not working on the day, he is 1 of the best in years at defending his own area from free kicks, corners etc (drogba like). and for you to start on kenny is unbelievable, he has done more for lfc and the city its self than most people ever have. i reckon your an armchair supporter with no knowledge of liverpoolat all. to be honest supporters like you are not needed or wanted so p!$s off and support some1 else YNWA JFT96
I agree with you on carroll but he’s right about dalglish. he wasted a pot load of cash on substandard players. why are you bringing your your scouse snobbery into it? go and support someone else? because he disagrees with you? are you going to boycott him or something? scousers have such a chip on their shoulder it’s embarrassing.
Dean,
You are a moron who nothing about football.
all u who say andy must be sold need to check yaselves.andy is 21,came from nucastle which is amller than pool,he was injured and commanded the weight of a 35m price tag on his shoulders.did u expect him to hit the ground running.THIS IS ANFIELD FOLKS not st james park.andy deserves a chance,he will be a hero.i just hope rodgers wont be stupid to sell or loan him.
Carroll got better at the end of the season and will cause problems for defences, so best keep him. FSG need to spend again though, all i’ve seen up to yet is bargain basement targets, i.e. Dempsey e.t.c. Spend peanuts and all you get is monkeys. YNWA.
Carrol is a player made for the likes of stoke city etc. Although maybe a good player he will not fit into rodgers style of play. Could you ever see carrol play in the spain team! I Dont think so some how
bro whats with the quick fix ian wright was not in first division ball at this age so give the lad a break did you see the euro goal.. when was the last time you jumped that high and put pure power on a ball like you taking a shot, when drogba was 22 it was drogba who so drop me out.. caroll will come good and if he bangs in 25 per season for the nxt six then how much is he worth then.. if it was your 35 mill after a year you call it a lost.. read the sign you never walk alone and while he wears the shirt have some respect… peace
Sell him. His awareness, positional play, control and pace are all woeful. If we’d spent the vast amount of money Chelsea paid us for Torres on someone who could score goals for fun then maybe we’d be playing CL football next season.
At Euro 2012, if someone told you that one of players up front i.e. Rooney and Carroll cost £25m and the other £35m, few people would think Carroll was the cheaper one. He’s made great progress at LFC and actually looked like a footballer towards the end of last season and at the Euro. Give the boy a chance.
I completely agree with the article as Carrol offers something not many others do and is better with his feet than given credit for. I’m sure even Barca would’ve loved to have him in the games against Chelski in the CL semis. With him the focal point of a threeman attack with Suarez and Downing/Bellars (or perhaps Borini/Dempsey/Ramirez/Sturridge) as the two wingers I’m sure most teams would fear us.
Integrating Carrol into a philosophy of high ball retention and ball recirculation is an almost impossible task….he had a pass completion rate of 54% last season.
Add to that a lack of pace, skill and desire and it’s understandable that BR is considering moving him on. There are numerous better options out there for the £15m (max) we will recoup.
opinions everyone has them ,but personaly for me i believe andy carroll will improve as he did toward the end of the season at liverpool and he showed that as well when playing for england this summer ,autually he was one of the few england players that played well in the tournement but i dont or wont ever believe that he would send andy carroll out on loan or even sell him that would be suicide after paying that amount last season and risk him getting injured at a club of lower stature like west ham or to italy lol..along time ago the same people on this site were calling for lucas leiva to go and look at him now sometimes liverpool fans can be too harsh when commenting on there players ….who ever would have thought that vlad smicer would score two champions league final goals !!point proven i think…its time to get behind this team everyone and lets pull together and support all of them including rogers
Carol should remain,we’ll need him in specific games and besides,its not like loaning him wil improve his pace.kip hm,plz.
Some of the people on here have not got a scooby-doo!
Shocking!!!
when andy carroll was bought i couldnt believe we had bought this type of a player. not a liverpool type player i thought. and my opinion has not changed. couldnt believe kenny had authorised such a buy. thankfully rodge has seen that big andy is not for us of him. he will never be any more, (despite prodestations of improvement) a 2nd rate player, only able to play a certain way which is and will not be conducive to any time trying to play proper passing, possession attacking football. get rid i say.
alonso had a bad season for us, ha ha ha
only people who know nothing about football or who have never played the game would come to a conclusion like that
We paid for him £35 millions we didn’t paid him £35m
Isn’t it a shame? The club was pulling together and within a month we are back at each others throats and key boards!
No Liverpool player deserves this speculation he has done everything asked of him to prove his life style,fitness and football is fitting for LFC! Rodgers should see him train first before he makes his mind up!
its not about creating disunity, but it is important rodges vision is implemented asap. andy dont fit. however if he does stay of course all true fans will be behind him and all the team for that matter. andy belongs to a club who plays more direct. rodge is tryin to play possession footy. therefore the two dont match and the continuity is broken and the full potential isnt reached. however it is true that some possession clubs like bayern and bilbao (gomez and lloriente) but rodge seems to prefer mobile, barca-esqe forwards, center forward so the big brut type is redundant.
Give Carroll one more season. He will surprise his critics. He was fantastic towards the end of last season and was his best during euro 2012.
how can we possible say he was fantastic, he scored great goals in fa cup and for england, but otherwise he is limited in what he can do, and has poor technique partly due to his reliance on his physical presence. he wont suit rodges style of play and is not the type of player we need at all. if he stays he will warm the bench which isnt good for the lad. andy dont do surprises!!!
I dont think its a case of Rodgers not fancying him, just a dilemma as to whether he will fit his set up. It is up to Carroll to adapt. There will be games when he will not be the focal point to the team and others where he may be. If he is not part of his plans I would like to see him out on loan to a cub like Milan where the culture and tacticle differences can make him more of an asset rather than making a huge loss on him now