Should LFC make room for return of prodigal son?

AS we limped to a draw on Sunday due to an average West Ham rear guard playing well above themselves, standing up to the twisting and turning and constant motion of Luis Suarez (and others to a lesser extent), my mind was drawn to Sam Allardyce, who has sounded like a child who is painfully aware that he will have to give his favourite toy back to his bigger brother who already has better toys in his play box!

His earlier comments stated his wish to keep Andy Carroll, who is, less we forget, still a Liverpool player:

“I think he’s great, he gets a big cheer whenever they announce his name whenever he’s in the starting line-up. I think we might have a chance [to keep him]. We’ll wait and see at end of the year when all the budgets are sorted out. If we are definitely in the Premier League then we’ll have a look at everybody that’s on loan or out of contract.”

What do we do with the £35 million elephant in the room? Last summer I wrote in frustration of what the lack of fire power – no Carroll, no transfer fee and no replacement – would do to our chances. The last few months have been refreshingly fruitful times in front of goal, particularly since new arrivals Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho added substance to their considerable talents.

Would the big Geordie have succeeded in honing his strengths for the good of the side, bringing a regular influx of goals with his rough housing of the opponents back line or would his laboured footwork and lumbering gait slow our attacks down, which have been rich in movement and rapier in finishing when we hit the 5th gear?

One thing is clear, Brendan Rodgers is not a fan. We hear him extolling the virtues of his players through good and bad times (see Joe Allen) and since he struggles to keep his cards close to his chest, it is apparent that he would rather sell the out-casted front man rather than see him in a red shirt again.

£17 million is the reported asking price, less than half of the original outlay, though a big impression for the Hammers would have suited everybody. He hasn’t been bad and he certainly suits an Allardyce type team where he will continually be the focus of attacks via the long, high percentage ball where his aerial ability shines through. Familiarly, it has been injuries which have made it a stop start time at the club.

Carroll’s brittle confidence and suspect fitness means that a successive run of games is imperative in which to get the best out of his talents, this simply won’t be possible at Liverpool so a parting of ways is certainly the way forward, as long as our evaluation is met of course.
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Alan Pardew has made no secret of his desire to reacquaint the forward with Newcastle Utd. He has been bold in his intentions in the press: “He’s a Liverpool player and not wanted so at some point he’s going to move permanently,” said Pardew. “I’d like to think we’ll be in the mix for that.”

The Magpies have been surprisingly solid financially and have used the Carroll revenue admirably well unearthing some bargains in the process and leapfrogging above us in the table last season. A far cry from the boardroom battles, infighting among the players and management, not to mention the delusion seeping from the terraces. Despite a mediocre year, there is a degree of solidity at the club and a sense that they are not being built on a house of cards – which maybe wasn’t the philosophy before but was certainly the reality. A homebird at heart, the big Geordie would relish the chance to win back the affections of the Toon Army.

When he returns to the club in the summer Rodgers will have a specific training regime in store for him just in case he is unable to unload the lank-haired front man. This will be highly publicised by the club possibly as a ploy to entice potential suitors to splash the cash and pay the going rate. The more I see of our new look forward line the less I can see a case for Carroll’s inclusion. As a plan B he doesn’t cut it as an impact player and Rodgers is unlikely to rotate his attackers.

Two trademark goals against West Brom before his temporary club took a trip north up the M1 last week reminded us why he was once seen as a force of nature when attacking the ball. These images are fleeting though, injuries and the evolution of the modern forward has left him in an uncertain position. Carroll is a throwback; big, bustling, arms and elbows, attacking crosses for headers on goal and cross-field balls for knockdowns while quicker, more technically adept team-mates scurry for the breaking ball.

Speed of thought and body, coupled which physicality and the ability to lead the line alone, fitting into numerous tactical formations are part of the standard he needs to fall into, he needs a dash of everything not just a dollop of some.

With European football being a more and more distant reality next season, this will surely effect the 2013/14 transfer budget and the continuation of the rebuilding of the side. This is a squad who cannot afford to keep hold of a British transfer record signing back up player, we need to shake off this reputation of a soft touch in the transfer market and playing hard ball on a potential fee may be the way to do it.
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