Andy Carroll - Best Striker in the World

[BobTheCharmer]

Very droll. What the owners of the club think is probably quite significant.

is it though? really. what will be will be.

[Daniel 7]

A crazy signing for a player who only had one decent half season in the premier league. He's way out of his depth. i don't think there can be much defence of him now to be honest. Looks like he's been cast aside by England (thats a positive in my eyes) and dropped down the pecking order by Liverpool too.

Benitez would have been murdered in the press for a signing with so little pedigree and displaying so little in the way of performance, especially if he'd been a European with such little top flight experience. There's an incredible amount of patience from a lot of areas for Andy Carroll simply because he's english.

I think we're looking at fractions on a return monetarily. I wish Harry Redknapp had signed him, I really do.

[Kenneth]

is it though? really. what will be will be.

Yes. I think it is.

[BobTheCharmer]

A crazy signing for a player who only had one decent half season in the premier league. He's way out of his depth. i don't think there can be much defence of him now to be honest. Looks like he's been cast aside by England (thats a positive in my eyes) and dropped down the pecking order by Liverpool too.

Benitez would have been murdered in the press for a signing with so little pedigree and displaying so little in the way of performance, especially if he'd been a European with such little top flight experience. There's an incredible amount of patience from a lot of areas for Andy Carroll simply because he's english.

I think we're looking at fractions on a return monetarily. I wish Harry Redknapp had signed him, I really do.

you don't rate him. fair do's. why do you keep needing to tell us all? It's like you want to make the people who have patience feel bad or something for having a virtue that is all too rare in life. its nothing to do with him being english, personally I know he has some great attributes but for whatever reason he isn't showing it. I feel sorry for the lad and hate to see him struggling so much.

if he fails, it doesn't mean he's ****, there's plenty of players over the years who couldn't handle the pressure of big money moves, for whatever reason things don't work out. I don't know if he's mentally strong enough. But I do know that the fans need to support the bloke if he has any chance of coming good.

[Daniel 7]

you don't rate him. fair do's. why do you keep needing to tell us all? It's like you want to make the people who have patience feel bad or something for having a virtue that is all too rare in life. its nothing to do with him being english, personally I know he has some great attributes but for whatever reason he isn't showing it. I feel sorry for the lad and hate to see him struggling so much.

if he fails, it doesn't mean he's ****, there's plenty of players over the years who couldn't handle the pressure of big money moves, for whatever reason things don't work out. I don't know if he's mentally strong enough. But I do know that the fans need to support the bloke if he has any chance of coming good.

I hardly post about him now tbh. If you look back I've said similair to what you've just said, about how its pretty difficult to watch him and how depressed he looks. I have honestly tried to be patient with him.

I agree with pretty much everything you said there. Some transfers don't work out.

[Exiled_red]

I think he needs to be given a run of games, It's difficult to judge him if he's in and out of the team all the time.

If he is out of the team because of off the field problems that is another issue which will need to be addressed. However if we are to ship him out we'll make a huge loss on him, so it might be worth putting in the effort to try and straighten him out.

[Bender]

the biggest problem is his transfer fee ..........

[Exiled_red]

you don't rate him. fair do's. why do you keep needing to tell us all? It's like you want to make the people who have patience feel bad or something for having a virtue that is all too rare in life. its nothing to do with him being english, personally I know he has some great attributes but for whatever reason he isn't showing it. I feel sorry for the lad and hate to see him struggling so much.

if he fails, it doesn't mean he's ****, there's plenty of players over the years who couldn't handle the pressure of big money moves, for whatever reason things don't work out. I don't know if he's mentally strong enough. But I do know that the fans need to support the bloke if he has any chance of coming good.

[BobTheCharmer]

the biggest problem is his transfer fee ..........

why bother?

[~LFCHistory~]

I think he needs to be given a run of games, It's difficult to judge him if he's in and out of the team all the time.

If he is out of the team because of off the field problems that is another issue which will need to be addressed. However if we are to ship him out we'll make a huge loss on him, so it might be worth putting in the effort to try and straighten him out.

In order for us to stay in the race for 4th this cannot and will not happen. We will continue dropping points if AC gets a run of games, our style of play doesn't suit him at all, square pegs and round holes ect.

[G]

the biggest problem is his transfer fee ..........

The biggest problem is we don't generally play in a manner that suits him.Yesterday he improved for me,should really have got at least one goal but for a wonder save and another header just wide but often he just seems lost.Quick interchanges of passing and movement are not his strong point and bizarrely he often seems to be deployed behind Suarez rather than furthest forward where he should be.

If Harry Redknapp had signed him I'd think he'd have done a lot better than he has for us cos they are used to playing with big strikers and have good wide men in Bale and Lennon,not to mention VDV's talents at set plays.

[dww]

The biggest problem is we don't generally play in a manner that suits him.Yesterday he improved for me,should really have got at least one goal but for a wonder save and another header just wide but often he just seems lost.Quick interchanges of passing and movement are not his strong point and bizarrely he often seems to be deployed behind Suarez rather than furthest forward where he should be.

If Harry Redknapp had signed him I'd think he'd have done a lot better than he has for us cos they are used to playing with big strikers and have good wide men in Bale and Lennon,not to mention VDV's talents at set plays.

Not sure I really go with the second part of this. Surely the evidence is that harry has felt he has to have a big man but that they don't quite work in his system. Adebayor by being mobile, good on the ball as well as big has been the first player of that type to be sure of his place in the Spurs team in recent years.

Do you think Kenny might be playing him deeper to help his development?

I'm not convinced that in the long run it is enough for Carroll to be useful only as a targetman. I think there are hints he could be more but at the minute he looks lacking in strength, confidence and generally a bit adrift. In a perverse some way the fact he looks so far from 'on it' makes me feel there is more to come as he still seems to get one or two good efforts in when he plays.

[G]

Not sure I really go with the second part of this. Surely the evidence is that harry has felt he has to have a big man but that they don't quite work in his system. Adebayor by being mobile, good on the ball as well as big has been the first player of that type to be sure of his place in the Spurs team in recent years.

Do you think Kenny might be playing him deeper to help his development?

I'm not convinced that in the long run it is enough for Carroll to be useful only as a targetman. I think there are hints he could be more but at the minute he looks lacking in strength, confidence and generally a bit adrift. In a perverse some way the fact he looks so far from 'on it' makes me feel there is more to come as he still seems to get one or two good efforts in when he plays.

I agree he's not totally suitable to their style either,just feel he'd have played more and done better as a result since he wouldnt have had Suarez outshining him from the start,the massive price tag and the requirement to replace the best 9 we've had for years.They play nice stuff too spurs but they have more players able to give him the required service than we have.

As for helping his development playing deeper,I can't see how it will help,he dosen't appear to have a quick enough brain or the required mobility to be anything more than an effective target man,not that that is a bad thing,just no use to us and how we play.In the right environment I feel he could be shearer-esque

I'd loan him out rather than play him in a deep position that's alien to him

[dww]

To me part of the success of Shearer was that he would for periods of games move into channels, a bit deeper if only to lose markers. If Carroll can only be a target man a more appropriate analogy would be Niall Quinn if you ask me.

I can see that it may never be his strength to do anything else but I do think he can add things to his game playing deeper - even some things about defending and or flicking the ball on. On the other hand whilst he is lacking confidence I'd push him higher up to see if he can luck out with a goal or two.

Would be interesting to see how Dalglish had worked with Shearer early on actually. he was someone who found his feet after a few years of less productive first team football.

[G]

To me part of the success of Shearer was that he would for periods of games move into channels, a bit deeper if only to lose markers. If Carroll can only be a target man a more appropriate analogy would be Niall Quinn if you ask me.

I can see that it may never be his strength to do anything else but I do think he can add things to his game playing deeper - even some things about defending and or flicking the ball on. On the other hand whilst he is lacking confidence I'd push him higher up to see if he can luck out with a goal or two.

Would be interesting to see how Dalglish had worked with Shearer early on actually. he was someone who found his feet after a few years of less productive first team football.

He scored some good goals for Newcastle,and one for us, from outside the area so he won't be just a target man(contradicting myself )but he'll never be the quick mobile finisher that we need right now.

I don't think I'd sell him just yet but like I say,I'd loan him out to a team that plays to his strengths,get his confidence and form back and take it from there