Andy Carroll - Best Striker in the World

[Muddled]

I honestly think the lad has major potential to be as good or if not better than Duncan Ferguson a ****ing brutal player on his day, I watched footage earlier of Andy in his Newcastle days and it's obvious that he was sharper ,had more control and just bullied people So technically the scouting department has a good case , Although the £35m price tag is another matter but he was seriously the real deal ,

Nowadays he looks lethargic and slower and what's more frightening his attitude to hard work looks very poor, Now that is down to Andy himself if he works hard and train hard and look after himself he can be a monster for us but if he doesn't want IT then its down to attitude and he just as well pack his bags , the balls in his court imo

Agreed. Although, I'm not sure if it's a reluctance to work hard, but more to do with learning a new way of playing.

But yeah - you're spot on - he definitely has the potential.

[kris90210]

No I'm not saying that but they are better positioned to judge whether a player is showing commitment and at least trying

They see the lad EVERY day in training, they play alongside him in matches

Hopefully you're right

[Daniel 7]

So - what does the team have to do to change? what does every other player in the whole of our team have to change and adapt to, to make this one player better?

Ask that, and then ask whether he seems like he's making the effort in games to deserve that kind of support. I don't see it.

[Lecter]

I honestly think the lad has major potential to be as good or if not better than Duncan Ferguson a ****ing brutal player on his day, I watched footage earlier of Andy in his Newcastle days and it's obvious that he was sharper ,had more control and just bullied people So technically the scouting department has a good case , Although the £35m price tag is another matter but he was seriously the real deal ,

Nowadays he looks lethargic and slower and what's more frightening his attitude to hard work looks very poor, Now that is down to Andy himself if he works hard and train hard and look after himself he can be a monster for us but if he doesn't want IT then its down to attitude and he just as well pack his bags , the balls in his court imo

One thing that has mystified me about Carroll is this...

Early on when he first joined there was tons of whispers about the club being worried that despite his build they thought he had little body strength

The rumours at the time suggested they'd work on that during the summer

Hes come back and there is no doubt he looks bigger but he looks nowhere near as aggressive and its made him look less mobile

Now some have blamed that on his liefstyle (diet & drinking) but I'm not convinced, he lives not far from me and I've seen him round and about in local restaurants a few times and hes always seemed to be eating and drinking right (the right things)

[andrewces38]

Didnt Pepe say recently in an Interview that the big fella was the worst trainer at the club , That to me says a lot about his Attitude atm , And after being a bit part player most of the season he couldnt even play 2 games in 4 days yet people like Stevie and Henderson could , A fit Andy would have started yesterday imo

[kris90210]

Didnt Pepe say recently in an Interview that the big fella was the worst trainer at the club , That to me says a lot about his Attitude atm , And after being a bit part player most of the season he couldnt even play 2 games in 4 days yet people like Stevie and Henderson could , A fit Andy would have started yesterday imo

Yes he did. Bit worrying really.

[Daniel 7]

Which brings me back to my point about the motivation to provide for someone who may not seem to be making the required effort.

[andrewces38]

One thing that has mystified me about Carroll is this...

Early on when he first joined there was tons of whispers about the club being worried that despite his build they thought he had little body strength

The rumours at the time suggested they'd work on that during the summer

Hes come back and there is no doubt he looks bigger but he looks nowhere near as aggressive and its made him look less mobile

Now some have blamed that on his liefstyle (diet & drinking) but I'm not convinced, he lives not far from me and I've seen him round and about in local restaurants a few times and hes always seemed to be eating and drinking right (the right things)

That has surprised me a little because of the few times I saw him in a Bar-codes kit he looked to have Defenders bouncing off him time after time

[Muddled]

I'm guessing that's directed at me Daniel 7? (EDIT: I think it was a generic question).

As I mentioned earlier (although it might be in the post Stoke match thread, they're merging in to one!), Carroll was the focal point of a Newcastle attack - get in the box, stay there and wait for the ball to be delivered in to his zone.

Now, Carroll is getting used to playing with his back to goal, he's dropping off the oppositon's defence and not really playing on the shoulder of last defender; mainly because that's not his game. Yes, he did it early doors against Man City, but that was mainly because he wasn't going to get much support from the midfield.

So in reality, it's the same set-up as when Suarez plays, which is why we don't often see both Carroll and Suarez line up together. In essence, we're sticking to our game plan - but not tailoring it to get the best out of Carroll during Suarez's ban.

The more pertinent question, is whether we stick to our game plan regardless, or break from the mould to accommodate Carroll.

[Daniel 7]

I'm guessing that's directed at me Daniel 7?

Nah it was just in general...

[Muddled]

Nah it was just in general...

Yeah, I read it different second time round!

[Lecter]

That has surprised me a little because of the few times I saw him in a Bar-codes kit he looked to have Defenders bouncing off him time after time

Agreed

Thats why I am a tad mystified

He looked a beast at Newcastle in physical terms he looks like a gentle giant now

[Pablo]

Agreed

Thats why I am a tad mystified

He looked a beast at Newcastle in physical terms he looks like a gentle giant now

He's too skinny now

That might sound silly seeing as the media like to drone on about him being unfit, but if you look at him now compared to how he was at Newcastle he's definitely slimmer.

He's too slim though, he's become lightweight, and he now needs to build some muscle mass IMO. Being skinny makes him less of a player given his playing style.

[Mark79]

I just don't think that Carroll has really recovered from the thigh injury that he arrived with.

I've lost count of the number of time he's fallen over just running in a straight line, and he seems to collapse so easily sometimes when he's challenged. He is also soooo slow to react to a deflected or misplaced ball even if it bounces just a few yards away from him.

All that strength he had at Newcastle just isn't there anymore. He really looks like something is physically hindering him. I wonder if the medical team under estimated the extent of his injury?

[cream]

Carroll Has been no better than what Voronin was for us. In fact, Voronin had better technical ability than Carroll.