Andy Carroll - Best Striker in the World

[Mostar]

Because by the time they're in the right age group they're already full internationals?

Absolutely.

Not saying I would prefer him to play, only saying that if he does then it could work to our advantage.

It could.

My concerns were only in relation to the potential injury he could pick up on the international duties.

Hopefully that doesn't happen

[Kenneth]

OK, so the methodology here is to ask a loaded question and then rule out cases cited by others that contradict rather than confirm the original hypothesis, is it?

It wasn't a loaded question. Burn out seems to be an oft cited cause for concern with young players. Naming two players who may or may not have suffered from this vaguely defined condition falls below the threshold of evidence to me

[Rudo]

Don't see the big deal of Carroll playing for England under 21s this summer tbh.

He missed a fair few months of the season through injury so playing some extra matches will only improve his match fitness and sharpness.

If he was playing in this tournament off the back of playing say 45-50 games during the season then i wouldn't want him to go, but that's not the case.

[Kenneth]

Don't see the big deal of Carroll playing for England under 21s this summer tbh.

He missed a fair few months of the season through injury so playing some extra matches will only improve his match fitness and sharpness.

If he was playing in this tournament off the back of playing say 45-50 games during the season then i wouldn't want him to go, but that's not the case.

Obviously it's England so it's important that there's no possible suggestion of giving a **** about England.

[The_weatherman]

Besides, Iceland is gonna wipe the floor with England

[Neil Young]

It wasn't a loaded question. Burn out seems to be an oft cited cause for concern with young players. Naming two players who may or may not have suffered from this vaguely defined condition falls below the threshold of evidence to me

Thanks for the reply. My question was as loaded as yours of course.

And I must say your response to it was entirely as I expected and does not invalidate my original hypothesis.



Seriously it's very difficult to assess and of course two cases don't prove anything. There are always counter-examples - is Giggs typical or is Owen? I dunno. But common sense (I can almost dww hissing as I type the words) suggests to me players need a rest from time to time. If Wilshere and Carroll play this tournament and, as seems likely, are in the squad for the European Championships next year then by summer 2013 they won't have had an extended rest for three years. I can't believe that's great news.

[Kenneth]

Carroll has had an extended rest for most of this season though.

Anyway, Carroll probably won't be playing for us by the time he's burned out (or is it burnt out?) so **** him.

[Neil Young]

Dunno - I always get confused by participles. It might depend on what you're trying to say with that ambiguous contraction and apostrophe: 'by the time he HAS burned out' or 'by the time he is burnt out'. But that's only a guess.

[yamiedo]

Im confident we'll work something out that will benefit everybody. We wouldn't sign Carroll just to base the whole team around him. Kenny will find a way. It's going to take time, and I reckon Carroll is going to take some stick from the fans from now and again, but I'm determined to give him the time he needs to come good.

[shanks69]

i don't see the sense in picking him ,and remember he'll meet up with the u21s after more than likely being with the full international squad.to me after having a season of injuries the best thing for carrol would be to have a proper break,then return to pre-season training.instead he'll be away with the u21s, then come back after something like a 3 week break and have to play catch up with the rest of the team

[RedReet]

i don't see the sense in picking him ,and remember he'll meet up with the u21s after more than likely being with the full international squad.to me after having a season of injuries the best thing for carrol would be to have a proper break,then return to pre-season training.instead he'll be away with the u21s, then come back after something like a 3 week break and have to play catch up with the rest of the team

You watch LFC news? Steve Hunter made them same points and I’m not sure I entirely agree. Providing Carroll is 100% fit physically then I don’t see why he needs further rest for pre-season. Having missed so much football recently the Euro’s would almost act as his pre-season training for our own pre-season and he could join up with the squad for Asia in great condition. I don’t think a 2/3 week break in-between would set him back too much and personally I don’t think he’d need it. I suppose a week or two away to relax might be beneficial, but I’m not sure he’ll actually need the physical rest.

If we could guarantee that he is definitely carrying no niggling injuries and won’t pick up any when away, then I think the experience gained would benefit him and maybe the club. I’d certainly prefer that than having to look at paparazzi pics of him every time he has a pint on the beach all summer with the media blowing it all out of proportion. Sadly no such guarantees exist, so I can understand why the club don’t want him to travel.

[red g]

I would rather him playing in the Euro's than on the piss in the Big Market every weekend in the summer up the toon.

[RedReet]

I was trying not to be so blunt about it, but unfairly probably that is a slight concern of mine.

As long as the players do it on the pitch I couldn’t care what they get up to in their spare time but considering the circumstances I think it’s best Andy avoids this kind of limelight over this particular summer.

[Nick77]

I would rather him playing in the Euro's than on the piss in the Big Market every weekend in the summer up the toon.

That's also true - maybe the U21 Euro's would be better

[Mostar]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/06/kenny-dalglish-andy-carroll-under21-euro-championship

Kenny Dalglish: No need for Andy Carroll at Under-21 Euro Championship

Kenny Dalglish has challenged Stuart Pearce's assertion that he needs Andy Carroll if England are to win the European Under-21 Championship this summer.

The England Under-21 manager has indicated that he wants to take the Liverpool striker to Denmark next month to give a cutting edge to their bid to win the tournament for the first time since 1984.

However, the Liverpool manager responded by arguing that player development rather than trophies should be the main thrust of youth football.

"Winning tournaments is all very well and good but if you don't get any players to come through I don't think it is successful," said Dalglish, who pointed out that the £35m forward has already broken through to full international football.

"If you cast your mind back to 1993 to the Leeds-Manchester United [FA] Youth Cup final, it was won by Leeds and two years later they had one player in the first team. Manchester United got [Ryan] Giggs, [Paul] Scholes and the Neville brothers [Gary and Phil] from their youth team, so who got the best deal? Sheffield United are in the Youth Cup final this year and have been relegated. I think they would have swapped that for a place in the Championship."

Dalglish has called for the international fixture list to be synchronised to avoid a repetition of a confused and cluttered summer that sees the Under–21s playing in the European Championship in June with the possibility of the Under–17 and Under-19 sides travelling to Mexico and Colombia for the Under–17 and Under–20 World Cups scheduled to run from 18 June–10 July and 29 July–20 August respectively.

Liverpool, who are planning a major tour of east Asia, are also likely to lose Lucas Leiva and Luis Suárez to the Copa América, which will run until 24 July.

"We have seven kids who will be playing with the Under-19s, if they qualify," said Dalglish. "Would it not be logical, if there is an international break, to have every age group playing at the same time? Instead we are being punished for developing players. If you ask John Flanagan and Jack Robinson to go away with England, how do we benefit when we are the ones that have groomed them?"