Andy Carroll (now playing for Bordeaux)

[TheBrownBottle]

2 minutes ago, gbandit said:

If he’s stayed fit after leaving us he’d have had a great career. Left foot was immense and head was as good as it gets, great physical strength too

He played pretty much every game for Liverpool in the PL the following season.  Was never a top PL centre forward.  Within a year we had two centre forwards who were better than him (Ba and Cisse).  If Carroll wasn’t from Gateshead he’d be a less than a footnote in the club’s history.  

[Kid Icarus]

26 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

He played pretty much every game for Liverpool in the PL the following season.  Was never a top PL centre forward.  Within a year we had two centre forwards who were better than him (Ba and Cisse).  If Carroll wasn’t from Gateshead he’d be a less than a footnote in the club’s history.  

 

He was also 22 when he went to Liverpool, gbandit said he'd have had a great career, not that he was a top centre forward.

 

Think the bit about him being from Gateshead is wrong as well. He was unplayable for us, particularly in the air, for a good 18 months, no need to downplay that. We still look back fondly on Cisse's (not a better all round centre forward imo anyway) purple patch, so no reason not to with Carroll.

[TheBrownBottle]

18 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

He was also 22 when he went to Liverpool, gbandit said he'd have had a great career, not that he was a top centre forward.

 

Think the bit about him being from Gateshead is wrong as well. He was unplayable for us, particularly in the air, for a good 18 months, no need to downplay that. We still look back fondly on Cisse's (not a better all round centre forward imo anyway) purple patch, so no reason not to with Carroll.

A fit Carroll unspoiled by injuries played for Liverpool and looked like a carthorse.  He wasn’t near that level - it was a poor signing by Dalglish, though of course that was something we were very familiar with.  He went to West Ham because he wasn’t good enough for Liverpool, not because of injuries.  I do agree though that the lad would’ve had a better career without them - like I said, he was more akin to Kevin Davies than Alan Shearer.  He had a solid PL career, and would’ve had a more solid one had he stayed fit.  I just don’t think he would have ever become a top notch PL centre forward - just my view, of course.

 

Cisse’s purple patch involved him scoring a goal a game, and about 90% of those were somewhere between goal of the week and goal of the season.   The lad was ‘Pardewed’, the quality was clearly there.  Though as an all-round centre forward, Ba was better than either of them. Agreed re the purple patchy nature of both Cisse and Carroll - the only difference for me is the quality of the goals scored.  Neither were first rate PL centre forwards.  Carroll’s local lad status is absolutely the reason why so many had an emotional attachment to him - had he been from Maidenhead instead of Gateshead he have been viewed and remembered completely differently.  For me, I never really reached that with Carroll - he reminded me of Duncan Ferguson; big bloke, causes problems, slow and not likely to be prolific in the long run.  I’ve never been a fan of target man centre forwards - all just personal taste. 

[Hanshithispantz]

He was far more mobile than Kevin Davies like, he was everywhere that half season for us.

 

He turned to shit, probably because of...

 

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/20876/7152286/carroll-advised-over-drinking

[loki679]

He was an absolute monster in his prime, the sort of forward defenders hate playing against. Unfortunately he didn't have it off the pitch and ruined his career. 

[La Parka]

Yeah definitely one of those perpetually injured due to off field activity wastes.

 

Still love him like. Unplayable on his day. 

[Kid Icarus]

1 hour ago, TheBrownBottle said:

A fit Carroll unspoiled by injuries played for Liverpool and looked like a carthorse.  He wasn’t near that level - it was a poor signing by Dalglish, though of course that was something we were very familiar with.  He went to West Ham because he wasn’t good enough for Liverpool, not because of injuries.  I do agree though that the lad would’ve had a better career without them - like I said, he was more akin to Kevin Davies than Alan Shearer.  He had a solid PL career, and would’ve had a more solid one had he stayed fit.  I just don’t think he would have ever become a top notch PL centre forward - just my view, of course.

 

Cisse’s purple patch involved him scoring a goal a game, and about 90% of those were somewhere between goal of the week and goal of the season.   The lad was ‘Pardewed’, the quality was clearly there.  Though as an all-round centre forward, Ba was better than either of them. Agreed re the purple patchy nature of both Cisse and Carroll - the only difference for me is the quality of the goals scored.  Neither were first rate PL centre forwards.  Carroll’s local lad status is absolutely the reason why so many had an emotional attachment to him - had he been from Maidenhead instead of Gateshead he have been viewed and remembered completely differently.  For me, I never really reached that with Carroll - he reminded me of Duncan Ferguson; big bloke, causes problems, slow and not likely to be prolific in the long run.  I’ve never been a fan of target man centre forwards - all just personal taste. 

 

Aye but again he was only 22 and I don't think anyone would argue he was good enough for Liverpool either then or now, though 'carthorse' is OTT imo. The injuries point gb was making was about him having a great career, not being good enough for Liverpool or being a top notch centre forward.

 

All by the by anyway tbh, Carroll on paper wasn’t the type of striker I really like at all, I'm much more a fan of the Henry type player, or Suarez. Didn't matter, I absolutely loved him and was devastated when we sold him. Nothing changes that really.

 

 

[gjohnson]

Let's not re-write history here...when he left almost everyone was gutted, and he did look like becoming a world beater. Obviously didn't pan out that way, but could have just as easily if booze and injuries didn't scupper him

[Aiston]

Maybe loan him in January, banging the goals in.