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.

 

[Superior Acuña]

I think he could've been class talent wise. The combination of power and aerial strength with his talent with the ball of his feet was quite special I think. Not world class but by no means average. Not sure it'd have worked out great with him staying at an unambitious Ashley NUFC though either. Really enjoying him going to Bordeaux. 

[Novocastrian]

6 hours ago, gjohnson said:

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

I’ve never been more disappointed to lose a player and I remember Waddle, Beardsley and Gazza being sold.

[Superior Acuña]

After growing up with Shearer, I was very emotionally attached to the idea of having a quality geordie striker leading the line - him going felt more than just losing a good player.

[Kaizero]

From an interview with So Foot that he gave after he'd scored his 6th goal for Bordeaux in 4 matches, with him being the only Bordeaux player to score in those four and being just one of three Bordeaux players to score at all in eight matches so far this season. Ever since they signe Carroll, they've gone undefeated. First three matches before Carroll signed had them 0-2-1, five matches after he signed they've gone 3-2-0. Unsure if Carroll played in their most recent match or not, but if he did, his scoring streak came to and end in that match. Think I read something about him not playing due to personal reasons (apparently he's split with his longtime fiance and had to go get his stuff before she threw it away ), so his scoring streak might still be alive and well.

 

That said, he spoke about the transfer to Liverpool in the interview, relevant bits below:

 

Quote

 

Carroll came through the ranks at Newcastle before establishing himself in the first team and being considered one of the up-and-coming players in the English game, largely because he was a throwback to an old style, centre forward that had disappeared from the game.

 

He was more than happy with the Magpies and has admitted as much publically, stating that he never intended to leave the club and would have spent his life there. Things did not pan out that way, though, as he departed for Liverpool at the end of the January transfer window in January 2011 in a €41m deal.

 

“There’s an image that comes back to me. I’m in the club gym, the TV is on Sky Sports, and then a news report comes out saying that two offers for me had been rejected: Tottenham and Liverpool, I think,” he said.

 

“It was the day after a game, so we were sitting with all the players who had played the day before, warming up. People kept asking me questions.

 

“I’m not going anywhere, lads. I’m staying here. I’m about to sign a new four or five-year contract.” Then they advised me to go and have a word with the manager (Alan Pardew), which I did, and he said, “Er, no, you’re staying.”

 

“I was on the same wavelength, but a little later the news came out that a new offer from Liverpool had been accepted. I went back up to the boss’s office and said, “Yeah, we’ve accepted. The helicopter’s waiting for you.” He basically said, “See you later,” and I was gone.”

 

 

 

 

 

[M4]

Yeah, he played on Saturday. Scoring streak ended but Bordeaux won 2-0 with him getting assist for the first goal. 

 

Came close though...

https://x.com/FreeFoot/status/1855322069338034640?t=1GEgnHv9rzbFT5ANPfA5PQ

 

 

Edited November 11 by M4