After watching this performance he should play for England. Hard to believe that the comments on here are from LFC fans. As soon as he scores in the next game or FA Cup, the same people will praise him, as has already happened this year. Its called HEART! And AC has it! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78uWLwtirHg"]Andy Carroll vs Newcastle United [St. James Park] by StanleySantoso - YouTube[/ame]
Hard to believe? He dove and we called him out on it. You want us to blindly defend everyone and everything just because they're Liverpool players? That's ridiculous.
He is showing signs, but when he makes a horrible decision that, if done differently probably would have changed the game, we are perfectly within our rights to call him out for it.
2 issues: 1. You dont have to be 'touched' to trip and fall. If you are running at full tilt, making great moves around 2 or 3 players - at full speed - and you think the keeper is whiping you out - and you lose your balance, and entangle your feet - you can fall. I think he 'embellished' it a bit, as ALL sports people do - to get a call. But he did not dive on purpose. It all happens at blazing speed, in a split second. Don't be so hard on the lad. 2. It's funny that all these LIVERPOOL fans don't make a BIG DEAL of his SURE GOAL - stolen from him by a hand/arm right on the goal line. Was the Ref against poor Andy that day? I think so. Rooney or another player might have got BOTH calls. Why isnt that non-call a big issue for the LFC supporters here? Because they would rather rag over this issue. Fairweather fans? Wasnt there a big hate on for Carroll, and then he had those 5 really good games, including the strong game against ManU, with the flick-on to Kuyt - which knocked out ManU? I think if you are a fan, you support throught thick and thin - thats one thing I will praise KD for. He really sticks by his guys.
Right sometimes players trip over their own feet. In this case Carroll did not. It would be something else if we didn't have a good replay or angle of it but we have the best possible evidence to go by. How you still question it is beyond me. This isn't even close. Well I don't indulge in conspiracy theories so I'll leave that to you. I don't know about others, I judge the player on his football and by that alone he does merit criticism, as do most players on this team. Because this is Liverpool there are certain standards and all players have to be held accountable. Carroll comes with increased pressure because of his price tag, reputation, etc. That's the nature of football.
People have brought that up. From what I've seen, most here agree it was a bang-bang play that, unfortunately, the ref didn't see. It was a mess in the box at the time, and so it was missed. These things happen.
If you look closely at the slow motion replay, you'll clearly see its the ponytail that gets caught in a puff of wind that brings him down. We finally have a culprit here.
It's the downside of watching a match on the telly; we get to see it in minute detail and the ref just has to go with what he sees. It was a clear arm to ball but i can't blame the ref, the more I look at it afterwards the more I see that there is no way he is in a position to see it. Should have been but it wasn't given and it's just the way of the game. We'll win some like that too with other teams, it all goes around. The dive though? Oh I hate it when I can't defend a Liverpool player - yes, even Andy Carroll, I just can't justify it in any way. He dived, he could have stayed up and gone around, he chose not to take that full step and to do that ridiculous half step thing and dive. Not acceptable. It could have changed the whole game for the positive but instead he just made it a negative start for us. His effort was improved but that doesn't mean a thing in the grand scheme of things when you see that dive.
He needs to come back after a hard summer with a brand new hairdo and a new attitude, having lost 10 pounds.
So perhaps you can tell us where the ref was on the 'dive'? seems like he didn't have a good angle on that either? Perhaps he was listening to the fans on both calls? If you are following the BALL on Carroll's header, then surely you saw the ball hit the arm, and the defender make a motion - with his arm to keep the ball out? Are you saying that the Ref wasnt watching the ball in the goal area? Or the assistant?? When I see the 'dive' at fast - normal - speed I cant tell it is a dive at all. Either could the announcer who thought it was a penalty for sure - until the ref went after Carroll. And you can see that the keeper was trying to cut Andys feet, but pulls his arm back. Andy was jumping to avoide the keeper, and losing the ball at the same time - while cutting to his right, with a full head of steam after making a great move on the defender. If he had scored it would have been an amazing goal - starting by his beating the first defender with the header - flicked to - himself. It was a GREAT RUN! If you watch the Carroll tape from the game you will see that he actually falls a lot. Its an issue, brought up earlier this year. Shoes? He is a leaper, but he falls or loses his balance a lot. I still think he's innocent.
These announcers believe that the Ref/Assistant BLEW IT, and that the goal/call would have changed the game: (how does the assistant, who is standing on the line miss this?) http://watchhighlightsonline.blogspot.ca/2012/04/video-newcastle-2-0-liverpool-danny.html
This is much more plausible than I-man's synopsis. Just so we're clear I-man, just so you don't paint me into the bully moderator group , I've been a Carroll apologist for a while now, I've stuck up for him during this season, but that was a dive. There was no contact and he did not clip his own feet to trip himself. That was a Greg Louganis back of the head clipping the diving board dive. It doesn't mean he's a bad person, or even a bad player but, you're denying the undeniable with this one.
Well if the referee is standing directly on the line, then I think there would be a goalpost obscuring his view of the incident. I would rather the line judge be sure a call was correct instead of guessing at whether what the ball bounced off of was an arm or not. The side judge was in the correct position to see if a ball went over the line, but not to see if there was a handball on the line (not his job, that's for the center ref). It's my opinion that there was no way that he could see it come off of Simpson's arm (which was directly on the line) through the goalpost.
He dived. It was embarrassing just like its embarrassing whenever Gerrard or Suarez do it. Lets move on. Especially as we would of missed it anyway. I will say one thing for Carroll, that dive, against his home team club and possibly the only one who would give us a decent price confirms that he wants to do well for us. In a game where our 2 best players were anonymous, the defence was a shambles and Reina acted an idiot focussing on any individual is pointless.
Dude, you come across as so condescending in your posts, no wonder you get peoples backs up. When you do get sharp replies don't blame other people for not wanting to engage with you. He dived, get over it. He should have been awarded a penalty, he wasn't. Move on. The game was nearly a week ago. We lost - again. Deal with it.
Oh so true, it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference except that we'd be holding our heads in our hands wondering how we can be so bloody awful at penalties. See for a minute I thought I was going to agree to a whole post of yours ... but I realised what you meant and changed it for you. It's the only game I have seen him motivated in for us; if he really wanted to play for us then I think we'd have seen it at least a few times this season before this wouldn't we?
What a bunch of haters. Already happened once this year. The exact same AC haters. Then - his great games. Now so quickly, the fairweather fans turn again. Fans? Ha! Not so long ago: Suarez was out, LFC playing the arch-enemies for the FA Cup match, who rose to the occasion? Who played with the heart? AC thats who. I dont care in the end if he dove or not, I think he didnt. I'm just amazed at the hatred for one young man named Andy Carroll. None of you could do better. Dont judge and you will not be judged. Are you so perfect at your job, family, life, etc? Never stumbled or made a mistake? You're so quick to reject a fellow human being, from the team that you supposedly cheer for. Get rid of him! 35 million gbp flop! What a bunch of nonsense. And then to hear that he is 'lazy' or 'doesnt want to be here'. Rubbish! Where will you be when big Andy helps LFC win the next 2 games and get to the FA cup final? Backtracking and making excuses. Whatever. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4y5lYRxawg"]Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd - Official Highlights and Goals | FA Cup 4th Round Proper 28-01-12 - YouTube[/ame]
Dude! Why do you flip out so much?! Not near as many people are saying Carroll should be sold as you seem to think there are. You tell us to get over it, but maybe you might need to calm down a bit. You wind up coming off like this:
I don't hate Andy Carroll. I just wish he wouldn't dive, and I don't think he's quick enough or good enough in the air to be our #9. I'd love to be wrong. Italiaman, your efforts to divide the forum between pro and anti Carroll fans isn't working. No one here wishes him ill. The only division is (1) those who will call his dive what it was: a dive, and (2) you.
He didn't dive. He clearly tripped on the ball. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8voJkbVIW0w"]Andy Carroll Dive Newcastle v Liverpool - YouTube[/ame]