LOL. Hey, he can stand there and seizure in slow motion as long as he eludes someone and releases a shot. Nice to see that he isn't neutered with the ball on the deck. And at least he didn't look like a pile of gyrating toothpicks ala Crouch.
I am just really hoping that he maintains this turnaround of effort, I enjoyed watching him hustle on Saturday and I think some of you are right about the Newcastle experience, it was just a big fat reality check for him.
We won't find out until next year on whether he'll work for us or not. He's certainly showed a renewed confidence these past few games that makes me think he'll do well. Seems to me the pressure got to him. The pressure of the big money. The pressure to score and dominate in the air. It affected the way he played and made it seem like he was lazy and didn't care. Simptoms of depression. Steel elbow they used to call it in tennis. I was going to say I'm looking forward to next season but then I was really excited about our next season this time last year.
Here's my take - Andy grew up a diehard Geordie, a big lad who could bulldoze his way through defenders. He made it all the way to the Newcastle first team, an achievement beyond his wildest dreams. He never wanted anything more than to be the local town hero, a guy who was loved in his hometown and would never have to pay for a pint again. Suddenly he was hyped as the future of England's attack and became the eighth most expensive transfer in the world. He never wanted that. He's a simple boy with simple goals. His game is rather simple too. He moves to a giant club, has a huge spotlight and target on his back. He's labeled a traitor by his own club, when he never wanted to leave in the first place. He struggles for awhile and isn't enjoying his football anymore, a far cry from when he was bashing through defenders and heading the ball into the net with ease. These are called growing pains. He lost his confidence and I truly think at one point he - subconciously or not - was angling for a move back to the Tyneside. Slowly but surely he's come to realize that he's destined for bigger things, whether he wants it or not. Luckily we have Kenny in charge, the perfect man to help Andy in this rather difficult transition, and it's starting to show that he can handle the big stage. By all accounts Carroll is a guy who likes to have fun. The game isn't fun when your team is struggling, you're put under immense pressure, and you have Stewart effing Downing running down the wing. Suarez is a fun guy to play with, Kenny is a fun guy to play for, and Andy is looking like he's having fun. He's gonna work out. He's still very young with loads of potential. He's scoring goals, running his socks off, and winning everything in the air. I think he's a pretty decent candidate for Engerland's Euro squad, and while I personally don't know if I want him there, it might be good for his confidence. I expect big things out of him next year and really think he'll come good.
He's clearly regained fitness, his touch and his work rate are massive indicators of the player we were looking to buy and now maybe with a fresh season, a new manager and I believe as importantly the Newcastle fans ridiculing him he can go on to be the player we hoped he would be. We need an attacking minded manager like AVB to bring the best out of our most expensive signings. I can only believe that Suarez and Carroll would love playing in an AVB type 4-3-3.
That's exactly why we can't get Rafa and his defensive structure and tactics with Suarez and Carroll in the team.
I agree totally. Rafa has a habit of isolating his strikers as he did with Torres and Carroll is certainly never going to be able to score the goals Torres did. Andy Carroll interestingly for me is the biggest nod to Martinez getting the job while Suarez likewise for AVB. Martinez took a team of hoofers that were known for their strength and stamina above any kind of footballing prowess and turned them into a FOOTBALL TEAM.
I'm not Rafa's biggest fan but its a bit silly to say that he cant adapt to the players we have. If anything his first three years at Liverpool and Valencia show that he is fantastic at taking advantage of the resources at his disposal no matter how average the player.
No one is saying he can't adapt, what I personally am saying is that at his best Rafa is more a manager who gets his reputation from stopping the other side playing. I'd like just for once (it's been a while) to be the team everyone else has to stop!
Right - he can get the most out of the resources he's given (2005 CL, 2006 FA Cup). The problems arise when he starts bringing in his own players.
And yet despite bringing in these awesome players he still acheived more with the players he inherited in his first two years than the side he built in the last 4. He may have complained about lamps and sofas in Valencia but he worked wonders under those conditions. A commanding DOF, whether here or elsewhere, is in Rafa's best interests.
He did a lot of right but I was more thinking of his Aquilani, Jova, Dossena, Voronin etc acquisitions and selling Alonso, Arbeloa and Mascherano. Thank you. Someone who actually gets what I was trying to say.
well it is pretty strange to say he did more with less. I really depends on your measure. His next to last team came within 4 points of winning the league. And those late buys and forced sells are really a mixed bag and any clear eyed person would say the constrained view of the two thieves had as much to do with those as Rafa's vision. Alonso, I would lay at his feet with the play for Barry all but driving Alonso out. But he was also the man who spotted Alonso early and bought him. The other two losses were money and culture driven. That would be like saying the Scum should let SARN go because he sold Cvnt Ronaldo and bought Nani.
Andy Carroll....!? Funny though, (not really) Rafa's undoing was reminiscent of KK's. last season. I'm 'fairly' certain that they didn't tell the team to go out and have fun, and give a prize for the most times a playes hit the woodwork. "One" of the thing I loved about Rafa, was the way he could change a losing match. In the first half against Juvi at Anfield, for one example. Zanetti was carving a series of new AH's for us down the inside left channel, we were back on desparate defence for most of that half. Second half he moved some players around, sicked Kuyt on Zanetti (Who disappeared) and we took over the match. Another example, on a different level was Istanbul. Sometimes Kenny would frustate us all by 'not' changing a game and 'not' using subs.
Towards the end he'd lost that ability though. His substitutions became mechanical with no change till the mid 60's and then again 15 minutes later. Kenny changed the game at the Emirates bringing on Suarez and Meireles turning a good away point into a fantastic 3 pointer, bringing Kuyt and Adam against United in the FA cup to get the winner or even bringing on Carroll who scored 2 perfectly good goals and changed the pattern of the game against Chelsea in the FA cup final. The biggest problem with the two perhaps being unchallenged. Someone should of told Kenny that Downing was playing shit and needed to be dropped while Rafa needed to be convinced that, as good as Masch and Lucas were, a CM partnership of the 2 was not going to win us games. As for Carroll I guess none of us know what his future will be now. Will the new manager build the team around him or scrap him immediately to bring in his own finisher.
My opinion on Carroll (and Downing and Henderson) is that we could have found better players for similar (or less in the cases of Carroll and Downing). I won't judge Henderson too harshly, because I liked some of the things I saw from him.
AC is out for six weeks.Who knows, even had he stayed, he may have been unavailable due to injury. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19451367