Time Carroll shaped up or is shipped out

SiX seconds. That is all it took for Andy Carroll. Just over a month after leaving his side in the lurch by elbowing his way to an early shower at Burnley, Carroll risked doing it all over again with the first high ball that was arrowed towards him. Referee Andre Marriner spared Carroll the same fate this time, but the striker was fortunate to escape a caution in the opening minute. Poor old Marvin Zeegelaar, a 27-year-old Dutch defender making his Premier League bow, made acquaintance with Carroll’s swinging elbow and the game took several minutes to restart. He returned to the field with cotton buds stuffed into his nose and will need to wait to see if it is broken. To his credit, he soldiered on. But it was not a clever act. it was the kind of cheap hit that English football has mostly confined to nostalgic memories on VHS tapes and on another day, Zeegelaar might have suffered serious damage. Carroll is now 28, and the penny may never drop. This is a player that Kenny Dalglish, a sound judge of striking talent, thought to be worth £35million. At his most effective, Carroll is strong, athletic and powerful. His leap is mighty and his shot is hard. He should be at the peak of his powers and offering Gareth Southgate a unique threat at the World Cup. Yet he is barely a footnote to the England manager’s plans. He has notched only five goals in the calendar year and he so rarely brings together his qualities in a positive way. West Ham supporters appear fed up with his immaturity. His recent comments criticising fans for leaving early went down like a bucket of cold sick, and here he was the recipient of sustained goading from the terraces. For manager David Moyes, it is a complex challenge. Carroll’s mere presence in the starting line-up is becoming more of a hindrance than a help. Even withstanding the referee’s early leniency, Carroll found his way into the book midway through the first half and then was given a final warning. Moyes took a sympathetic view: ‘Andy has done everything in training, tried to be correct in everything he’s done. ‘i thought every time he goes for a challenge the opposition crowd are going to make it difficult to affect the referee but i’ve not seen the challenges. ‘Half-time was a decision because i wasn’t sure if he was going to get sent off so i told him i would be taking him off.’ West Ham’s travelling fans chanted for the board to be sacked and sang: ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt.’ But Moyes pleaded for patience after defeat in his first game in charge. ‘i am thankful they were supportive of me,’ he said. ‘But we need a united club and i know they have grievances. i said to the players at the end that it’s tough to play when the crowd is like that. ‘There were some players with big reputations who disappointed me a little bit.’