You can feel the love for local hero Carroll but it’ll take more than that to fix toothless Toon
THE ROAR which greeted Andy Carroll’s entrance from the substitutes’ bench at St James’ Park last Saturday evening confirmed the return of a Newcastle hero.
It was the main talking point for a frustrated Toon Army in another uninspiring, goalless draw with Brighton.
For some, Carroll’s cameo offered hope amid the gloom of another season battling relegation – for others, it was further evidence of desperate times on Tyneside.
The doubters were quickly offered further ammunition to pour scorn on the 30-year-old striker’s recruitment on a heavi ly incentivised appearance- based contract with a report that Carroll’s fitness concerns would mean he was unlikely to start a game this side of Christmas.
Immediately, his big mate Neale McDermott, son of Newcastle and Liverpool legend Terry, who assisted Carroll’s move back to the North East, trashed those claims.
Like the shirt he is again proud to wear, opinions on the 6ft 4in Geordie are black and white. Speak to people at Liverpool and many will tell you his record £35million transfer proved a flop because of his continual injury problems and colourful lifestyle.
And, for someone who has enjoyed high- profile moves and collected nine England caps, the playing statistics are damning.
For the past seven seasons, his goal tally has never reached double figures on account of numerous injury absences – 2018-19: one goal; 2017-18: three goals; 2016-17: seven goals; 2015-16: nine goals; 2014-15: five goals; 2013-14: two goals; 201213: seven goals; 2011-12: 10 goals; 2010-11: 14 goals.
You have to go back to 2009-10, , when he was making an impact at Newcastle, to observe a really healthy return of 19 goals from 42 appearances.
Chris Hughton, who was in charge of Carroll for or a spell at St James’ Park, said: id “Sometimes people forget about the Andy Carroll of before, his talent, the goals he’s scored.
“But he’s back at Newcastle, a club he loves and I’m certain of one thing – he will give everything. He’s a forceful individual and, being a local lad, the fans love him.”
But pundit and former England international Danny Mills doubts whether the gamble of bringing Carroll home will come off.
“You’re relying on someone who hasn’t played a lot of football. In fact, he’s hardly played at all,” he said. “When you are relying on this as a Plan B then you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.”
But manager Steve Bruce (above), who urged the Newcastle board to take a chance on a player released by West Ham in the summer, insisted: “Mentally he is tough as they come. Of his type, I don’t think there has been anybody better than him in the last 10 years.”
But you have to go back to April 2018 for his last Premier League goal – and he missed 152 games in seven seasons at West Ham.
And, considering he cost more than Luis Suarez (£22.7m) when both signed for Liverpool in January 2011, it’s amazing to see the different paths they followed.
But now Carroll is desperate tom to make up for lost time and p prove the doubters wrong.
“When I left Newcastle, I was enjoying my football. I was scoring goals. Yes, Y it’s been pretty tough since,” sin he confessed.
“I’ “I’ve grown up massively. I’ve made mistakes in the past, but I now know what life is all about.”
His last operation was to remove wrong-sized screws, which were used to repair a damaged ankle.
He has put things right off the field with ex-The Only Way Is Essex star Billi Mucklow and their four children.
Instead of a Saturday night out on the Toon after the Brighton game, it would have been a takeaway and watching TV – which might not have included Match Of The Day.
Former boss Sam Allardyce said: “He doesn’t really like watching football and isn’t interested in the history of the game.”
Right now, for Carroll, it’s simply about playing it.