LAST CHANCE FOR HEROIC CAROLL?

Sometimes what makes you a hero is not that you won or lost, it’s the things you did. Andy Carroll is in his 30’s and is back to the club who gave him the first opportunity to break out: Newcastle United. He scored goals. Bailed them out when they needed him and also suffered with them when they lost.

Then Liverpool came. It was time for him to upgrade. To a team that matched his talent. Alas, he never matched Liverpool’s. After recording a miserly 6 goals in 44 games, with Liverpool faithful frustrated with him throughout his stay at the club, he left.

Seeing him at St. James Park nowadays could only mean one thing: he shouldn’t have left. The footballing terrain fooled him. The grass was never greener at the other side.

At Newcastle, even when he was frustrating, the fans still loved him because they just happened to be the only set of people that understood what kind of striker he was.He is not going to give you a steady rate of goals but rest assured that as long as you play according to his strength, given that he is exceptionally good at hold up play and balls in the air, a decent number of goals from a decent number of appearances was guaranteed.

He is also the kind of guy you would want when the going gets tough. When all the tactical and technical genius of the head coach hits a brick wall. Marouane Fellaini perfected that at Old Trafford and he is regarded as a hero till this day.

Carroll is back at Newcastle and as they sit 1 point above the drop, the former England international will be hoping his magic is enough to keep them in the Premier League even if that may be the last thing he is remembered for.