Why Andy Carroll Must Start More Regularly For West Ham United
West Ham United have made a slow start to the season and were relegation-threatened for the longest time. Although they are currently occupying 16th place now, they are far from danger since they are just one point ahead of the drop zone.
There have been a lot of new faces at the club and they have taken time to settle in. However, their recent game against West Bromwich Albion did spark hopes of a resurgence. The Hammers beat West Brom 2-1 and that was possible solely due to a wonderful brace scored by Andy Carroll.
This once more brings up the question as to whether or not the player should start more regularly for the club. With David Moyes appointed as the new manager only in December last year, he does have an uphill task ahead of him as the club battles for its top-flight status.
While there are some areas of concern, the Hammers boss will have to focus on concocting a winning formula. Javier Hernandez was seen as a beacon of hope once he joined the club over the summer but his displays have been quite underwhelming.
Carroll, in contrast, looks a lot more solid and lethal. He not only boasts of strong aerial prowess but is also quite capable of maintaining a formidable presence at the front. He has struggled quite a bit with consistency since he has been in and out of injuries during his tenure at West Ham but he has shown signs of encouragement lately. His goals against the Baggies came at a time when West Ham were in desperate need of clinching a win.
This period of being sidelined must have been understandably frustrating for the player but if he continues this way, he might be able to secure regular game time once more. Competing with Chicharito might be a bit tough but that might ultimately push him to be at his best.
There is the argument that he could be used as an impact player but that would just mean squandering his talent. Carroll displayed signs of how dangerous he can be against West Brom and if he could do that on a consistent basis, the Hammers may not find it all that tough to climb up the league table.
The £9m-rated Carroll has a tendency to be extremely controversial with his discipline on the field and has even angered some of the fans by making some unnecessary comments about them. At the end though, it all comes down to how he plays on the field and if he can repeat what he did against West Brom, Carroll might just be able to win back the approval from the fans and the manager.