Kenny Dalglish today stuck by out of form Andy Carroll, describing his performance against rivals Man Utd as “Fantastic.” The Scott told Skysports “He works really hard and gave everything he’s got for us.”
In perhaps a cunning move to tempt others into wasting their money, Dalglish stated “He has a lot of attributes for us to work on. I am sure that (performance) will do him no harm whatsoever in terms of confidence.”
Carroll did indeed enjoy one of his better performances in a red shirt on Saturday, but whilst the Geordie boy shows steady, if excruciatingly slow signs of improvement, Dalglish still wrangles with possible solutions to his £35 million dilemma.
His praise for Carroll comes on the same morning as claims from The Observer that Liverpool have offered Carroll in a swap deal involving City outcast Carlos Tevez.
Aside from amusing images of a confused David Silva attempting to link up with the giant, the story conjures a rather confused message. Why would Dalglish consistently stick by his man so staunchly, only to try and shaft him in a futile transfer deal doomed to failure from the start?
The swap itself, misfit for misfit, makes absolutely no sense what so ever for Manchester City. Though Tevez has become an immature liability, he is supremely gifted and valuated at £30 million. If the alleged bid was indeed lodged, then somebody at Liverpool has a great deal of misplaced faith.
The clubs own insane valuation of Carroll last January will never be repeated. His efforts in the face of adversity have been admirable, but the stark truth is even at his pomp in a Newcastle shirt he was never a world class talent. With no pace or poise on the ball, Carroll was only ever going to be a handy but outdated form of target man with an eye for goal.
The knee jerk reaction after the £50 million sale of Fernando Torres shocked the football world, and carries a stigma for the 23 year old as well as his manager. You can almost see the weight of the £35 million Albatross around his neck as he staggers around the Anfield turf, just as you can see it around Kenny’s as he helplessly attempts to defend the disastrous transfer.
The situation cannot be resolved but can be improved. Carroll’s performance against United in Saturday’s FA Cup triumph was punchy if unspectacular. However today’s reports will do nothing to help the player’s confidence, as he attempts to rebuild his career and begin to make some form of impact for the club he joined a year ago.
Dalglish on the other hand has to concentrate on implementing a system that works for his multi-million impulse buy. The story of his forwards record breaking transfer will be used as a stick to beat with many many times more, but it’s a responsibility that he has to accept as his own.
