Carroll is not the only one to blame for Kop misery

Carroll is not the only one to blame for Kop misery

YOU ARE NOT ALONE ... El Tel says Carroll isn't the only one struggling at Liverpool

IT is no wonder people are saying that Andy Carroll is not agile nor as good in the air as he used to be.

In fact, I am surprised Liverpool’s much-maligned striker can move or jump at all, what with all those critics on his back.

The Kop’s record £35million signing seems to be getting the blame for all the problems at Anfield.

Their failure to win the Premier League? Blame Carroll.

A second successive season without a top-four finish? Blame Carroll.

Their worst run of results in 58 years? You get the picture.

Just about the only thing Carroll has not been blamed for at Anfield is the lack of hot water in the showers in the dressing rooms... but give it time!

The striker appears to have had the finger pointed at him for everything else. And to me that really does seem incredibly unfair.

Now I am not saying he has had the best of times since Liverpool forked out that astronomical sum to sign him from Newcastle 15 months ago.

Carroll’s paltry eight goals in 48 appearances in all competitions for the Kop is blatantly a poor return.

Especially as he has failed to regularly reproduce the all-action and high-impact displays of his time at the Toon.

There have been glimpses, but nowhere near enough.

The enormous transfer fee — despite it being nothing of his own making whatsoever — appears to have weighed round his neck like to 10-ton albatross. Has he been worth the money? No. Not yet.

But nor is he solely to blame for ALL of Anfield’s ills — like some would have you believe.

His team-mates and the manager must take a long hard look at themselves and share some of the responsibility, too.

The likes of Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and skipper Steven Gerrard have hardly helped Carroll’s cause on Merseyside this term.

It could be argued that all four have performed as poorly as their easy-to-criticise team-mate.

They have certainly not given him the service on the pitch that they should have.

Had they been more on their game, then Carroll might have been more on his.

But while their below-par displays have sneaked beneath the radar, the Geordie frontman has had his scrutinised under every microscope.

His price tag has frequently bought him slatings at the expense of some of his team-mates, whose own deficiencies in these difficult times for the club have regularly gone unnoticed.

Now Liverpool’s capture of Carroll after just 60 league and cup starts for Newcastle was always a risk in my opinion — especially at that price.

He had only had a couple of hot seasons at Newcastle and one of them was in the Championship.

So to pay so much money for him was always going to be a risk.

And while he has struggled to step up at Anfield, he has not been helped by team-mates who have too often taken the easy option by hitting aimless long balls up to him.

He has become an easy outlet for midfielders struggling with confidence and form.

Such deliveries enable the passers in the team to pass the buck as Carroll gets the blame for failing to control or not getting on the end of ball that should not have been played.

That has happened too often to Carroll during his time at Liverpool.

He has not been helped either by his manager. Now, Kenny Dalglish has always deflected the criticism from his record buy.

But he has not helped him with some of his tactical selections.

The lack of regular widemen or players able to whip a ball into the box has starved Carroll of the service he thrives on.

Now Carroll, if he wants to establish himself as a top-four player, must work on adapting his game.

And he should be the one trying to fit in with his team’s tactics.

But you have to wonder what was the point of signing him if you are not going to play to his obvious strengths. It is one thing Dalglish is going to have to work on in what is shaping up to be a crucial summer.

I believe Dalglish, like Carroll, still has a future at the club. Nobody else could have galvanised Liverpool like he did after the exit of Roy Hodgson.

But regardless of whether they add the FA Cup to the Carling Cup they won at Wembley, the Premier League remains the Kop’s holy grail.

And both Dalglish and Carroll will need to hit the ground running next season if they want to remain at Anfield.