The Dunc Comparison is so lazy, if you actually watch Carroll's goals then Ferguson had neither the skill nor composure to score like that. Carroll scores glanced headers, looping headers, powerful headers where he puts his body on the line. He takes the ball round goalkeepers, he dinks the ball over goal keepers, he poaches at the ends of moves (some of which he actually starts with a pretty decent crossfield pass by the way, like his third v Villa), he shifts and shoots, he hits it from distance, he places the ball into the corner, he scores with his weaker foot too. He had a brilliant array of different types of goal, he is a born finisher.
On top of all of that, he has those great Duncan Ferguson qualities of being able to win everything with his back to goal unless marshalled superbly (thank you Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul), he has more pace than people give him credit for (Certainly more than all of Keane, Crouch and Pav), his first touch is pretty good, especially in the box, and he plays with his head up.
The guy is raw, but there is not one ingredient which he has not shown, and that is in a side who are not particularly good. Surround him with Modric, VDV, Bale and Lennon and you've got a striker of potentially stellar proportions.
Oh, but I fogot, we could find a European player who is just as good for cheaper, couldn't we?
I think the comparisons to Alan Shearer are a lot more lazy than those to Ferguson and Beattie. The Shearer comparison seems to be based on nothing more than the number shirt they share at NEwcastle, other than that I don't see how the young Andy Carroll is fit to lace the boots of the Shearer who was outstanding for Blackburn.
I have watched as much of Carroll as a non Newcastle fan is likely to see, I have seen him play whenever Newcastle have been live on Sky this year not to mention MOTD highlights and his ENgland cap vs France, add to that England U21 games and the odd game in the Championship last year and I have seen him play a decent amount I feel (at least enough to form my own opinions about him, which surely I am entitled to).
Personally he reminds me a great deal of Duncan Ferguson, Ferguson was a good player he scored goals against big teams like Man U and Liverpool and not only bulldozing headers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO9xcwsZnH4
I actually think Dunc was under rated, he did well enough in a scrappy Everton side for Newcastle to pay big money for him I just think Newcastle was not the best fit. Ferguson like Carroll was a good PL striker who would cause defences trouble for 90mins of every match, but he wasn't a top draw striker like Drogba, Torres or Shearer for example.
Carroll is a good player, I just don't think he will be a great player and certainly no Drogba or Shearer in my opinion and fees in excess of £20m seem like madness to me.
He doesn't have the class of a Benzema, he is amazing in the air and his goal against Liverpool was excellent but thus far he has had one decent half season in the league in a team basically built around him (BArton pumps balls in for him to attack all day, and Nolan also supports his game nicely)
I see a lot of the young James Beattie in Carroll, Beattie was dominant in the air and had a lot of potential that for one reason or another he never lived up to (he was outstanding in the CHampionship just like Carroll was) I think Carroll has potential, he doesn't have the class of Shearer but he if very effective and if he develops to reach his potential (unlike BEattie) could be a very good PL striker for years to come, but it is a big gamble as to how good he will become at the prices being mentioned for him.
That being said, I think he would be effective for us. He would certainly offer us a different dimension to what we currently have and it would be good to see a striker rough up the opposition defences a little, although personally I would rather us sign a striker with intelligent movement and guile who could complement the skillful attacking players we have so we could play total football.
I think Carroll is in contrast to the rest of our squad, and while it would be effective I would rather see us sign someone who fits the way we player rather than have to change our style to get the best out of a player like Carroll (I'm not saying Carroll is not capable of moving well and linking play, but he is not as good as someone like Benzema would be I feel and to get the very best out of a striker like Carroll you need to ensure he has a good deal of crosses and high balls to attack like Barton provides him with currently and I for one don't relish seeing us playing to his strengths)
Watched 'Sunday Supplement' on SS2 this morning and one of the journo's categorically said he had it from a very good source Tottenham have NOT bid for Andy Carroll.
Bigger picture he is what we need, could see us really challenge after another window. No patience?
Put this in the general football thread haha, didn't know we could post all footy related stories in here, my bad. Can't believe Liverpool are putting out all the stops to sign another striker when they have such a shite defense.
Why would it be in general football?