Newcastle manager Chris Hughton will have been delighted with the performance of Geordie striker Andy Carroll last night at Coventry as he got two good goals to help England U21 beat Macedonia 6-3 in the European U21 Qualifying Tournament.
Chris Hughton – Andy is a classic number 9
Chris Hughton sees Geordie youngster Carroll as an old fashioned center forward, when every side had a big man up front leading the line.
Andy has all the qualities you need, as he is already good at holding and shielding the ball, and is very good in the air.
And despite the presence of several budding Premier League stars among the Under-21s’ attacking options, Andy started the game and played 90 minutes before being substituted by Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck, when England were already 6-3 up.
Chris had talked yesterday about Andy and that England coach Stuart Pearce should have no doubts about the 20 year-old Geordie:
“The England staff should have no fear of starting Andy or giving him a lengthy run-out as a substitute,”
“I don’t know if he’s in the frame, but he’s in the squad on the strength of the form he’s shown this season and is confident enough to make a very good impact.”
“Andy is a classic No 9, whereas a lot of the modern-day centre-forwards are what we used to call No 10s.”
“They are all about pace, movement, the ability to drop off players and link with midfield. But Andy is a fantastic throwback to the days of the big, strong, fearless No 9.”
“He has a lot of ability on the ground as well, but his ability to dominate defenders in the air is what really sets him apart.”
“Like anyone of his age (20), we as coaches have a responsibility to use him sensibly, and take him out of the firing line every now and then if he would benefit from a rest.”
“But his form this season has been excellent. He’s developing very nicely and is a huge asset for us and, hopefully, England.”
Great words from Chris, and it shows you how good a coach Hughton is – and it looks like Stuart Pearce doesn’t have too many doubts about Andy..
The England u19 side last night beat Finland 3-1 with goals from Delfouneso 5, Mellis 16 and Parrett in injury time.
Newcastle’s Ryan Donaldson came on as a sub on 72 minutes, but no sign of Nile Ranger, as the 18 year-old wasn’t even on the bench, for some reason.
Let’s hope he’s not injured.
Comments welcome.
4 comments so far
Mikey25
Oct 10, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Comment #1Its great to see some of our kids getting a good run out at that level! However Carroll is 20 at the end of the day and I don’t think he needs shielding that much! Just hope he continues to develop in the right way, shame Shearer couldn’t get his mitts on ranger and carroll to give them a bit of tutoring cos they could in future be Englands first choice strikers if they carry on!
toonie
Oct 10, 2009 at 3:17 PM
Comment #2Great to see the younger players progressing and Carroll could be a real star of the future.
However, if Ashley has not sold the club he may well sell off the likes of Carroll when the premiership clubs come sniffing with open cheque books in January. Hopefully a deal is done to sell the club soon and we can hold onto these rising stars.
Sav
Oct 11, 2009 at 1:14 AM
Comment #3That’s fine, Chris but we want at least one of your so-called no.10 s at the club. At the minute we’ve plenty big lads but not enough guile. We’ve adapted to the Championship by outdoing most teams we’ve come across so far at playing it long to a big lad. Will we be capable of adapting back just as readily if we achieve promotion?
chuck
Oct 11, 2009 at 7:24 AM
Comment #4Seems good in the air, but lacks pace and appears a bit clumsy.
But still quite young with time to improve, as long as he can put the ball in the net, is what counts.