Andy Carroll

Sometimes as I put together the links for each new day, I feel like all I'm doing is writing about Andy Carroll. That's not a bad thing, and certainly not unexpected. Carroll does, after all, wear the storied #9 jersey and he's a talented young striker that makes news on and off the pitch. It follows that people would want to write about him.

I've read so many of these articles that I feel like I could write them myself. Carroll, the talented but troubled young Geordie, has the opportunity to play for a top side in his own backyard. He scored 19 goals last season and is now out to prove that he can score against Premiership-level teams. Recently, a former footballer came out and said that Andy Carroll can be an all-time great if he can keep his affairs in order. Fabio Capello hasn't called him up to England yet, but he's scouted him several times and surely he'll get the call this time. Insert a joke about Captain Nolan wiping his bottom at home, and you have a standard Andy Carroll feature.

I'm not trying to say that each feature I come across doesn't have its own intrinsic value; I like reading about the talented young striker that plays for the team I cheer for. But the fact that so many of these articles contain much the same material makes this piece by Kevin McCarra of The Guardian that much...weirder, for the lack of a better term. I'm struggling to figure out what McCarra is trying to accomplish here. He seems to say the following: Carroll is good, but probably not that good, because Newcastle were just promoted. He'll probably get the call anyway because England is sort of low on strikers at the moment. Also, Chelsea said that they wanted to poach him, so that's a good segue to talk about what the big clubs are doing right about now and how they could benefit from a better striker.

I know it seems strange for me to pick a random article out from a reliable publication and nitpick it. I just don't know what else to do with this bit of writing. Andy Carroll: The enigma that confuses defenses and sportswriters alike.