Allardyce hopes Liverpool loanee can end goal drought against Man City

By Tom Moore Friday, November 2, 2012
7:00 AM

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is hopeful that Andy Carroll can break his goal duck for the Hammers against Manchester City on Saturday.

The Liverpool loanee has failed to find the target in his first nine games of the season, five of them in a West Ham shirt.

And Allardyce is hoping that the 23-year-old can receive the service that he requires to open his account.

He said: “It will obviously be difficult for us [against Manchester City] but I think if we can do what we did against Arsenal and score the first goal, as well, if Andy can get that, but at the end of the day, Andy and whoever scores it, it doesn’t really matter as long as we try and get it but it would be nice for him to get off the mark.”

Manchester City’s title winning side of last season was built on a strong defence that only conceded 29 goals last season.

This season, already, they have let nine slip past them in the Premier League and Allardyce will be prepared for whichever defensive pairing Citizens boss Roberto Mancini puts out.

He added: “It depends on who he decides to play in terms of what Andy comes up against on Saturday…what combination of a back four Roberto Mancini decides to play and then we’ll have a tactic for whatever players he’s going to play and whatever system he’s going to play.

“Because it’s very important we know what system the opposition are playing but we probably won’t know that until we’ve got the team-sheet.”

Allardyce believes that Carroll is frustrated but it has not affected him when on the training field.

“No, I don’t think [it has affected his attitude], I think he’s a little frustrated by it but that’s the issue,” he explained.

“I think we’re getting in terms of reading the situation, the more and more he plays with the players we’ve got, the more and more he can start to read how the situation develops and hopefully get on the end of it.

“He had one very good chance at Wigan, which dropped to his right foot and I think probably, in his heyday, he probably would have just volleyed it straight away and just tried to bring it down and miscontrolled it.

“It’s not all about Andy and his heading ability, he’s very, very good at scoring goals on the floor as well, so we have got to keep providing the service [to him] and eventually, he’ll start putting it in the net, we hope.

“All the players at this level have work rates that are really, really high and there’s no room for carrying anybody anymore these days in terms of how your work rate has to go.

“We want the biggest work rate from Andy in possession and we want him on the top of his game in terms of the movement he gives when we’re in possession.

“Like I said service is everything and I think particularly Wigan, the times we got there was okay but the quality of our service wasn’t good as it has been.”

Despite the frustrations, Allardyce remains confident that the move will work out for both the player and the club.

“The fans at West Ham love committed players and they love players who, sort of, give their all,” he explained.

“I think Andy wears his heart on his sleeve somewhat and I think a part of Andy’s frustration has been the amount of times he seems to be fouled these days but doesn’t seem to get the free-kicks against him that he deserves.

“He has to understand that’s probably always going to be the case but for him it’s not to get frustrated by that it’s about making runs in the right positions and just keep showing that commitment. And eventually it will pay off for him and for us.”