The lack of movement is a good point. Carroll always makes himself available for a pass, as does Barton, but too often there a no options for a forward pass, hence the sideways and backwards passing that is so frustrating. Alternatively, they may be forced to attempt an ambitious pass that doesn't come off and can put us in trouble.
For me Carroll shows a lot and his effort is to be applauded, however he is a long way from being the promised article or even getting close to his potential. As Beth point out he is the young leg a in midfield covering Joey but he has yet to establish the sort of player he actually is and has difficulties stamping his mark on midfield. For me I prefer someone with a little bit more authority playing 4-2-3-1 in that roll but understand the need for the young legs. I'd like to see him along side Henry to see if be can be more of the expansive side of the pairing however I'd wouldn't pick it out of choice (if that makes sense)
Where I've been most impressed with Carroll is without the ball. His movement is exceptional and always makes himself available for a pass, creating an outlet for his teammates helping others out of sticky situations. Players that possess these abilities are priceless in the modern game. Next time you watch either Barca, Dortmund or Bayern, have a closer look at the players constant movement. You would think it was the team doing all the chasing who ran the most but that is where you're wrong. In Munich when Arsenal got a lot of praise for their hard work it was Bayern who covered the most ground, in the end running more than 6 km more than the Arsenal team. And therein lies the explenation for these sides success. This example fits perfectly for Barton/Carroll. Barton looks to do all the hard work and recieving the praise when in fact it is little Tommy Carroll who puts in the most yards.
I agree with this "Where I've been most impressed with Carroll is without the ball. His movement is exceptional and always makes himself available for a pass, creating an outlet for his teammates helping others out of sticky situations." I would even say Carroll was making far more positive runs off the ball last night as well. More positive than usual I don't see why people need to knock Barton He was very steady again last night
Can't be arsed to read the whole thread at the moment 'cos twin 1 is off school due to Teachers strike and wants me to build 'Lego City' with him. But from the general bits I've read, suffice to say.....all that's good said about young Tom last night I totally agree.... And all the negative stuff......Some of you need to get down to see him play live and then make your minds up. Superb little player who's got a bright future.
i think the majority on here can see young TC's potential. He's energetic, keeps the ball moving, looks lively, can pick a good pass etc. It hasn't helped that HR has played him, on occasion, in a flat midfield 4 and at the mo, in this league, he gets bullied in that role and as a result is ineffectual. He's better when we've got 5 across the middle and he's got a clogger next to him to help out. We're impatient to get a team that plays as a 'team' and I think Carroll has sometimes unfairly been viewed as just another Spurs loan signing with no real Rangers connection. The r's are really frustrating at the mo - we just want to knit a proper side together and he's probably got some stick personally that would have been better aimed at the team as a whole. In a team that hasn't been balanced right he's been the focus of people's frustration at times i think. But there's no doubt he's improving - we know he's decent but sometimes, as fans, you just want to get in the player that has more instant impact.
That was a quick change of heart spb. It's difficult to believe these two posts were made by the same poster and on his own thread. Carroll did have a good game last night but why is he being developed on our clock? Even though he played well the cold hard facts are that he hasn't directly contributed much. Not one goal or an assist this season, that is pretty poor for a supposed forward thinking midfielder. Especially in a season that we were aiming for promotion in. We shouldn't be carrying a passenger like Carroll when he belongs to someone else. It irks me that Spurs fans rate him so highly but they deem him not good enough for their own first team but they have the audacity to knock our fans on here that don't rate him. I personally can't see the reason why the likes of Carroll and Keane are here getting game time at the expense of our own young players. I'd rather we were on here discussing the merits of Petrasso, Shariff, Donaldson and Hitchcock etc instead of babysitting someone else's children.
Since he started playing for us I've always said that in a few years and after some time at the gym and some manning up, he'll be a very good player. If we could sign him permanently it'd probably be worth it but I'd have him as a backup until he's ready. And I agree about Jenas. I recon he'll be a good player to have around when with the run in. He seems up for it.
QPR 999 I don't see that as a contradiction To summarise On the plus Carroll He looked livelier He moved forwards a bit more Where I've been most impressed with Carroll is without the ball. His movement is exceptional and always makes himself available for a pass, creating an outlet for his teammates helping others out of sticky situations." I would even say Carroll was making far more positive runs off the ball last night as well. More positive than usual BUT He got pushed off the ball about 25 times in the middle of the pitch His passing was just terrible, not just killer passes that were worth a go but don't quite come off But about 20 simple 5 yard passes under no pressure that he completely mucked up He wouldn't shoot even if in front of an open goal - but that is true of 90% of the squad So I see him as a midfielder who cant tackle, hold a ball, pass or shoot - HE CAN RUN AND COLLECT A BALL THOUGH - HE JUST DOES F*CK ALL WITH IT That just leaves his heading but he is at least 1 ft too short
Yes. With help from Kranscjar and especiallty Clint. I think he's agood player for the reasons already given on here. Looked like he came very close to scoring too.
His game is hugely reliant on there being good movement from the rest of the midfield and attack. Too often that's not been the case and he's looked poorer than he really is for it. He's not the finished product, clearly, but he's the best complement for Barton IMO.
Got to say I'm a fan of Corrol. he's not the finished article and this is probably the wrong league for him but his talent is there for all to see. remeber when barton went of against (?) and he was left as our main CM earlier this season. Absolutely flourished. He's going to be a good top player and the amount of work and effort he puts in to running and harrying shows he obviously has the right attitude to his sport. Of course he's going to lose the ball but thats partly because he's always wanting to be involved. this will be a great learning curve for him in what to expect at diffrent levels. its easy to see why Spuds want him. Its good to see youth develop like that, just a shame he's not one of ours.
I take it all back. I thought he has his best game yesterday Helped by Henry sitting behind him and seemed unshackled by the absence of Barton Thought he was our best player in the first half whenever everyone was sh!t largely due to rediculous team selection