I think you have to give credit where it is due, they are playing a style which is effective with the players they have, and Carroll is obviously having an excellent game playing in a role which suits him. You can criticise Allardyce for bringing in loads of big lumps ensuring this is the only way they can play, but variety is after all the spice of life and seeing tactical mismatches like Stoke vs Arsenal is much more interesting than watching loads of homogenous ball-playing teams.
Having said that, I'm glad we don't play that way!