The next in a long line of legends?There has been a certain shirt that has remained empty for sometime now, and even the last player to wear it didn’t ‘fill’ it as such.
I am of course talking about the legendary number 9 shirt worn by club icons such Alan Shearer, Jackie Milburn and Hughie Gallacher.
It is a shirt that has remained vacant since the departure of Obafemi Martins around a year ago now, although Chris Hughton has dropped his strongest hint yet that our wait for a new number 9 could be over pretty shortly, and it we wont even need to go out and sign someone. Yes that’s right, Andy Carroll, number nine, come on down. The local lad looks set for the number nine jersey, which could be a masterstroke. I have talked before about what is required and expected from a number nine, and although Carroll is very much a rough diamond, I believe he will thrive under the pressure and expectation it can bring. (more…)
The next icon?It’s an iconic jersey around these parts which has been worn by some of the clubs greatest legends over the years, but should Andy Carroll be next in line to wear the famous number 9 shirt?
Many people who read that opening line will probably think I am adopting some form of rose-tinited viewpoint of Andy Carroll’s ability based on his goalscoring exploits of last season. That isn’t true, and we all know that Carroll is far from being the finished article as yet, and we all know that he has issues off the pitch that are waiting to be resolved. Despite that, I still feel Carroll is the perfect player to make the shirt his own and should be given the chance to do so. There has been much made of the fact that Carroll should have to earn the chance to wear our iconic shirt, but I disagree. (more…)
