Despite all the doom sayers (including us!) Andy Carroll is due to have a half hour run out in the third match of Hammers Austrian tour, it comes too early for him to feature against Rubin Kazan in the second of the pre-season friendlies, but louche rumours of a 'feeling' in his groin seem to have been 'erected' by the press and cognoscenti , and appear generally unfounded as the big geordie looks to begin a season for the first time in his adult career with the potential to start without an injury! Yes, the first time! Archive information clearly shows that Big Andy has always had at least a 'niggle' at the start of every season as a full professional, and usually something much more severe, as West Ham fans are only to aware. But the painstaking rehabilitation process that the medical team, under the direction of Slaven Billic, put in place means that Carroll can actually start a campaign without an injury 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over him, that is not to say he has suddenly become superman and impervious to injury, however the club should benefit from a revitalised front man who has for once NOT been rushed back ahead of time, the mantle of being the most expensive british player weighed heavily on Carroll following his high profile transfer meaning he was expected to justify the , at the time, insane transfer fee he commanded, after all, it wasn't he who set his price. The same situation continued following Carroll's transfer to West Ham, big money, massive expectations from a player who had never been truly fit for three years!
It is a maybe, but if Carroll is well supported by Fletcher, newly signed from Manchester Utd and others, we may finally see the Andy Carroll that he was always supposed to be. The best header of the ball there is in Europe, and possibly the World.
It might seem simplistic, but West Ham, in Dimitri Payet and Andy Carroll, for what ever reason have two of the best players in the world in their roles, they will probably both be in the Hammers starting line up for when the Barclays Premier League season begins, so there are again reasons to be cheerful. - Ed
Hammers line up: Adrian, Antonio, Nordvelt, Burke, Cresswell, Kouyate, Feghouli, Quina, Noble ( c ), Tore, Valencia.
Subs: Randolph, Spiegel, Rice, Page, Obiang, Browne, Cullen, Samuelsen, Makashi, Fletcher, Martinez
