The Betfair Debate: Should Fabio Capello select Andy Carroll?

/ Maxliu / 11 November 2010 /

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Should Capello pick Carroll?

Andy Carroll has been in fine form for Newcastle this season but, with off the field problems hanging over him, should the striker be selected for England's friendly against France? Joe Dyer, who like the man from Del Monte says yes, and naysayer Maxwell argue the toss about the pony-tailed one

Yes

Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney, John Terry.

Three players who could hardly be described as paragons of virtue, who continue to play for the national team.

So why then are we making such a fuss of Andy Carroll’s possible call-up to the England side ahead of next Wednesday’s friendly against France?

The answer is simple – because we expect modern footballers to be role models – but the riposte to that is equally simple... why? Expecting model behaviour from a group who fail time and again to live up to the public’s increasingly whiter than white standards seems more than a little foolish. The sooner we get realistic and accept that the young men who pull on the jersey each week are fallible – perhaps more so than the rest of us – the better.

That is not to say that we should wave through any talented footballer to the national team regardless of his indiscretions off pitch or on, but it needs to be remembered that in this particular case we are dealing with a man only just out of his teens. The Newcastle no.9, at just 21 year of age, is barely a man yet.

True, a roll call that includes a pending court case for assaulting an ex-girlfriend, one guilty plea to a common assault charge and a serious training ground rumble with team-mate Steven Taylor among other fairly major misdemeanours, endears him to no-one.

But it’s just possible that this young – very young – man could substanitally benefit from a call-up to the national side, and not just materially. Realising his true potential in the white shirt of England could just encourage Carroll to mature into a more responsible human being. One thing is for sure, the spotlight will be ten times brighter once he gains international status and there will be less leeway for bad behaviour. Maybe entrusting him with a place in the national team, on the understanding that the negative headlines have to stop, will bring about a much-needed change in attitude.

Don’t expect it though – he is a footballer after all.

No

Has there ever been a decent pony-tailed England player? Has there ever been a decent pony-tail? No and No. Davids Seaman and Beckham are the only answers you could possibly give to the first question but the former’s pony-tail coincided with his demise and the latter played his best international football with a shaved head. You might say that Andy Carroll, who Fabio Capello is said to be considering for an international call-up, looks with his tied-back locks like one of those Italian, Spanish or South American players who look like they might actually have a life outside the game but, to me, the Newcastle striker looks more Francis Rossi than Gabriel Batistuta.

English football is having more than a bad hair day if a player of Carroll’s limitations is in line for a call-up. His 19 goals for Newcastle last season were admirable enough and sentimental Geordies like nothing more than a hometown boy wearing their colours. But those goals were scored in the Championship and, despite his excellent start to the season, the 21-year-old is unproven.

Chelsea are said to be interested in signing him as a long term replacement for Didier Drogba. Pah! I haven’t heard anything so fanciful since Inter Milan signed Robbie Keane as long term successor to Ronaldo. Yes, Carroll’s big and he wares defenders down with his physicality but he lacks the Ivorian’s finesse. Also, did you see what Fernando Torres did to Chelsea at the weekend? That’s what it takes to be an international class centre forward and Carroll hasn’t got it.

I've always advocated that somebody's politics or how they behave in their personal life shouldn't affect our assessment of their work. It's not a comparison I ever anticipated drawing but Ezra Pound is a great poet and the fact that he was a fascist does not in any way detract from that. Likewise, Bryan Ferry's music is not tainted by his associations with fox hunting Tories. However, the England football manager should not call up a player who has previously been cautioned for assaulting a woman and who was recently charged with the same offence against his ex-girlfriend. Male violence against women is an extremely serious issue - the statistics on how much of it goes on are shocking, part of the problem lies in persuading victims to report the crime and Capello would be doing nothing to for that cause if he were to select the Newcastle striker.

Of course, if Carroll isn't convicted when the case resumes in January, then we can have no qualms about his selection. For now though, England should steer well clear.

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