Liverpool's Andy Carroll Under Fire: Controversy Continues to Dog Star Striker

Many media outlets are reporting that Andy Carroll has come in for criticism by England manager, Fabio Capello on account of the Liverpool frontman’s lack of fitness, and concerns about his off field lifestyle. While Capello did indeed discuss the issue in the press, calling his words "criticism" seem a gross exaggeration of the reality.

On January 31, 2011 Liverpool made Carroll the most expensive British footballer in history when it paid Newcastle United £35 million for the center-forward’s services. As typically befits such a record signing, Carroll has been under somewhat of a magnifying glass in the press. 

Since then his every move on the pitch has been the subject of much dissection by football pundits, while every off the field activity has become tabloid fodder. Carroll was arrested on no fewer than three occasions while at Newcastle, to go along with a training ground incident which allegedly left teammate Steven Taylor with a broken jaw, and Carroll with a broken hand.

While Carroll has earned well-deserved criticism for his actions in the past, this latest flare-up appears to be completely media-driven, with each news outlet seemingly vying to come up with the most sensational twist on the situation.

Earlier this year Capello raised similar concerns about Carroll’s off the pitch drinking and partying, so perhaps it’s in this light that many in the press have snatched upon the latest comments in effort to gin up a controversy.  On their face though, Capello’s words are pretty tame:

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"Andy needs to be careful. I don't know anything about his lifestyle. It is a private problem that I never spoke about.  But if he wants to be a good player and a good sportsman, he needs to drink less than normal. He is not at the top of his form at the moment."

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One should note the care he takes to emphasize that he does not know anything about Carroll’s off-the-pitch lifestyle, and that he has not spoken to him about it.  This would imply that Capello is speaking in a larger sense; if Carroll wants to be a good sportsman he needs to drink less than normal.

Pretty straightforward it would seem, professional athletes must observe greater care and restraint in their diet and other aspects of their personal lives than the ordinary Joe, particularly if they want to be truly great.  Why then the false controversy? 

Even former Newcastle United and England captain, Alan Shearer has felt the need to weigh in with a bit of criticism of the English gaffer, telling BBC Radio Live:

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“I'm not too sure if I'd be happy if my manager told me to stop drinking and then goes to the media and tells them what he has just said,”

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Again, it’s worth noting that Capello has made it clear that he does not know anything about what Carroll does in his private life and that he has not spoken to him about it. Clearly Shearer did not get the memo.

Thankfully not everyone in the press has taken the bait.  Rory Smith of the UK Telegraph has a more even-handed take, stating that the manager is “unimpressed” with the striker’s attitude, but stops short of deeming his comments criticism. Instead he points to Capello's longstanding support of the frontman, including handing the 22 year-old his England debut just weeks into his Premier League career.

Even Kenny Dalglish appears to see through the tempest stirred in the teapot, taking the gathered press to task in a recent news conference.  Declining to get drawn into a spat with Capello, Dalglish instead pointed the finger at the press by stating:

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"I think Andy is very appreciative of advice from anyone who has a good standing in football.  I think he appreciates Fabio Capello's advice because he has great respect for Fabio Capello and I think Fabio Capello has great respect for Andy Carroll.

I think Andy’s a lot wiser than a lot of you guys by the way, and a lot of people who write about it. And I don’t think his lifestyle is like anything you’d like it to be to get [your] stories"

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All of this should nonetheless serve as a wake up call for Carroll, that others clearly recognize his talents but if he truly wants to achieve his full potential, then he must fully embrace the professional aspect of being a footballer. 

The history of top-flight football, and indeed professional sports, is replete with cautionary tales of meteoric stars whose flames burned out much too quickly, bringing them crashing back to Earth, fallen among the ranks of the mediocre.