Are the big buddies to be reunited?
Suggestions tonight that Andy Carroll could make a return to the club has received a mixed reception from Hammers fans across the ClaretandHugh forums.
David Moyes and the club have remained quiet and thus far we have received no response from enquries of our various sources.
That may mean everything or nothing as the Hammers hunt for a back up striker to Mickey Antonio who is being nursed through a crowded fixture list and is likely to be away on the upcoming international break.
Regular ClaretandHugh follower Johnham1 has a very firm view on the possibility of the big Geordie returning to the club declaring: “It would be so funny if our new head of recruitment’s first signing is Andy Carroll !!!!
“I am beginning to wonder why we have appointed him because it is clear nothing has changed. It is quite amazing that the plans were not in place and the players who could be got lined up.
Moyes needs to step away and let Newman do his job because the signings of Kral and Vlasic have been extremely poor, the signing of Vlasic looks to be up there with the signing of Felipe Anderson.”
There’s some good points in there and let’s remember who is Carroll’s big mate – that’s right a certain Kevin Nolan.
Surely we’ve got to give Newman and Vlasic time. The Head of Recruitment can only identify players for the manager and the Board. Then, of course, before we can sign an identified player, there’s the inconvenience of that player being under contract elsewhere. We’ve got absolutely no idea what’s going on behind the scenes between Newman, Moyes and the Board, and no idea what is being negotiated with other clubs that may want to hang on to their player until they sign a replacement. Vlasic has been with us for just a few months and hasn’t had much PL game time. I always liked the logic of Arsene Wenger – a manager, let’s not forget, that won more trophies than West Ham has in its entire history – which was to give a player a season or so to get used to the PL. Let’s do the same with Vlasic and give him some time, rather than consign him to the same pile as Anderson before he’s had a fair go. The fact that some recent signings (e.g. Soucek) haven’t needed that time doesn’t mean that all players have stopped needing a bedding in period.