Sullivan: We regret signing crocked Carroll
thesun
Sullivan: We regret signing crocked Andy Carroll
WEST HAM would never have splashed out a club-record £19million on Andy Carroll had they predicted his injury hell.
Carroll has yet to kick a ball for the Hammers this season since turning his loan move from Liverpool permanent in August.
But the targetman has trousered £1.2m in wages £80,000 a week during his rehab from a heel injury that boss Sam Allardyce revealed was more common in ballerinas and basketball players.
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan admits the absence of Carroll, 24, is hurting the relegation-haunted side on and off the pitch with them scoring just 13 goals in 15 Premier League games.
Sullivan said: Had we known he would be out for this long, we would not have signed him.
We are not a rich enough club to deal with that.
You know any player can get injured but we cant buy a player knowing he is going to be out for half the season.
When we signed him we were assured by the medical staff that the very, very latest he would be back was September 1.
That would have meant he would miss only two league games.
He is a fantastic player but I wouldnt have signed him because I cant have that amount of wages and that amount of transfer fee on a player who isnt going to play a minimum 20 or 30 games a season, hopefully 38 games a season.
Even now we havent got a date that he could be back.
Carroll is back training after spending time with specialists in Belgium and Holland.
However, Sullivan admits the striker could be three weeks or longer before returning.
But the Hammers chief is keeping the faith that the big Geordie will finally prove his worth in the second half of the campaign.
Sullivan added: If you ask me the same question at the end of the season, I hope I will be able give you a different answer and say Yes, it was the right decision to sign Andy Carroll.
He is a fantastic player and, on his day, he is unplayable. We love him and that is why we signed him. He is desperate to come back he is sweating blood in training.
Big Sam is under pressure for not signing enough firepower in the absence of Carroll with Modibo Maiga and Mladen Petric goalless and Carlton Cole hitting just one.
But Sullivan has refused to push the panic button.
He added: I am deeply concerned. Anybody who looks at where we are in the table and is not concerned are kidding themselves.
I believe Sam is the man for the job. If he wasnt our manager he is exactly the type of manager you would be bringing in.
Where do you get someone better than Sam to do the job that is now necessary
If you asked me what kind of season Sam has had up to now, I would say disappointing. But lets judge him at the end of the season.
The Newcastle manager would have been sacked by most fans after a month of the season but now he is flavour of the month.
We review a manager at the end of the season.
WEST HAM would never have splashed out a club-record £19million on Andy Carroll had they predicted his injury hell.
Carroll has yet to kick a ball for the Hammers this season since turning his loan move from Liverpool permanent in August.
But the targetman has trousered £1.2m in wages £80,000 a week during his rehab from a heel injury that boss Sam Allardyce revealed was more common in ballerinas and basketball players.
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan admits the absence of Carroll, 24, is hurting the relegation-haunted side on and off the pitch with them scoring just 13 goals in 15 Premier League games.
Sullivan said: Had we known he would be out for this long, we would not have signed him.
We are not a rich enough club to deal with that.
You know any player can get injured but we cant buy a player knowing he is going to be out for half the season.
When we signed him we were assured by the medical staff that the very, very latest he would be back was September 1.
That would have meant he would miss only two league games.
He is a fantastic player but I wouldnt have signed him because I cant have that amount of wages and that amount of transfer fee on a player who isnt going to play a minimum 20 or 30 games a season, hopefully 38 games a season.
Even now we havent got a date that he could be back.
Carroll is back training after spending time with specialists in Belgium and Holland.
However, Sullivan admits the striker could be three weeks or longer before returning.
But the Hammers chief is keeping the faith that the big Geordie will finally prove his worth in the second half of the campaign.
Sullivan added: If you ask me the same question at the end of the season, I hope I will be able give you a different answer and say Yes, it was the right decision to sign Andy Carroll.
He is a fantastic player and, on his day, he is unplayable. We love him and that is why we signed him. He is desperate to come back he is sweating blood in training.
Big Sam is under pressure for not signing enough firepower in the absence of Carroll with Modibo Maiga and Mladen Petric goalless and Carlton Cole hitting just one.
But Sullivan has refused to push the panic button.
He added: I am deeply concerned. Anybody who looks at where we are in the table and is not concerned are kidding themselves.
I believe Sam is the man for the job. If he wasnt our manager he is exactly the type of manager you would be bringing in.
Where do you get someone better than Sam to do the job that is now necessary
If you asked me what kind of season Sam has had up to now, I would say disappointing. But lets judge him at the end of the season.
The Newcastle manager would have been sacked by most fans after a month of the season but now he is flavour of the month.
We review a manager at the end of the season.
