Andy Carroll’s recklessness costs West Ham win over Burnley

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 14: Andy Carroll of West Ham United walks off after being sent off during the Premier League match between Burnley and West Ham United at Turf Moor on October 14, 2017 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 14: Andy Carroll of West Ham United walks off after being sent off during the Premier League match between Burnley and West Ham United at Turf Moor on October 14, 2017 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

West Ham got a draw away at Burnley this Saturday. But it could have been more.

As is usually the West Ham way the team are beset on making things hard for themselves. With that in mind I don’t know what else I expected from the Burnley game. With the team getting key players back, playing good football and scoring a goal from a simple route one kick it was all going really well. So why not challenge ourselves?

That must have been Carroll’s thought process. Because 60 seconds after he gets a, probably soft, yellow card he goes and does the same thing. But worse. Because football is too easy when you both have 11 men. If the Englishman hadn’t been so selfish, the Hammers would be in 10th place right now.

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Reckless Behaviour

So on the first yellow card, I thought Carroll was hard done by. He’s a big guy and he can jump well, so his elbows are always going to be high. There wasn’t any intent or any motive apart from getting the ball. However the second one was stupidity itself.

It was only a minute or so after his yellow and the blood was still hot in his head. So he decides to run across the pitch and launch himself at Ben Mee for an aerial challenge. There’s no defending that behavior and the ref had to send him off. There’s no discussion about that one in my opinion.

If Carroll stays on the pitch, i can’t see anything except a West Ham win. We were playing the better football and Lanzini, Arnautovic, Antonio and Hernandez were linking up well. Carroll was doing well in the air and drawing defenders away, as well as holding the ball up. All in all it was going to plan.

Next: Report as Hammers draw at Burnley

Carroll is not a young player any more and he has to show his supposed maturity. A wrongful yellow card is annoying, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to be stupid. He’s paid a huge amount every week and to act like that on the pitch is a huge betrayal of the fans and the loyalty the club has shown him. Let’s hope he remembers that he is a professional player, not a randomer playing Sunday league.