The next icon?
Many people who read that opening line will probably think I am adopting some form of rose-tinited viewpoint of Andy Carroll’s ability based on his goalscoring exploits of last season. That isn’t true, and we all know that Carroll is far from being the finished article as yet, and we all know that he has issues off the pitch that are waiting to be resolved. Despite that, I still feel Carroll is the perfect player to make the shirt his own and should be given the chance to do so. There has been much made of the fact that Carroll should have to earn the chance to wear our iconic shirt, but I disagree.
The very notion of the number 9 in Newcastle evokes memories of some great forwards. Alan Shearer, Jackie Milburn and Albert Stubbins have arguably been our most successful forwards over the years, certainly going by goals scored for the club. They all have one thing in common, they were born in and around Newcastle. They knew what it means to wear the shirt and wear it with pride, to go out there and give it their all for the cause. Andy Carroll ticks both of them boxes, but there is one more to being the number 9 than that – the number 9 should be a role model, on and off the field.
As the shirt commands so much respect with Newcastle fans, it inevitably becomes a focus for attention and you instantly become someone to look upto. We can’t have a number 9 that goes around getting into trouble and setting a bad example for those kids who look up to them. That is why Shearer was so good at carrying the number, because he avoided trouble and was a role model for young players and kids around the area. Why? Well undoubtedly because he was a professional first and foremost, but also because he knew what being a number 9 entailed. Shearer is a local man and knows what is expected from the shirt.
Obviously Andy Carroll is also a local lad, and grew up whilst Shearer held the shirt. Carroll will have picked up on how to conduct yourself when your put in a position of wearing the iconic shirt from watching Alan Shearer, he will know what it means and what wearing the shirt entails. Giving Carroll a shot at number 9 could be the incentive he needs to help him stay on the straight and narrow. I’m also sure that Carroll would be a much more effective number 9 than Obafemi Martins, the last person to wear the shirt.
I think that by giving Carroll the number 9 we will see him improve even further. He has already come on leaps and bounds this season and has not only improved his scoring record, his all round play has improved remarkably aswell. Fabio Capello is keeping tabs on the big lad, and if he continues to improve at the rate he has done since Christmas then I think we could see him in an England shirt sometime next season.
What d’ya reckon?
NUFCBlog Author: toonsy
toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.
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..Why not get a 
Give him handcuffs more like! Only messing, his goal scoring record since christmas is awesome. He will be quality in the PL and will score at least 15 (which is more than MO ever scored for us in one season). He knows what the shirt means to us and i think he will thrive under the pressure that comes with wearing it. Lets hope he only comes away with a suspended sentence in June!!
RLTR – Bet he already has handcuffs, pink furry ones
good article, good points raised.
would be nice to think the responsibility of the number nine shirt could lead him to maturing a bit more and growing towards being a better PERSON as well as a better player…
The shirt should definately go to a local player. But perhaps a year of playing well in the Prem, and staying out of trouble, should be accomplished first.
Nice Toonsy…seen Ms Carroll pitch-side after the Ipswich game and she looks like she’d be well into that
Yes, why not? It’s not as if were going to buy a player who we can put our hat on to be deserving of it more than him.
Wrong temperament,very immature,possibly going to jail,what’s the hurry anyway?
I would sooner give it to Lovenkrands at least he is never in bother.
Controversial.
Maybe because it isn’t a politics blog lads, and if you cant accept others have a differing view to yourslef, then I suggest it’s your problem and not mine.
why have chuck and trojans comment been removed is no one allowed to voice there opinions
hitman – Not when they turn into personal abuse, no.
Now we got that off our chest`s back to fitba as they call it north of the border.
Believe the jury`s still out on Carroll but you cant argue with goals, same with Bent at S********d look`s awfull at times but again he puts the ball in the net.
As for Carroll youth is on his side , still has a lot to learn, but is great in the air and with a good coach can become a top striker IMO.
Other clubs are obviously watching him and some have shown interest, a positive sign.
Durham Jail and Strangeways are all expressing an interest Andy at the minute
Soh! is insinuating Stuart is autistic a compliment then, or would you call that personal abuse ?
Give it a rest Chuck. I apologise for that, but it was only meant as a quip and ironically the person it was aimed at found no offense with it.
Put your bedsheets away man.
Anyway. This witch hunt needs to stop as it’s not nice to read.
Whatever problems TROJAN 69 and Chuck have wiht sould e put to one side and we can move on.
Don’t really care if a player was local or not.
Why should we?
Football is now a global business not some community activities.
Hitman @ 10 has someone been naughty ? and I have missed it.
As for Carroll I think he will continue to earn the no9
give him the shirt and watch him go it will be the makeing of him it will fire him up more
Alreet everyone.
Having had some time to reflect, I have taken on board what people have said. i will stop posting comments from now on and leave you to it.
Cheers.
Although i do belive he has all the attributes to become a great number 9 i think now is too early . Leaving his off field troubles out of it , i just think he needs a full season in the premiership to handle the pressure of being a first choice member of the team at that level before handing him the added pressure of being our new number 9 . imagine what certain sections of the Toon army would be like if he was our number 9 at the start of the season and does not find the net in the first 5or6 games . They would start piling the pressure on the lad even more , lets face it we are not exactly renownd for our patience now are we . He is going to be one of our greats but let the lad grow into it .
Toonsy whats happening lad ?
Don’t worry bout it Dave.
Catch you around
toonsy that is just daft , every one has an opinion including you . Why the hell should you stop posting comments ?
AXEL – I comment too much apparently, and my opinions don’t fit in with others so are invalid.
I’m still writing blogs mind. I’m not having all my enjoyment spoiled
Toonsy tell yer Uncle Dave
and dont be going anywhere
Toonsy remember I told you ages ago not to let folk get to ye. So if yer Lass tells you ye talk to much does that mean that yer going to stop talking ? offcourse yer not just tell her to get a set of ear muffs
. If people think ye comment to much there is an easy solution they dont need to read what you write simples .
Dave – It all started because I asked people to stop talking politics. Now I apparently have ideas above my station, I’m an arsehole on a power trip (if I was I would sack someone at work!), I comment to much, ruin the blog, rape vulnerable women etc etc.
Fair enough I was messing with the last one, but you get the point
Well we are in the play ground aren’t we?
toonsy, stop bein a dick and stop being melodramatic! I don’t care what you say, especially regarding autism – it’s quite fashionable at the minute.
Seriously though, you do have some, just some decent views on football but we totally disagree on most things.
Anyway stand your ground you soft piece of autistic turf and carry on commenting!
Well fcuk me is this section not for writing comments about our club and exchanging views on all things Nufc . What does it matter if some one writes 1 comment a week or 1000 comments per day that is the whole fu#k#ng idea or not . So as big dave commented Toonsy , dont let the bastards get you down .
Back to the topic at hand…
I’d say give him the shirt. What’s the worst that can happen…is he going to lose it…likely not, it’s Black and White and the pitch is green…it should be safe.
Beyond that, rather than forcing him to earn it, force him to prove that he was the right choice. His goals this season earned him the right to wear the shirt, now let him prove that he can keep it.
Toonsy look on the brightside it could be worse ye could be a mackem or Stuart
That is one thing I admire Stuart I dont agree with everything he believes in but its his opinion that he is entitiled to. He gets a hell of a lot of abuse on here at times but never backs down.
Has everyone been at that pink slime from Ghostbusters 2 or something? If I want to hear handbags at 6 paces I can listen to the kids!
I think we may make too much of the No. 9 shirt – but that’s the way it is for us. Certainly it meant a lot to Shearer to insist on wresting it from Sir Les when he was signed – and maybe it’ll be more of an inspiration to Carroll than someone bought straight in, because he IS local. And no, I have no axe to grind about ” a team of Geordies” – if we had 11 Venusians who played great football and won us something, I wouldn’t care. I just happen to think that (a la Shearer) a local lad may be more aware of the history of the number 9 and be inspired by it.
Toonsy……..that’s the point of a blog to comment as little or as much as you want.None of us has to agree with each other which is again the point,differing opinions.Howay lads lets stick to the football craic,isn’t that what we’re on here for? don’t let it get to you mate.HWTL
Dave – Stuart always puts his point across really well. He is right, we do disagree on a few things but it’s always generally well constructed from his side.
The big gay bear
NorCal providing all go’s well for him with his court case, I tend to think it would bring out the best in him. IMO there is 2 things that could happen when handed the no9 shirt 1 is ye could shrink and it would drown you or 2 you will fill it out. I dont think Carroll is the type to shrink away I am pretty sure he can fill it
First I’m autistic now I’m a ‘big gay bear’! How very dear you….
Here’s something we can all agree on,Leon Best should get the number 9 shirt!!!!!!!
He should get the bloody No9 bus, wherever it goes
Big Dave @36,
I meant to mention that this is of course provided he isn’t given a different strip of black and white (cartoon cariciture of prison garb).
But, I agree with ya. He seems to have the type of personality (this is of course based on my interpretation of events and writings regarding him) that can certainly rise above the pressures and prove the point he wants to make.
He may not set the league on fire next year, but I certainly think he’ll throw more than a handful of keepers into tantrums and have em screaming at their back line.
richietoon @38 but sure he turned it down and said he would rather wait and earn it
. But I think that will take a while 
Dave – Read the Joey Barton revoew in the new thread
I think the phrase I’ll put me arse in Fenwicks window……………..springs to mind in regards to Leon,having said that I’d like to see how the lad does once he gets a goal or 2 and his confidence back.I bet he scores before Smudger…er maybe!
NorCal – I think the biggest testament to Carrol was in the game after the news about the Carroll/Taylor thing emerged.
That incident and the fallout from it had the potential to unsettle a player that was on top form. It didn’t, he stood up and was counted and scored the winning goal against Doncaster. That takes some mental strength.
Evening gents!
Would it be rude to just say “no, don’t give it to him”?
As for Leon Best, I’m struggling to think of a player I’ve seen over the years in black and white, who thus far deserves his wages less. We’ve got a new kid at work who’s a Cov supporter. You should have seen the grin on his face when I mentioned the undisclosed but rumoured 1.25-2m fee that got for him.
Hey up bowburn
I agree about Best. Obviously I live near Coventry at the minute which means there are quite a few Cov fans floating around.
Needless to say, their reaction is much the same as the one you have just described.
Bowburnmag….Xisco,Marcelino,Luque,Guivarch,Andersson,Pingel of the top of my head mate.
richietoon add boumsong & cacapa too that list
To be fair, I was tunnel-visioned on strikers.
So I’ll grant you Marcelino and he’s probably neck and neck with the rest, although I always conceded Gui’varch and Xisco didn’t get games (however horrible they looked anyway). But Luque and Andersson were poor, though the daft Spaniard could argue the same.
But Frank Pingel? How very dare you…
Micky Toon will be on shortly having your guts for garters.
aye Pingel was class,that bullet header v Liverpool…….whey,he jumped hit him on the back of the head and in.
Aye, although MT will be calling him ‘Pingle’. Once he popped, he couldn’t stop.
According to the Daily Mail he’s off to Stoke anyway. They should sell that paper next to Viz in the shops.
getting towards the end of the coments it went a bit off subject,
but all very true 
one player that never gets a mention as a great no 9 for us was sir les, great goal scorer and a true gent
i think carrol should be given the shirt, apart from him being a local lad, he can score goals, just needs to sort his off field attitude out, he seems to think he is better than everyone, great attitude on the pitch , but he should leave it on the pitch when the game has finished,,,
now best, grrr where to start, maybe with CH , he bought him, so he feels he has to give him a chance, i bet CH now sees what we see week in and week out, not a player that will cut it in the prem for sure. he is not the quickest, or the strongest, not the luckiest. wont put him self about,
i think we should just send him out on loan to like a league 1 team , about his level, maybe take shola with him,, he is no longer a kid showing promiss, championship player at best,
dont know what you guys feel about simpson to, if there was a week place in our team RB is/was it, him and wayne have no understanding with each other at all, he seem to give the ball away to much,
looking at the teams in the prem and our team, we have a team right now that can compete with all the teams in the botom ten
im sure we can do ok with just a couple of good signings, and not lots of poor ones just to fill the squad..
BBM – you’ve changed man.
You used to be the voice of reason but now you’re writing off Best like the rest of the bedsheet brigade when he’s only had 5 minutes to prove himself.
I’m not saying he’s the next Pele or owt but at least give him a fair chance.
At the start of the season I went to watch us against Palace with a big group of lads and the general consensus was that Collo and Jonas were sh!tbags – total waste of space. I disagreed but I was wrong apparently. Now they’ve had time to bed in I don’t think many people would argue with me when I say they’re two of our best players.
We’ve always been to quick to write people off at the toon – players and managers.
I thought we might have learned something from going down. Looks like I am wrong this time.
This is a joke, right? Right?
i cant remember martins having to earn the right to wear the shirt. giving carroll the right could mature him a lot. re: his off pitch troubles, that should not undermine his spirit and loyalty. give him a chance.
no. 9 shirt aint for everyone pedro, n giving matins this nomber was a big mistake
no one shud wear it after the legend
cheeeers