Dalglish backs Carroll

28 December 2011 13:46

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish backed club record signing Andy Carroll on Wednesday and insisted his confidence is intact despite a poor goals return since moving to Anfield.

Carroll has scored three goals in 19 appearances this season giving him a total of just five in 28 matches for the Reds, whom he joined from Newcastle for £35 million almost a year ago.

Two good saves from Blackburn keeper Mark Bunn denied him in a 1-1 draw on Monday but Dalglish believes the goals will come.

"I don't think self-belief is a problem for Andy Carroll, I don't see why it should be. There's nothing to say he's short of belief and there is no evidence he should be.

"One game he played (started) in we went down to nine men (the defeat at Tottenham) and another (the loss at Fulham) we had another sent off.

"I think yourselves (the media) have a bigger problem with Andy than anyone else."

With Newcastle meeting the Merseysiders on Friday the spotlight will be on Carroll to prove himself and keep up a tradition of former United strikers who have left the Magpies and returned to haunt them - from 1970s hero Malcolm MacDonald, who plundered a hat-trick against his old side after moving to Arsenal, to Andy Cole, who helped deny them the 1996 title.

Dalglish meanwhile revealed Liverpool were still awaiting the arrival of the written FA disciplinary commission verdict after Luis Suarez' was banned for eight-matches for using offensive words, including a reference to skin colour, towards Manchester United's Patrice Evra.

Source: AFP