After initially signing for newly-promoted West Ham United from Liverpool on loan in summer 2012, nine-times capped England international Andy Carroll joined the Irons on a permanent £15 million transfer on this day in 2013…
Big Sam's Big Man
I’d finished my first full season at Liverpool by scoring in the 2012 FA Cup final before then playing for England at Euro 2012, where I also netted against Sweden during our 3-2 win in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Then, just two matches into 2012/13, aged 23, I got the chance to come on loan to newly-promoted West Ham United and start more regularly than I probably would’ve done at Anfield under new manager, Brendan Rodgers. As I said at the time, it was a no-brainer to move to Upton Park because I’d worked with Sam Allardyce at Newcastle United and he knew the player and person I was. And the Gaffer also knew that I was the type of striker who had the self-belief to fit into any system that he wanted to play.
I’d been very close to new West Ham captain Kevin Nolan up at St James’ Park, too, and Kev also played a really big part in my move. As soon as I arrived, I saw that there was a great bunch of lads in the dressing room and fell in love with everything about the place.
Big Sam had told me all about his plans and, having just broken the Club’s transfer record to sign Matt Jarvis, I knew there would be no shortage of crosses or chances coming into the penalty box.
Making my debut in our home win over Fulham (3-0) in early September, unfortunately, I picked up a hamstring injury and missed a few games before then scoring my first goal for the Club at Tottenham Hotspur in late-November.
Netting seven times during my 24 matches, I went on to help the Club secure a top-half, tenth-place finish during its first season back in the Premier League in 2012/13.
The patient Hammers fans had been great to me throughout and were still chanting my name as we walked off after beating Reading (4-2) in our final match. My loan spell now over, though, I walked back down the Boleyn Ground tunnel reckoning I’d probably just played my last-ever game for the Club…
Quick on the gun
Thankfully, summer 2013 gave me the opportunity to make that loan spell permanent in a £15 million transfer but, having now sustained a heel injury, I couldn’t start my season until New Year. It was just as frustrating during 2014/15 when an ankle injury sidelined me, too.
By now, Slaven Bilić had taken over from Big Sam but, having only scored seven goals and made 28 starts across his final two years, I was determined not to miss the Club’s final season at the Boleyn Ground in Slaven's first.
As I’ll explain later, those injuries had been so frustrating and I really needed to repay the West Ham United fans for all their patience. That chance came, in early-April, when, sitting in sixth-spot just three points outside the UEFA Champions League qualification places, we played Arsenal in the last-ever London derby at Upton Park.
Certainly, we hadn’t got off to the best of starts as the Gunners, themselves kicking off in third-place, took an early two-goal lead. But, with half-time approaching, Aaron Cresswell whipped over a deep, left-wing cross, which I headed home. And in stoppage-time, Mark Noble chipped the ball towards the penalty spot and I fired a volley past David Ospina to make it 2-2 at the break.
Then, just after half-time, Michail Antonio sent over another deep centre and, once again, I nodded in at the far post. It was proving to be a brilliant afternoon but, unfortunately, Laurent Koscielny’s equaliser would make it 3-3.
My seven-minute 14-second hat-trick was the quickest of the season and fifth-fastest in Premier League history. I went on to get six goals in six games and there was talk of me having a sniff of getting into Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2016 England squad but, in the end, it just wasn’t to be.
There were, however, lots of stand-out moments during 2015/16, but the personal highlight has to be that hat-trick against Arsenal.
Farewell Boleyn
There was something very, very special about the Farewell Boleyn night against Manchester United back in May 2016.
In fact, given we won nine and drew seven of our 19 Premier League matches at Upton Park that season, 2015/16 turned out to be an absolutely brilliant campaign for everyone. I scored nine goals in 27 league appearances and, as well as getting that hat-trick against eventual runners-up Arsenal, I also netted in our big home wins over Chelsea (2-1) and my old club Liverpool (2-0).
When it came to facing Manchester United in the final match at Upton Park, though, it was easily the best atmosphere that I ever played in. Every West Ham fan loved the Boleyn Ground and considering I’m from Gateshead, not the East End of London, it’d always felt like home for me, too.
With kick-off being delayed until 8.30pm due to the sheer number of fans in the area and Manchester United's team coach being delayed arriving, it all just added to the drama of an electric and emotional evening.
There were 34,602 people inside the ground plus many thousands in the streets outside and, as a player, you just can’t fail to perform with your fans creating so much noise around the place. When the Boleyn Ground was rocking there was no other stadium like it!
Diafra Sakho got us off to a great start with his tenth-minute opener and then I could’ve doubled our lead when Manuel Lanzini sent me through one-on-one against David De Gea but he saved with his legs.
Anthony Martial equalised just after half-time and he then put United ahead before Michail equalised.
Then, as everyone knows, with just ten minutes remaining, Winston Reid headed us to an unforgettable 3-2 victory with the last-ever goal at the Boleyn Ground. Tuesday 10 May 2016 certainly lives long in the memory for anyone lucky enough to have been there.
Stratford Bicycle Club
Whenever I bump into any West Ham fans, it’s 100% guaranteed that my goal against Crystal Palace in January 2017 will always crop up in conversation!
By now, we’d moved into London Stadium and were halfway through our first season at Stratford in 2016/17. I’d already netted against Arsenal at our new home and, at the end of training on the Thursday lunchtime, got Aaron Cresswell to send over some practice crosses ahead of the Palace game. I’d scored one bicycle-kick and missed one before Slaven saw what we were doing and told me to stop trying all the acrobatic stuff. ‘Are you crazy?’ he asked. ‘You’ll hurt yourself and miss Saturday’s game!’
Sofiane Feghouli had already put us ahead against Big Sam’s Palace team and, with ten minutes left, Michail Antonio then sent over a cross that was just waiting to be hit on the volley and, doing what I’d done at Rush Green a couple of days earlier, I sent my scissor-kick past Wayne Hennessey.
Things like that don’t just happen and it just goes to show that if you practice things beforehand then you’ll know exactly what you’re going to do if a chance like that ever crops up in the game itself.
We ended up winning 3-0, while my volley won the Premier League Goal of the Month award. I’ve scored big goals for England, Newcastle and Liverpool, too, but that’s easily the best one of my entire career spanning some 400-plus matches. Even now, people will come over and introduce their kids to me saying: ‘Meet Andy Carroll, this is the player who scored that volley against Palace.’
My kids keep trying it in the back garden, too, but they still haven’t perfected the technique. I’m always telling them that they’ve got no chance of copying it. No-one will ever do that like me!
Fitness fight
Only starting 95 matches, injuries sadly spoilt my career with the Hammers and that’s the one thing I’d change about my seven years at West Ham.
I was too young and too hungry and simply wanted to play so much. Injuries are part and parcel of being a footballer but I’d always be rushing myself back when, in reality, I needed to be 100% fit, not just at, say, 70%-80%.
Now that I’m older and wiser, I see the younger lads coming straight back from injury and only training with the squad for three or four days before wanting to play at the weekend. I’ll ask them: ‘Why are you rushing? Why risk your fitness for just one game?’ It’s just not worth it in the long-term.
I’d be at Chadwell Heath or Rush Green watching the boys training and want to get out there kicking a football with them, too. Looking back, I just wasn’t ready to push myself like that - complications would set in and then everything would just snowball from there. The harder I tried, the more setbacks I had and it became a vicious circle.
I should’ve listened to my managers and their medical teams but I didn’t. I’d also watch the older players doing exercises before and after games and at training and think: ‘Why are you doing that? I’m young, I don’t need to do it, too.’ I always thought I knew best but I didn’t and that’s also part of growing up, I guess.
It’s Murphy’s Law but since leaving in 2019, I’ve never really been too long out of action through injury.
I scored the last of my 34 goals for West Ham in the FA Cup against Birmingham City (2-0) in January 2019 before making my 142nd and final appearance at Manchester City (0-1) the following month and then ended up re-joining Newcastle in 2019/20.
After working really had to get into tip-top shape and spells at Reading, West Bromwich Albion and Reading (again), I joined French Ligue 2 club Amiens in September 2023, and I really enjoyed my first season there.
