Andy Carroll's new book lifts the lid on his time at West Ham
Andy Carroll's new book, Owning It, grabbed the headlines with the sexual assault revelations. That has been covered widely, and Carroll even spoke about it on Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored show.
West Ham United fans will want to read the book to gain insight into his time at the club. An early mention of West Ham is when he is scouted by the club as a youth player. He, of course, does not end up going and joins the Hammers from Liverpool much later.
Players from the North East have come through West Ham's academy in the past. Michael Carrick is from Wallsend and came through the ranks at West Ham. If Carroll were to have done the same, then he would likely have followed a similar path to Carrick in eventually being sold on.
The book portrays Carroll as being plucked from his hometown when Liverpool signed him and thrown into the wider world. His admiration for West Ham and Upton Park is evident. However, not all was rosy during his time at the club.
Of course, there were the injuries, and Carroll reveals how they really took their toll on him. The description of his first meeting with the then-club co-chairman, David Sullivan, is sinister. This is especially so after the recent allegations against Sullivan.
Andy Carroll gives some surprising details in his book
Karen Brady unsurprisingly comes across as aloof and horrible. Michail Antonio is revealed to have been very arrogant once he started scoring goals for West Ham. Hammers fans idolise Antonio for his performances. However, we do not get to know players as well as their teammates do.
Kevin Nolan is one of the heroes of the book and has clearly looked after Carroll since their days together at Newcastle United. The book does not go into much detail about Billi Mucklow. However, given that she and Carroll are divorcing, this is understandable. Carroll does give details about how he met his current partner, Lou Teasedale, and the positive effect she has had on him.
Overall, Carroll's book is one about the life lessons of a footballer who enjoyed himself. However, he is clearly more mature now and able to reflect on his career. One interesting episode is that of Reece Oxford. He burst onto the scene at West Ham in the victory over Arsenal on the opening day of the 2015/16 season. His career soon petered out, and Carroll puts that down to him being more interested in watches and cars.
Carroll's story is not over, as he is still playing for Dagenham & Redbridge. He is also a shareholder in the club and its assistant manager. The Daggers, due to their location in Essex, are a second team to many West Ham fans. West Ham Women and the men's Under-21s play their home games at their Victoria Road stadium.
The Daggers are currently seventh in the National League South. Therefore, it is well worth getting down to Victoria Road to support Carroll and his team. His book is well worth a read for West Ham fans to gain insight into his time at Upton Park and the London Stadium.
