Andy Carroll is "in the form of his life"
The Dimitri Payet saga may have been preying on the minds of West Ham fans of late but the swaggering talent of big Andy Carroll is helping them forget all about the unseemly sideshow involving their French midfielder.
Once again, Payet was nowhere to be seen in the Hammers squad that visited Middlesbrough -- which is probably just as well, given the way the fans feel about him at the moment -- but again it was England striker Carroll who reminded them what having a hero to salute felt like.
After his match-winning double in the 3-1 win at the Riverside, which followed his astonishing mid-air scissors-kick goal against Crystal Palace the previous week, the Hammers' manager, Slaven Bilic, also hailed Carroll as a man "in the form of his life".
"Week in, week out he is a brilliant player. Not only goals, he makes an impact with his presence," he said. "His work rate is quality and he is unbeatable in the box. It is very hard to stop him," the Croatian smiled as he celebrated back-to-back wins that could go a long way to helping him stay in a job.
"Defending, too -- he loves it. He gives you everything. Hopefully, he is going to stay fit."
This, of course, is the key with Carroll. Hammers' fans know that if he can avoid injuries, he is quite capable, with his power and physicality, of making life a misery for every defence he encounters.
Scoring in successive Premier League games for the first time since April, Carroll, whose brace also marked the first time he had netted twice in a Premier League away game, was in magnificent form in both defence and attack.
He converted a bullet header -- his 23rd headed Premier League goal out of the 48 he's scored in total -- after just nine minutes.
Then, after Cristhian Stuani had equalised for Boro, he snaffled up the key goal with a poacher's instinct just before the break after Victor Valdes could only parry Michail Antonio's shot.
"I said before the game that (West Ham) don't have Payet but with Carroll now they are better," Boro manager Aitor Karanka noted. "He's a really good player and we knew (that) before the game. We tried to stop him but it was impossible."
Carroll's contribution led to what Bilic felt were three "massive" points for the Hammers, who seem to be thriving despite the saga involving Payet, who does not want to play for the club while he seeks a prospective move to Marseille.
Asked if the stand-off was anywhere nearer to being resolved, Bilic shrugged: "I don't think so. There are two solutions: he either stays or goes.
"We're not happy with the price, we rate him highly as a player and if Marseille want him, they have to pay the money that satisfies us."
