As Andy Carroll wheeled away after his FA Cup semi-final winning header found the Everton net, the feeling of relief was visible to all. Not just for the £35 million striker, but also for Dalglish, as his much criticised centre-forward notched an almost priceless goal, to secure the club’s second domestic cup final of the season, and amazing third trip to the new Wembley. Just a week earlier the inclusion of the big man would have been somewhat of surprise, but after his last-minute heroics against Blackburn, King Kenny stuck by his striker, and is now reaping the rewards.

It’s been a slog of a season for both player and club, with Carroll appearing, for the vast majority of the campaign, out of his depth, while his manager has taken criticism left right and centre. But, as the business end of the year approaches, there appears to be a glimmer of light at the end of a very long, and very dark tunnel.

The term ‘transition’ has been a little overused in modern football, with clubs suffering a drop off in form, wheeling out the excuse of the side needing to settle, and find a playing style. However, the phrase can be applied to Liverpool, who have had two years of total upheaval, with board-room changes, managerial shifts and the acquisition of numerous players. Carroll has bore the brunt of the criticism this campaign, with his, sometimes, clumsy appearance frustrating fans and pundits, who are all too quick to raise the issue of his price-tag.

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Although he may be an easy target for insults, the one thing about the England international is that he doesn’t hide, and this has been evident over the past few weeks. Many players would have retreated into their shell, after the horrific afternoon the number nine suffered at his former home ground, but that hasn’t been the case with Carroll. Despite never openly wanting to leave his former club, and the fact his sale brought in a much-needed financial boost, Newcastle fans still booed his every involvement, which culminated in the forward storming off the pitch and straight down the tunnel upon his substitution. Some players would have said enough is enough, and shied away for a while, yet the powerful centre-forward seems to have used this to springboard his season, netting two goals in his following two starts, the second of which secured the Reds’ spot in the FA Cup final.

Dalglish may be a bit stubborn at times, but this approach could be the right one with Carroll, who has needed time to adapt to life at Anfield. With all of the talk regarding wages and transfer fees, it’s easy to forget that Carroll only turned 23 in January, and is relatively inexperienced on the Premier League stage. He showed great promise at Newcastle, where he was the focal point of the entire team, yet with the vast array of talent surrounding him on Merseyside the style of play cannot necessarily be dictated around his strengths. As a result Carroll has taken a little longer to adapt than originally hoped, but if this spell can be overcome, he will, likely, emerge as better player, stronger, both mentally and in terms of technique, than he was before his deadline day switch to the North West.

Kenny Dalglish has received a fair bit of flack this term, some deserved, some not so deserved, but his handling of Andy Carroll could prove to be a masterstroke. It would have been easy to cast the striker away, perhaps forcing him out of the club In January, but King Kenny has stuck by him, allowing him minutes on the pitch to adapt to life at a completely different type of club. Next season we could see the real Carroll, which will be a daunting prospect for defences across the league.

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