I will make Carroll even better, declares Toon boss Pardew

NEWCASTLE boss Alan Pardew is confident he can make Andy Carroll an even better player as he takes over responsibility for his development.

The homegrown 21-year-old has made huge strides in the last 12 months to establish himself as the club’s biggest goalscoring threat and force his way into senior England contention.

He was nurtured through that process, of course, by Pardew’s predecessor Chris Hughton, and the striker was as upset as anyone by his departure last week.

However, having worked with a string of top-flight strikers at various stages of their careers in the past, Pardew is confident he can take up the baton.

Wintry weather on Tyneside over the last few days has limited the new manager’s opportunities to take a close look at Carroll’s strengths and weaknesses, but he is sure he has a player of rare potential on his hands.

He said: “I just think he is a sound character, and that bodes well.

“If I am honest, on the training ground, I haven’t seen that much because of the conditions.

“But in his performances, he has set his own standards, and I will continue that and improve on that if I can.

“I have done well with strikers in the past — Bobby Zamora, Marlon Harewood, Carlos Tevez, Darren Bent, Teddy Sheringham — so I would like to think some of the things I have pulled from them, I can dip into those which suit his style.”

Last Saturday’s 3-1 home victory over Liverpool just 48 hours after Pardew was officially unveiled as Hughton’s successor got his reign off to the perfect start and left the Magpies sitting in eighth place in the table.

However, they remain just six points clear of the drop zone and only four better off than today’s opponents Birmingham in 16th, and there is little room for complacency.

Alex McLeish’s men have won just one of their last eight league games, that coming against champions Chelsea, but the trip to St Andrew’s will be another tricky one.

Pardew said: “I like the way they play. They put an honest performance out on the pitch.

“First and foremost are diligence and professionalism, and they have that in abundance, so it’s a difficult game for us.”