Steve Bruce: Andy Carroll needs more West Brom support
Boss Steve Bruce has hailed the hard work and leadership Andy Carroll brings – and urged Albion to do a better job of supporting him.
The Baggies are looking to grab a long-awaited victory as they host Swansea City tonight.
Carroll has been one of their brighter performers in recent weeks but is still yet to score since joining the club in January, and Bruce feels they need to give him more of a helping hand – starting against the Swans.
“He isn’t going to be the Andy Carroll of old, but he was one of our better players (at Middlesbrough),” said Bruce. “He gave everything, and he’s made the goal and done OK.
“To be better in the last third, we need our midfielders and full-backs to contribute. We need to contribute as a team.
“It is a team game, we need to contribute all over, and get better service to him.
“What we are guilty of is when we’re under it, we play direct and quick to Andy. We need to stop that, and I’ll make sure of it.
“He is a big voice in the dressing room, he doesn’t enjoy getting beat and he’ll have a bit to say, it is only normal.
“When we look back, he has done OK and made us the goal the other night.”
Albion have struggled for goals on the whole over the past several weeks – Jayson Molumby’s goal in the 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough coming after five games without finding the net.
Bruce also wants winger Grady Diangana to rediscover his best form and ‘be the player he was a couple of years ago’.
On Diangana and looking to get firing again as a team, Bruce added: “We have seen glimpses of Grady.
“We need him to be the player he was a couple of years ago.
“We know he was as good as you got in the Championship two years ago, and hopefully he can get back to his best because he is crucial to us, especially with the (injury) problems we have.
“It is obviously that to win football matches you have to score.
“It is a problem and has been in the last third since I came through the door, and we have to find a way to fix the problem.
“We’re missing one, two, three who could add to the part if you like.
“Until they are fit we have to keep plodding away, working on the training ground and be better in that department.”
