By JAKE RYAN
SAM ALLARDYCE admits Andy Carroll’s frustration at his goal drought is just making it worse.
The West Ham boss says his star striker should have already bagged his first Hammers goal.
Carroll has failed to score in 11 league games since his deadline-day loan move from Liverpool.
If the £35million England forward, 23, does not find the target against Manchester City tomorrow he will set a new record for a dry patch.
Allardyce said: “I think he’s a little frustrated by it but that’s the issue.
“I don’t think frustration helps you. I think you like to come, start and get off the mark as quickly as you possibly can.
“So we have got to keep providing the service and eventually, he’ll start putting it in the net, we hope.
“The more he plays with our players, the more he can start to read how the situation develops and hopefully get on the end of it.”
Allardyce insists he is still more than happy with Carroll’s displays and the Hammers fans still love the Geordie hitman.
Big Sam said: “What I do think is that he’s not just a goalscorer. That’s 90 per cent of his game.
“I think he’s an all-round front man in terms of his hold-up play and his movement as well as his ability to score goals.
“The fans at West Ham love committed players and I think Andy wears his heart on his sleeve.”
Allardyce reckons an in-form Carroll would already be off the mark after a perfect chance fell to him in last week’s 2-1 Wigan defeat.
Carroll’s last Prem goal was in April for Liverpool against Blackburn.
Allardyce added: “He had one very good chance at Wigan, which dropped to his right foot.
“In his heyday, he probably would have just volleyed it straight away but he just tried to bring it down and failed to control it.”
The 6ft 3in pony-tailed striker faces one of his favourite clubs in City.
Carroll has netted four times in games with the Premier League champions — more than he has against any other club. Big Sam wants nothing more than for Carroll to break his duck against Roberto Mancini’s inconsistent side — who will be preparing for an aerial bombardment at Upton Park.
He added: “Mancini’s trying a different system and he’s lost De Jong — it is encouraging.
“But it’s not all about Andy and his heading ability, he’s very, very good at scoring goals on the floor.”
Carroll finished with 10 goals in his first full season at Liverpool — after that mega transfer from Newcastle in January 2011.
But he was allowed to leave by Brendan Rodgers.
West Ham team-mate and pal Kevin Nolan is convinced the Kop boss made a big mistake.
Nolan said: “We want him here for as long as possible. I’m really baffled he couldn’t fit into their system and the way they apparently play.”
