A new start for Andy Carroll

Today is Transfer Deadline day in England, and although there will doubtless be plenty of last-minute deals, I think possibly the best transaction was done yesterday by West Ham United, who finally sealed a loan move for Andy Carroll of Liverpool.

Carroll of course moved to Anfield for £35million from Newcastle in January 2011, and while he went for a transfer fee which was, and still is, barely believable, his subsequent performances in a red shirt to justify that price, while not groundbreaking, have certainly not meant that he should be labelled a flop. With little service at times he still managed to show his ability, and his return to form at the end of last season for his club and at the European Championship for England shows just how dangerous he can be if given a chance.

Which makes it all the more remarkable in my opinion that new manager Brendan Rodgers can come to Anfield so quickly and dismiss him without so much as a fleeting glimpse at his capabilities. Ok, he might not fit into his style of football, which is a lot more about short, quick passing play through the middle of the pitch with a lot more balls to feet, but I feel he could play in any system if given an opportunity. It wasn't his fault after all, that he had such poor service last season, not least from Stewart Downing, whose own Liverpool future is reportedly under threat.

I think Carroll will thrive at Upton Park with a Sam Allardyce-style of play. West Ham are a lot happier to play long balls through the middle, and in Matt Taylor and Matt Jarvis they have two of the better crossers of the ball in the Barclays Premier League. If he stays fit, I geniunely think he could score at least 15 goals this season and really show Liverpool - who are still a striker short - what they are missing.

Barclays Premier League predictions

On the eve of a new season, I usually predict who will win the Barclays Premier League, and who I think will be relegated, but this season I thought I would have a go at predicting the whole table. I may have just made myself look very silly,and I may have just upset more readers than I please, but hopefully I'll get more right than wrong. Be sure to check back here next May.

I spent almost the entire summer thinking Manchester City would retain their crown, but that was until their neighbours from Old Trafford swooped to sign Arsenal's Robin van Persie. He and Wayne Rooney represents a formidable strike partnership that could rival any that this great league has ever seen.

At the bottom, I think Swansea would have struggled anyway to match the exploits of last season, and that's before they lost Gylfi Sigurdsson, Joe Allen, possibly Scott Sinclair, and of course Brendan Rodgers, who left the Liberty Stadium to take charge at Liverpool. As for Southampton and Reading, I'm just not sure they have got strong enough squads, simple as that.

Let me know what you think.

1. Manchester United
2. Manchester City
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Tottenham Hotspur
6. Liverpool
7. Everton
8. Newcastle United
9. Fulham
10. Aston Villa
11. Sunderland
12. West Bromwich Albion
13. Queens Park Rangers
14. West Ham United
15. Wigan Athletic
16. Norwich City
17. Stoke City
18. Swansea City
19. Southampton
20. Reading

Welcome to Behind The Goal

Welcome to Behind The Goal, my new blog dedicated to the world of football. I'm Adam Gray, and throughout the season this will be the place to view my opinions on all that is happening in the Premier League and beyond.

I hope you'll enjoy reading my work as much as I will enjoy providing it to you.