Very few people would have had a bet on Andy Carroll to score a hat-trick when Arsenal arrived at Upton Park last weekend in what would prove to be a sensational game for the neutral, but those who did would have earned themselves a seriously nice wedge to lose on the final night of The Masters.
It finished 3-3, and Carroll's performance prompted his manager Slaven Bilic to claim that he is the best header of a ball in the world, and that if he can stay fit, then there is no limit to his potential as a player.
Meanwhile the fans were suggesting that Andy Carroll should be going to Euro 2016 with England. Now, Carroll almost certainly will not be going to France, but the calls for that to happen were enough to seriously piss of Johnny Giles, who told us exactly what he thinks of the idea in his weekly column for Independent.ie:
Andy Carroll has not played much football over the last three years but he scored a hat-trick at the weekend and for some, that was enough to make him a potential hero for England.
The only word I can use to describe that sort of nonsense is hysteria.
The race to be first to comment, first to make a point, even if it's a stupid point, has become all important. The rush to say something has infected sport with hysteria.
Carroll was rapidly replaced by a villain, Louis van Gaal, as the focus of headline writers but the words underneath sensational banners carried the ring of credibility. A story like that doesn't need embroidery but more about that later.
Carroll got himself a nice hat-trick and fair play to the lad. He's had a tough time through injury and I'm always happy to see somebody find their way back to form after suffering for a while.
But the idea that Carroll should be propelled into the running for England for Euro 2016 is absolutely crazy and terribly unfair to players like Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy, who have been knocking the lights out since the season started and must look at the headlines and wonder.
It's an interesting take from Giles, and he certainly does have a point regarding being the first to make a statement, regardless of its validity.
Suggesting Carroll be brought to Euro 2016 ahead of Rooney, Kane, or Vardy is ridiculous, and the idea that he would be of use because he offers something different doesn't really add up when you are only bringing four strikers and would have to leave a player who contributed to the qualification campaign at home.
Now you'll see England fans calling for Marcus Rashford for Euro 2016 after the teenager scored against West Ham in the FA Cup, but there is no way that Hodgson will bring either him or Carroll barring injury.
