Christopher Chang: Newcastle moving on without Carroll

Andy Carroll failed to fire on his homecoming, once again. Photo / AP

Newcastle supporters indulged in a touch of schadenfreude when Liverpool's Andy Carroll stormed off the field on Sunday.

As the pony-tailed striker was hauled off by Kenny Dalglish in the second half at Sports Direct Arena, there was no doubt which set of fans was more content with the £35m transaction that occurred between the two clubs in January 2011.

Carroll failed to fire on his homecoming, once again - he's scored only five goals in 35 appearances for the Merseysiders (three of those came in the Cups... against Oldham, Exeter, and Brighton). Embarrassingly, he picked up a yellow card for simulation; a dive in an effort to con Martin Atkinson and win a penalty, when he could have stayed on his feet and slotted the ball home.

Since selling Caroll, Newcastle have invested in a number of players and are now blessed with a lethal Senegalese spearhead. Papiss Cisse has scored seven goals in as many games. His acquisition represented around a quarter of the Caroll transfer fee. His comaptriot Demba Ba has 16 goals to his name and set the Premier League alight in the first half of the season - he didn't cost a penny.

Carroll and Newcastle were seemingly a perfect match. The home-grown No 9 looked like the heir apparent to the great Alan Shearer, before being shifted on to Liverpool. It's unfortunate that his new employers have yet to see the sort of form that made him such a devastating player on Tyneside. His foulmouthed rant at Dalglish upon being substituted merely reflected his change in fortunes since swapping white and black for red. Liverpool lie 11 points adrift of Alan Pardew's side, who are thriving in a post-Carroll era.

Dalglish has already secured the Carling Cup, while an FA Cup semi-final against rivals Everton awaits. But Liverpool have suffered six defeats in their last seven Premiership games, their worst run since 1953. For his huge price tag, Carroll is the stand-out flop amongst Dalglish's grandiose shopping spree (around £100m on Carroll, Suarez, Henderson, Adam, and Downing). Only Suarez has justified his transfer fee and even then, he's had some problems.

Carroll's 79 minutes against Newcastle could be the defining moment of his season. Had he kept his composure after rounding goalkeeper Tim Krul in the 9th minute and finished an easy opportunity in front of goal, he could have banished the demons against his former teammates. Instead, grateful Newcastle fans were left saluting their new darling No 9 and basking in a 2-0 victory that pushed them level on points with Chelsea.

What is clear is that Newcastle have moved on since Geordie Andy Carroll filled the vacancy left by Fernando Torres at Liverpool. A new, dynamic attacking force has replaced him. Contrary to the motto of his current club, as he trudged down the tunnel on Sunday he was very much left to walk alone.