Who's better in the air? Crouch or Carroll?

I've just been watching some goals from seasons a few years ago, and a few of Crouch's goals in the air came up that has me looking forward to another tall-man upfront for us, that being a certain Mr Carroll. Seeing the goals made me realise that it's another strength that we'll have back for this season, but who do you think is better in the air attacking crosses? Is Andy Carroll as good as Crouch was for us? Will he develop into a better headerer of the ball than Crouch was? Or is Crouch's aerial threat that little bit better than Carroll?

Discuss...

Carroll without a shadow of a doubt. For someone so tall, Crouchy is actually a bit feeble with his head.

Carroll without a shadow of a doubt. For someone so tall, Crouchy is actually a bit feeble with his head.

It's hard to tell the now, but it seems that Crouch is a bit more mobile than Carroll but Carroll has more strength over Crouch.

I'd go with Carroll too I reckon...and not just because he's with us now. I reckon Carroll is a lot stronger than Crouchy was which enables him to be more effective in the air.
However I think that in focusing on his aerial ability a lot of people have grossly undervalued the contribution that big Andy can make with his feet. He can hold the ball up fantastically and he has a cracking left foot to boot! All around I think Andy will pull off head and shoulders above Crouchy (no easy feet...tall joke...I'm here all week!:P) this season and by the end any comparisons between the two will be like comparing Messi to Titus Bramble!

Carroll. For all his height advantage, Crouch's heading was often poor. Good touch for a big man though

It's hard to tell the now, but it seems that Crouch is a bit more mobile than Carroll but Carroll has more strength over Crouch.

Yeah, that's a fair comment although Carroll does have a turn of speed about him. Crouch was very good with his feet and could play with his back to goal but we looked for him too often with balls 'hoofed' over the top and he wasted a lot of opportunities to get a good header on goal. I hope we don't make the same mistake with Carroll but I would put money on Andy getting more headers on target and with more venom.

Crouch was sh*te in the air for a man of 6ft 7in.

Carroll is now and will always be better in the air. He almost certainly quicker across the ground too. But then again I don't really rate Crouch at all

Carroll, but it will be intresting to see if he can match Crouchies ability on the deck

Carroll. But Crouch really was decent stuff on the ground.

If he can match the perfect hat trick I'll be happy 

Carroll. Crouch enfuriated me so much with his constant climbing on the defender. The ref's gonna blow every time   

Carroll, crouch actually wasn't that great in the air for his size

Carroll.

Don't know if it was his timing, a lack of physical strength to fight off the defender, or another factor, but I agree with those who said Crouch wasn't as good with his head as one would expect of such a tall lad.

Decent player, though, and a cracking dancer!

Carroll is better in the air than Crouch by miles. Crouch is better on the deck, and I would say Carroll is easily more mobile, and a greater threat in behind defenders.

For a tall man i thought his heading ability was piss poor on times ,was actually a lot better on the deck , you would have thought it would be the other way about .Caroll hands down for me.

Caroll by a country mile.

I know Keegan doesn't usually talk much sense, but didn't he claim Caroll was the best header of the ball since Shearer?

Crouch was pretty meagre in the air as has been mentioned above.

Carroll without a shadow of a doubt. For someone so tall, Crouchy is actually a bit feeble with his head.

This all day long.

Carroll attacks the ball and will put his head through it. I think this encourages players to cross the ball with pace to him. With Crouch, I thought it was usually floated balls in to him which indicates the cross is intended to give the header of the ball a bit more time to adjust. That usually happens when someone isn't very good with their head.

No contest, Crouch was just tall and waited for the ball to hit his head whereas Carroll attacks the ball.

There's a massive difference.

Carroll all day long. He's the best one in the league I think.

Crouch could not get his timing right, he mainly jumped too early which meant he had to bend to head the ball, or he was on his way down as the ball came to him. Both senarios meant he had very little power in his headers, and I can only remember him getting it right once for his second goal against Arsenal when he (I think) got his hatrick.
Carroll on the other hand seems to attack the ball, even when he's going backwards.

 Crouch was very poor in the air, he got pushed about and as someone said earlier he just waited and hoped for the ball to hit him.
 
 He headed like he danced

 That said for a tall man his skills with the ball at his feet were at time exceptional

People are being a little harsh on Crouch here, he did a lot of good work with his head, knocking down balls ect, he was a great all round centre forward, I hope Carroll turns out to be as good on the ground, he seems to have a stronger shot.

Carroll for me.

Crouch got pinged a lot for things he wasn't actually doing, and didn't have the same presence as Carroll.

Plus he always looks like a cranefly when he does his bycicle kicks

Having said that Carroll is pretty decent on the deck and has quite a few years in front of him before he gets to the age Crouch was when he was here, so with good coaching he will be a more complete player than Crouch.

hi ithink carrol is more powerful in the air than crouch but crouch is better with his feet he scored some beautiful volleys 4 us hope he does well at stoke ...

I've just been watching some goals from seasons a few years ago, and a few of Crouch's goals in the air came up that has me looking forward to another tall-man upfront for us, that being a certain Mr Carroll. Seeing the goals made me realise that it's another strength that we'll have back for this season, but who do you think is better in the air attacking crosses? Is Andy Carroll as good as Crouch was for us? Will he develop into a better headerer of the ball than Crouch was? Or is Crouch's aerial threat that little bit better than Carroll?

Discuss...

Carroll without a doubt. Crouch for his height was actually useless in the air most the time, probably gave away more fouls than the amount of headers he actually won!

Crouch was better with his feet than his head to be honest, some much smaller players that have been better with their head, Alan Shearer was not that tall..... I believe David Trezeguet and Owen were not that tall too, if your support players can get the ball the right height for you, why do you need to be tall? everytime crouch was in a 50/50 his arms fly everywhere and he gets penalized for climbing over somebody 1 foot shorter so he isn't even good in a 50/50... so when you consider that, comparing Carroll to Crouch is not even a contest.

It's hard to tell the now, but it seems that Crouch is a bit more mobile than Carroll but Carroll has more strength over Crouch.

I don't believe this to be true.  Do you have any specific examples that spring to mind? Or do you mean on the deck?

I always thought Crouchy should or could have thrown himself in a bit more, you know, made that extra bit of effort to get the ball.  I remember either Lawrenson or Hansen saying similar, that Crouch wasn't actually that mobile.

But in terms of goal threat from the air, Carroll without a doubt.  Crouchy may have the edge with his knock downs etc.  Time will tell.

It was a bit of a misconception that Crouch was 'poor' in the air and I always thought he got a bit of a tough time in that respect. He was pretty decent when it came to flick headers and particularly cushion headers (remember the 2nd goal in the FA Cup final?) but he never (and still doesn't) had the upper body strength or technique to really go up and attack the ball. in many ways his body shape actually made it difficult for him to do this and he got fouled just as much as he was penalised.

As for Carroll, he is superb in the air. He's got good timing, an excellent leap and the upper body strength and power to mow his way through a defender ion the way to meeting the ball (Crouch didn't have the body to do this). The best header of a ball I ever saw was Les Ferdinand and Carroll (I think) has the potential to be as good.

I've heard Carroll gets travel sick and has a small phobia of planes, so I'd say Crouch.  May have gotten the wrong end of the stick though.

I've heard Carroll gets travel sick and has a small phobia of planes, so I'd say Crouch.  May have gotten the wrong end of the stick though.

I like the sound of a small phobia.  Can you buy them?

I like the sound of a small phobia.  Can you buy them?

~No, but you can inherit them and occasionally you'll find you have one you didn't know you had. 

Carroll all day. Crouch was long and gangly in the air.To awkward for challenges in the air whereas Carroll is a beast that wins the ball with sheer strenght and power so much so defenders are near afraid of him.

Have to say Carroll,Crouch looks like he is about to fall over or land upsidedown.What i have seen from Carroll so far he looks more comfortable jumping for the ball,only time will tell.

Don't think there's anyone who's watched both of these a few times that will think Crouch is better in the air. Better with his feet, as is always said.

Carroll really attacks his headers and he's such a physical presence defenders will always have trouble going up with him.

He's a big lad alright - hoping he'll put it up to the goalie a bit early on, in every match.

Especially de gay (yes I know I spelled it right)

 No comparison, Carroll is the header of a football in the Premiership.

No contest, Crouch was just tall and waited for the ball to hit his head whereas Carroll attacks the ball.

There's a massive difference.

Theres that.




Is a small phobia a fear of the Bitters ?  

Carroll by a long, long way

Crouch when on the far post is the better header.. Anywhere else where you need to attack the ball or generate your own power on the header I'd take Carroll

I'd say Carroll.

Crouch is really tall and usually won the headers. He had decent ball control for a 6'7" man but Carroll is stronger in the air (yes, he attacks the ball) and has a sweet left foot strike.

However, can't see Carroll scoring any scissor kicks

Carroll.

Crouch

A) Is sh*te at winning the ball and.........

B) If he does manage to win it he heads it wide with his spanner shaped forehead.

A couple of cross capable players in our ranks now will make Andy a hero this season. If only he had some 'go faster' boots.

Ah well, can't have it all.

by far andy carrol FACT, if you think its crouch well, you are entitled to your opion but its bollox

Did Crouch have any neck muscles?

Did Crouch have any neck muscles?

About as many as Gladstone Small had. 

Carroll of course, we gave crouchy 19games before he scored FFs had he any neck muscles at all

Hard to say, Crouch is always a good bet for the aerial antics whereas Carroll is also quite tactical with his height too, can't they be as good as each other??? 

haha

The "Bullet" versus the "Stick insect".We all said when he left,that he would be useless,case proven.

Both are towering figures with aerial power but questioning their sharpness on goal scoring is a difficult matter. I think Crouchy is more experienced with his game overall and a better team player, but in the air I think Andy has more accuracy since he's a stand-alone striker and has a much better scoring record than Crouchy.

Both are towering figures with aerial power but questioning their sharpness on goal scoring is a difficult matter. I think Crouchy is more experienced with his game overall and a better team player, but in the air I think Andy has more accuracy since he's a stand-alone striker and has a much better scoring record than Crouchy.

The only aerial power crouch had was the white stuff you put in your washer,

One of Peters weakness was he was average in the air, hard to believe because he's such a big stick but its true.

Carroll everyday of the week.

Crouch is a much better footballer than Carroll, but ofc, Carroll is better in the air.

Crouch is a much better footballer than Carroll, but ofc, Carroll is better in the air.

This made me

Crouch is a much better footballer than Carroll, but ofc, Carroll is better in the air.

You are a silly monkey!

In the air- Carroll anyday, the beast wins all the balls hoofed upto him.

Overall- I think Crouch. Slightly. Although Carroll is still young and can improve is ground play, hopefully.

You are a silly monkey!

My interpretation in a good footballer is someone who is comfortable on the ball and who can bring people into play with good flicks, dribbles, control and passing etc

Crouch has a better touch, comfortable on the ball  and maybe even better movement, he was also good at knock downs(cushioned headers). Whereas Carroll's arial ability is quite exceptional and he's strong but passing and movement wise... weak imo.

This is why I see Crouch as a better footballer.

Carroll but we seem to forget that Carroll has not played with Gerrard yet. I remember when Gerrard and Crouch were linking so well together and Crouch<Carroll. Any tall striker becomes a beast when playing with Steven G. Adam is good a set pieces but in open play Gerrard is much more needed to provide support for Carroll.

Form is temporary, quality is permanent someone said once. But on this one i believe that day to day form is a key word.