Dalglish backs Carroll to Shine

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish says he has complete faith in Andy Carroll's abilities and does not believe the striker is lacking confidence.

Carroll joined Liverpool for a record £35m from Newcastle on the final day of the January 2011 transfer window but the England international has yet to make an explosive impression at Anfield.

He has made 16 appearances in the Barclays Premier League this season, scoring two goals to take his overall Liverpool League tally to four goals in 23 matchesor Andy Carroll, I don't see why it should be"

But Dalglish is adamant Carroll is under no pressure to prove his transfer value.The 22-year-old looks set to start up front on Friday when Liverpool play his former club Newcastle at Anfield with Uruguay international Luis Suarez banned.

"He is adapting well to the change and we will keep working with him and, fortunately for Andy, we have much greater belief in him than a lot of people have who write about him," said Dalglish.

"He is not struggling to deal with anything - the perception has not come from anywhere else other than someone's imagination.

"I don't think self-belief is a problem for Andy Carroll, I don't see why it should be.

"There's nothing to say he's short of belief and there is no evidence he should be.

"He has come here and gone about his work very well and has adjusted to life at a new club with new philosophies and a new way of playing.

"There is no one at the club who couldn't be doing better and Andy is no different to anyone else in that respect."

Like Dalglish, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who reluctantly sold Carroll following a British transfer record bid from the Reds, believes Carroll will soon settle down and find his best form.

"He hasn't really had a run in that Liverpool side and like all strikers, he probably needs a run," said Pardew.

"He's a great lad and a great player. I like Andy.

"It was disappointing to see him left out of the England squad the last time because I think he can be an England player and England's number nine.

Newcastle's brilliant start to the season was tempered by a run of six matches without a win, although the club ended that run following a 2-0 away win at Bolton on Boxing Day."He is going through a period of transition at a new club, finding his feet and finding out that they play slightly differently to how we did here, but he will find his way."

They are now a point behind Liverpool in seventh place in the Barclays Premier League with 30 points.

And former Newcastle boss Dalglish praised Pardew's accomplishments this season at the Sports Direct Arena.

"They collected a lot of points early doors, and I know it's tailed off a wee bit now, but that's because they probably have had a harder run of fixtures than they did at the start of the season," said the Scot.

"But they are up there and have done fantastically well.

"They were active in the transfer window and brought a few people in. Demba Ba would obviously be the one who has been the big success.

"They took a chance on him after he failed a medical at Stoke City. Alan Pardew took that chance which was brave of him and he has been rewarded by that.

"Ba would be the pick of the signings but they have made some other good signings as well. Tiote has done well and Cabaye, but then I don't think we are too shabby either."

Coquelin signs new Arsenal contract

Versatile Frenchman Francis Coquelin has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract that will keep him at Arsenal.

The 20-year-old has become a regular in Arsene Wenger's first-team squad this season, and the Gunners have now tied him down to a longer deal at the Emirates Stadium.

Coquelin joined Arsenal in 2008 and spent last year on loan at French side Lorient, and he has made 12 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners this season, seven of those coming in the Barclays Premier League.

A statement on the club's official website (arsenal.com) read: "Coquelin has established himself as a valuable addition to the first team squad this term, putting in a man of the match performance against Tottenham in October and providing excellent cover in both full-back positions.

"As well as being a regular for the reserves in recent seasons, he was an integral part of the FA Youth Cup-winning side of 2009 and a key member of the France team to win the European Under-19 Championship a year later.

"Everyone at Arsenal looks forward to Francis' continued contribution to the club in the years to come."

Coquelin does, however, face a spell out of action after suffering a hamstring injury in Arsenal's 1-0 FA Cup third round victory over Leeds on Monday

Deane reflects on first-ever Premier League goal

History can venerate the most unlikely of individuals, prolonging their names well beyond their final years for future generations to preserve their groundbreaking achievements.

Marc Albrighton earned himself a place in history by scoring the 20,000th Barclays Premier League goal  - and he takes his place in football history alongside Brian Deane, the scorer of the first-ever goal nearly 20 years ago.

On Saturday 15 August, 1992, at about 3.05pm, the striker put Sheffield United 1-0 up against Manchester United with an instinctive header at Bramall Lane. The goal, Deane admits, would not be found in the top-five stylish finishes of his career, but its gravitas transcends any form of beauty

"Whatever happens, wherever I am, that will be the one moment fans all over the world will remember me for," Deane told premierleague.com ahead of Albrighton becoming the 20,000th goalscorer.

"It was a fantastic feeling and even to this day people remind me of it - and it's now a classic quiz question too."

It all started when Blades goalkeeper Simon Tracey cleared a back-pass - then only recently outlawed by FIFA - deep into Manchester United territory, with United defender Gary Pallister heading the ball out for a throw-in.

"We had a throw-in at the Kop End (at Bramall Lane), Carl Bradshaw took a long throw aiming for Alan Cork at the near post," remembered Deane, who also played for Leeds, Middlesbrough and Leicester City during his 12 seasons in the League.

"He flicked a header on and I managed to get myself between Steve Bruce and Pallister to nod the ball past Peter Schmeichel.

"They were no mugs those three, all great players. That made it extra special because that goal was against one of the top teams in the country and in Europe."

With the home support in raptures, Deane's attention quickly switched to the other eight fixtures around the country to find out whether anyone had surpassed his early marker.

"I got word that David Hirst had scored for Sheffield Wednesday early on, but then the news filtered through that I had scored before him," said Deane, who added a second goal to help the Blades to a 2-1 home win against United, the inaugural Premier League champions.

"I knew I was going to be close because of the time I scored the goal but to realise I was the first ever to score in the new Premier League, well, it took a while to sink in."

The competition has evolved every season since its inception, becoming the most-watched football league in the world because of its open, attacking style.

The 2011/12 season has seen a glut of goals, averaging 2.96 per match, a factor which Deane attributes to world-class creative players like David Silva and Luka Modric rather than a drop in quality defending.

"When the likes of myself, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright were playing, there were some great defenders around like Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Dave Watson as well as Bruce and Pallister, who were all at the peak of their powers," he said.

"Defending back in those days was an art. But now people want to see goals and teams are looking to win rather than closing results out. It makes for a better spectacle and more chances.

"The product itself has evolved again to be the best in the world."

However, the Yorkshireman is confident he would still have scored with regularity if he was able to play in the current Barclays Premier League competition.

"In that first season in 1992/93 I scored 15 goals, all different types of goals, so I don't think I would have a problem," added Deane, who scored 71 goals during his time in the Premier League.

"With the type of science involved in training at the moment, I would have evolved with the developments. I don't think the quality is too different, but the one huge change in that time has been the attitude to training."

Wenger: Henry return was like a dream

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted the return of Thierry Henry to the Gunners first team was like 'a dream'.

Henry came off the bench to score the only goal of the match in Arsenal's 1-0 FA Cup third round victory over Leeds at the Emirates Stadium on Monday.

The 34-year-old Frenchman, who played for the club from 1999-2007, was making his second debut for Arsenal, having joined on a two-month loan deal from New York Red Bulls in the United States

He collected an Alex Song pass 10 minutes after coming on and kept his cool to slot past Leeds keeper Andy Lonergan to book a fourth round home tie against Aston Villa.

"It was a little bit of a dream, it was like a story about football that you would tell to young children," said Wenger. "Unfortunately it is not often like that in our game, but sometimes it happens.

"You could see when Thierry came on he had a presence on the pitch and if we could find him, he would be dangerous. He was sharp physically.

"He was already a legend here and now has added a bit more to the story."

Wenger says he had seen enough of Henry in training to know he could still make a difference for Arsenal, and is delighted by the impact the former Barcelona striker is having on his young squad.

"No, I was not surprised. In training I have seen that he was sharp and ready to play. I would not put him on the pitch with what he has done here if he was not ready because that would be unfair. He is a special player.

"What is good for the young players at the club is that a guy who has done it all comes and prepares 100%, warms up, is focused and motivated, and comes on with an immense desire to do well.

"Thierry is a proud guy, he does not want to disappoint people. He knows he will be compared to what he has done before. That is what champions are about."

Henry is set to make his Barclays Premier League return when Arsenal visit Swansea City's Liberty Stadium on Sunday 15th January.