Saturday 13 December 2014 12:27, UK
Tubes had double trouble on Soccer AM when he chatted with West Ham pair Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan.
The two Hammers are good friends off the pitch, and our roving reporter quizzed them on their time as flatmates - which revealed all about their cookery skills!
The pair also talked about Nolan's imminent goalscoring record and Carroll's movement on from being labelled as a bad boy...
Third in the league. How good is that?
KEVIN NOLAN: Obviously massive for us, but well deserved and we believe we belong there at the moment the way we’re playing and the way everything’s going.
ANDY CARROLL: We’re flying at the minute. Everyone’s confident in where we are in the league, so it’s all good.
Personally for you Andy – against Swansea you were an absolute beast.
AC: Yeah it was a good game. Two good crosses and I got my head on the end of both of them. It was a good result at the end of the day to get three points as well.
You went straight over to the medical team. They’ve done a lot for you, haven’t they?
KN: No, it was to Sam!
AC: Obviously the medical staff! But the gaffer’s done well, stuck by us all the way so I had to go and give him a hug.
Kevin, you’re one goal away from the 100 club. Mega, isn’t it?
KN: It’s something I’ve always prided myself on, getting into the box and scoring goals. To be one away from 100 league goals is massive. Only a few have done it, and I hope it just comes and I can get it over with, then start moving towards another record, maybe. The longer I’m there on it the more stick I’m going to start to get!
Andy, can you believe Kev’s never had an England call-up?
AC: The games he’s played and the goals he’s scored, the teams he’s played in – he’s had a great career and it’s a bit devastating he hasn’t had a call-up.
How do you feel about it, Kev?
KN: I do get fed up of talking about it, but I probably didn’t talk about it enough. I did come along with a great generation of gifted footballers – we’re talking about players like David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole who were the main four. It’s something that probably – when I look back – I’ll regret, but at the moment because I’ve not really had the taste of it it’s not something I’ve really missed.
You two are great mates off the pitch. What was it like having Andy live with you?
KN: Yeah, it was good. We didn’t really see each other. He used to come in and go straight to his room – he was like a teenage boy.
AC: I did all the cooking, all the pre-match meals. I made him a lot. He didn’t even know how to make beans on toast – he hasn’t got a clue!
KN: That’s true, I’m definitely not the cook in my house. Andy did the pre-match meals and they were good. He’s a dab hand in the kitchen.
AC: I’m not bad.
So if West Ham did Ready, Steady, Cook, you’d be the winner?
AC: Yeah, 100 per cent.
Andy, is it fair to say you’ve calmed down a lot?
AC: Yeah I have. I used to get a lot of stick but I think I used to go out as much as everyone else – it was just that I was seen so I used to get that label. Hopefully that’s gone, or going, and I can just focus on the football.
KN: I think it’s mad, but when you’re out people notice you more because you’re six-foot-whatever and have got long hair. So it doesn’t matter – he sticks out in a crowd whereas I can go into London and not be noticed or recognised. I think a lot of it is unfair criticism.
Talking about long hair…why have you got long hair?
KN: Have you seen it shorter? Actually it looks good!
AC: It was actually when I was at Newcastle and there was a bit of banter, and I said ‘I’ll grow my hair’ and Joey Barton bet that I wouldn’t, then it just went from there. I carried on growing it and now it’s like this.
KN: He gave you a bit of stick, and now he’s got long hair!
You’re a bit of a model as well, aren’t you? I’ve seen some pictures in the paper recently.
AC: Looked good, didn’t I!
KN: I don’t mind him doing the modelling bits but what I couldn’t get over was when he started talking to a fashion person. He was speaking about things and saying he knows a lot about fashion – I was saying ‘it was only four years ago at Newcastle you were wearing t-shirts and a pair of Nike Airs to go for a meal’! It’s a bit different now.
