West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic could learn a lot from Watford to solve his big problem with Andy Carroll.
West Ham were on their way to a rare three points on the road when they took they lead and looked strong at Burnley last time out.
But Andy Carroll was booked twice in as many minutes before the half hour to leave his side with an uphill battle.
Slaven Bilic’s men performed admirably but conceded an equaliser with just five minutes left to leave the Hammers deflated.
In truth Carroll could quite easily have been shown a straight red for the flying elbow which earned him a second yellow and the club’s supporters, Bilic, Pablo Zabaleta and Cheikhou Kouyate have all been critical of the striker since.
Reports have even suggested Bilic is even considering fining the big Geordie, as reported by the likes of The Mirror.
But the real problem is the striker’s selection as a starter in the first place.
Hammers fans have not been happy with Bilic’s decision to shunt star signing Javier Hernandez out wide with Carroll starting through the middle.
That has also restricted the game time of Diafra Sakho, who possesses an infinitely better strike rate and mobility.
So Bilic should learn from Watford’s handling of Troy Deeney.
In the same way as Carroll has for West Ham when fit, Deeney has proved a crucial player for the Hornets.
But he has been consigned to a bench role under new manager Marco Silva despite being captain and widely regarded as the club’s talisman.
Deeney changed the game when he came off the bench last time out against Arsenal, scoring with 19 minutes left in a 2-1 win.
Commentators praised Deeney’s physical impact from the bench where he has retained his status as the club’s talisman despite not playing as often as he might like.
West Ham will have no problem hailing Carroll their talisman.
But they want to see him used to change a game that is not going their way, not start and dictate the way they play.
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