Alan Pardew never wanted to sell Carroll, but the deal was done controversially in January 2011.
We had Joey Barton picking him out at dead-ball kicks, and Kevin Nolan feeding off the knock-downs.
I'm not saying it was particularly "pretty", but it was simple and the main thing is ... it WORKED!
It worked for Newcastle United, because we had a manager (Chris Hughton) who knew how to cut his "cloth to fit". He made the most of what he had.
Unlike Hughton, Kenny Dalglish was handed riches beyond our wildest dreams, and told to rebuild and reshape.
Carroll was talked about because he was young, keen and eager to learn, and supposedly the next big England No 9.
But what has he learned at Anfield? What has Dalglish taught him? And why is he struggling like a fish out of water?
Because he is trying to act like a Liverpool player, and that is NEVER going to happen.
Carroll is 'One Dimensional' - he knows only one way, and nothing or nobody will get anything better out of him.
I was in Tenerife in January and sat with a pub full of Scousers, who each spoke as one: "Dalglish will groom him".
They laughed off my comments, trying to convince themselves (because they certainly weren't going to convince ME) that they had bought a world beater for the pricey sum of £35m.
Sorry all you Liverpool fans out there ... you have bought a very average player who just happens to be 6ft 5".
He's big and strong and hard to knock off the ball, but you haven't got an Ian Rush, Ian St John, Robbie Flowler or Michael Owen.
He went on loan to Preston North End, who were offered him for £1m should they want him ... but they sent him back to Tyneside after three months! They didn't even want him on loan.
Liverpool would have done better using Craig Bellamy and Suarez up front as a pair, rather than using Bellamy as a winger putting in crosses. That is not Bellamy's game.
At the end of the day ... Dalglish got it sadly wrong. And he's got a player there he will insist on playing because he wants to prove he was right to buy him ... just as Chelsea lost the league last season playing out of form Fernando Torres.
Either Dalglish sells Carroll at a loss ... or he will end up losing his job.
Alan Pardew: "Andy needs to have a game plan that works for him and Liverpool are struggling to find that game plan for him with the players they have.
"When Andy was here we were more direct than we are now and he was magnificent. But Andy will be magnificent again. I felt for him today, I really did. He's having a tough year but he's a terrific lad and his game will come back."