Supermac was the star of our side back in the early 1970s, but he had one style of play - sit on the shoulder of the last defender then burn him for pace when Terry Hibbitt, John Tudor or Tony Green set him away.
Yes it worked - most of the time - but the big boys of the 1970s (Leeds Utd, Liverpool and Man Utd) kept him in the blocks and Supermac didn't have much of a Plan B.
Times have changed, and although Carroll doesn't have Supermac's pace, he has a brighter brain and gives Newcastle far more options.
Malcolm Macdonald: “I wish him the very best of luck with the No 9 shirt. I would not dare suggest to him to look to the past as regards to how he should behave as Newcastle’s No 9.
“But as a striker, I would ask him to be more ambitious with goal targets.
“He got 19 goals last season but I’m sure as a striker, he would have wanted more. I hope he did.
“I used to set impossible targets at the start of each season and I’d often find I’d reach them or in fact better them. You have to aim high, why not?
“The Premier League is an unforgiving place and be assured he will miss chances as well.
“But you have to miss one in order to score one next time around.
“If the chances start to dry up or fade away then you know you’re in trouble.
“As I say it’s unforgiven, a game can be won on a chance taken or lost on a chance missed.
“As a striker you will be the first defender on almost every occasion and if you’re not getting on the end of things and burying chances, it can soon be costly at the other end.
“That comes with the responsibility.
“You don’t just have to be a good leader.
“I hope he’s hungry for goals though, an average striker will set an average target.
“It’s now up to him to go out and get those goals for Newcastle United.”