Keeping Carroll was Wise move

The Xisco kid, brought from Spain by Wise and Tony Jimenez, caused Kevin Keegan to walk out and is sixth on Joe Kinnear's list of strikers after Michael Owen, Oba Martins, Mark Viduka, Shola Ameobi and Carroll - with Alan Smith to come back from the dead soon.

Despite costing United £5m, they could ill-afford to waste. Xisco was once again left sitting undisturbed and unused on the bench, even when the Magpies were 2-1 down to a superior football-playing side before Handy Andy's equaliser 12 minutes from time denied West Ham.

While on about strikers, I see 90% of Newcastle fans in a Chronicle poll expect out-of- contract Owen to leave in the summer.

That frightens me - how do 10% remain steadfastly optimistic while watching the sort of performances and results that will not only drive United's skipper into someone else's arms, but probably Shay Given and Charles N'Zogbia as well?

The words which sum up Carroll best are "honest worker" and "a nuisance", as he fights to try and confirm that long-term he's a Premier League centre- forward and not a Championship striker.

His worth here, however, was priceless as it brought United a point they dearly required and Kinnear's favourite scoreline 2-2.

Joe has seen his side draw by that same goals tally at Everton and home to Manchester City, Wigan Athletic, Stoke City and now West Ham in eight draws, including the FA Cup tie at Hull, which brought about Wednesday's replay.

Owen had shot Newcastle ahead to underline that we'll miss his goals when he eventually goes.

He had struck the far post in 12 minutes and notched seven minutes later when, fed by Jose Enrique, he created space as James Collins fatefully slipped to beat Robert Green at his near post.

However, United's old boys always come back to haunt them. Titus Bramble and Abdoulaye Faye had already done it in 2-2 draws at St James's Park and Craig Bellamy made it a hat-trick of ex-Magpie scorers in four-goal shoot-outs.

It was an equaliser made in Newcastle, with Scott Parker providing the pass for Bellamy to cleverly lift the ball over Given.

The Hammers took the lead on 55 minutes after Shay had once again produced two outstanding saves either side of half-time to keep Newcastle in the game.

A long pass from Herita Ilunga took out both Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor, waiting unsuccessfully for an offside ruling and an unmarked Carlton Cole blasted high into the net.

West Ham, playing neat one- touch football at pace which must have delighted a connoisseur like Gianfranco Zola, looked certain winners, but their defence doesn't match their forward play and when Damien Duff crossed from the left in the 78th minute, Carroll rose above two defenders to loop a good header into the net.

It made up for the fact that when Lucas Neill slashed the ball wildly into his own net 10 minutes earlier, referee Alan Wiley rightly ruled out the goal for a needless push by Taylor on Collins as Coloccini flashed the ball across the six-yard box.

United now face a further four matches off the belt that will go an awful long way to determining their future.

If this was a relegation battle then so are Blackburn (A), Manchester City (A), Sunderland (H) and West Bromwich (A).

Call them the dirty dozen, because where those points end up is critical to all.