The Return of the Sleeping Giant

Newcastle United's start to the new season has highlighted a seemingly forgotten about jewel in the crown of English football.

The status of the iconic 'number 9' shirt has fallen by the wayside over the last decade or so with the introduction of squad numbers. Perhaps more importantly, the gradual extinction of the type of player that wore the number nine has also contributed to the erosion of its status. People of a certain age will remember the fictional "Roy of the Rovers" that charted the adventures of Melchester Rovers and their talismanic centre forward Roy Race, a perfect exponent of what the 'number 9' was all about. A big, no-nonsense striker who combined height, strength and skill to score and create goals. More recently, Alan Smith (of Arsenal), Les Ferdinand, Ian Rush and Andy Gray have been strikers who had success in the role of the 'number nine'.

The folklore of the 'number 9' is perhaps most fondly remembered on Tyneside with a host of famous players wearing the iconic shirt. Jackie Milburn, Malcolm MacDonald and Alan Shearer are Toon legends, all with proud goalscoring records.

Andy Carroll was handed the number nine shirt at the start of the season and has re-kindled my love affair with this neglected protocol of traditional English football. Four goals as Newcastle's brand new centre forward have rubber stamped him as a potential England striker of the future. Far from being the finished article, Carroll appears to possess the necessary attributes to be a traditional centre forward: his height enables him to win the ball in the air and act as a targetman. He's proved himself to be adept at scoring with both feet and has the strength to hold up the ball and bring others in to play as well as causing havoc in an opposition's back line.

A new, sleeker and more powerful breed of 'number nine' is emerging, exemplified by the effervescent Didier Drogba. Not since Alan Shearer has the English game had an iconic target man. The likes of Peter Crouch and Emile Heskey have never managed to carve themselves a niche as a classic centre forward but could Carroll step into the shoes of his hero and add his name to the long list of England number nines?

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