I’m a Premier League veteran who got in a scrap with Andy Carroll on pre-season tour… I’ve never been hit so hard

FORMER West Ham star James Collins revealed he got into a scrap with Andy Carroll on a pre-season tour, admitting: I’ve never been hit so hard!

Collins, 40, and Carroll, 35, played together for the Hammers between 2012 and 2018.

James Collins admits getting into a pre-season fight with ex-West Ham teammate Andy CarrollX @UndrTheCosh

Collins admits Carroll hit him with the hardest punch he ever feltPA:Press Association

The pair were both signed by Sam Allardyce and helped West Ham to a 10th-place finish in their debut seasons.

However, things later turned sour on a pre-season tour.

West Ham jetted to Germany to prepare for the upcoming campaign.

And, after a gruelling training session, Big Sam allowed his stars to enjoy a night on the town.

West Ham’s aces went straight to a bar where they knocked back beers.

But things spilled over as Carroll and Hammers icon Kevin Nolan began arguing.

Collins, who retired in 2020, then intervened before starting to scrap with Carroll, now playing in France for Amiens.

And he soon regretted it after being punched by the Geordie striker on the cheek.

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Speaking on the UndrTheCosh podcast, Collins admitted he’d never been hit as hard before.

But, in the spirit of the game, the pair quickly shook hands and began to guzzle beers again.

Collins said: “We found this bar that looked half-decent. We were in this bar, p***ed, got a bit lively and Kev [Nolan] and Andy started having an argument about something. 

“They were really arguing, I got in the middle and told them to leave it out.

“Andy’s gone, you could see his eyes are gone, he wanted to chin someone. I thought, I’ll have a go. I’m not sure if Andy will tell the same story as I was p***ed!

“I swung for Andy, missed him by a foot and he has gone and hit me on the cheek. I’ve been hit a couple of times, never so hard in all my life. 

“It didn’t knock me out but I took a knee. Noble is in the middle of us, it’s pandemonium.

“We stood up, had a pint, shook hands and got on with it. Don’t get hit by Andy Carroll! He is one strong geezer.”

Collins then revealed he and the other players involved, minus Carroll, were told off by boss Allardyce in front of the rest of the squad the following day.

But when the door closed and it was just the small group left with Big Sam, he had a very different attitude.

Collins added: “Sam (cheerily) goes, ‘Ah you b*****s, what have you been up to??’

“He absolutely loved it! He went, ‘What the f*** have you done?!”