Oliver holt on Englands best centre back.

[Guest mick the baker]

24 May 2006

CARRAGHER IS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST SVEN'S MODEL PRO

Oliver Holt

SOME players are just bad tourists. When they go away, cooped up in hotels on the road, cabin fever gets them.

 

Phil Tufnell couldn't handle an Ashes series in Australia. Steve Harmison goes half mad with homesickness. There are others who keep themselves away from the group and prefer to form their own little clique.

 

The Manchester City defender Danny Mills used to prefer the company of the management to his fellow players. A few shut themselves away in their rooms.

 

It takes all sorts to make an England squad but if you want the model of a good tourist, look no further than Jamie Carragher.

 

In the last few years, Carragher has become the model professional, the kind of player and the kind of character everyone can look up to.

 

There are many who feel strongly that Carragher should be in the England starting eleven alongside John Terry in central defence.

 

 

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But part of the importance of the Liverpool centre-half to the spirit of this England squad is that he is the epitome of a team player.

 

 

So far, of course, all the attention has been focussed either on Wayne Rooney's battle against injury, Theo Walcott or the men who will be in the first team.

 

 

But as Germany grows nearer and nearer, the importance of men like Carragher grows and grows.

 

 

At the European Championships in Portugal two summers ago, Carragher did not kick a ball in anger.

 

 

But he did not become eaten up by envy or anger. He did not withdraw from the group. He did not sulk. All the usual cliches apply: Unsung hero, forgotten man, the player the tournament forgot.

 

 

It would be patronising to say that his attitude then helped him get picked this time around.

 

 

His performance in last year's European Cup Final was one of the great individual displays by an English defender in a game of that magnitude.

 

 

He is too good to be going to Germany just because he is a happy camper but at a time when the dynamic of the squad is starting to take shape, he is the kind of player who acts as the glue that holds the rest together.

 

 

"It wasn't too bad in Portugal," Carragher said yesterday as he shuffled his feet in the sand pit where the Wembley pitch once was.

 

 

"That was the first tournament I have ever been involved in and I was delighted to be there, to be honest.

 

 

"Hopefully there will be a chance for me at this World Cup because I have progressed since Portugal.

 

 

"I'm not going as a fan on the inside this time. I would like to take part in this one. I was just so excited to be there in Portugal.

 

 

"It's difficult sometimes when you're not in the side. You feel like the training is always geared to the eleven starters.

 

 

"Rightly so, because if I was in the eleven, that's how I'd want it to be. But sometimes you feel as if you are training for them.

 

 

"I may not be in the starting eleven for the first game but I hope I will get myself involved somewhere along the line.

 

 

"Sometimes a manager takes squad players who he thinks will be good around the squad rather than a bad influence.

 

 

"I would like to think I am one of the good lads and you have got to hide your disappointment when you are not involved.

 

 

"I will do as much as I can for the lads. I like a laugh and a joke and maybe that was one of the things that got me into the squad in the first place."

 

 

Carragher is doing himself a disservice when he says that. He's in the squad because he's one of the best three centre-halves in the country.

 

 

But he's also the kind of man whose enthusiasm for football is infectious, the kind of man who used to go and sit in the stand with Liverpool fans if he was suspended. Not for him, a stash of DVDs to stave off the boredom during the tournament.

 

 

Not for him long hours in the amusement arcade at the team hotel.

 

 

"I'm just going to watch all the matches," Carragher said. "I'll train in the morning and then watch a game in the afternoon and another one in the evening.

 

 

"I'll fill in the rest of the hours by reading a few football autobiographies. I've got Patrick Vieira's and Bryan Robson's. I'm saving them up for Germany."

 

 

With a bit of luck, the good tourist will get to show he can play a bit, too, this time around.

[magneto]

I hope he doesn't play.

[Guest RedDwarf]

I hope he doesn't play.

 

What kind of an ahole comment is that??

[fyds]

What kind of an ahole comment is that??

I'm assuming twofold:

 

1) so he doesn't get injured

2) So when they fall on their asses, he's not tainted.

 

"I'll fill in the rest of the hours by reading a few football autobiographies. I've got Patrick Vieira's and Bryan Robson's. I'm saving them up for Germany."

 

Patrick Vieira pp 125 '...and when Liverpool came to Highbury that season, I got right royally tw*tted by Jamie Carragher in my own half - and I didn't even have the ball! Our crowd was so poor that season, that carra even gave them some money'

 

Bryan Robson pp65 'We did our best at Anfield, but usually we ended up on the losing side. I remember 10 minutes into the second half there was a crucnching tackle by Jamie Carragher on me - and I was in the dugout! I nearly spilled my Whiskey and Drambuie chaser...'

 

[magneto]

What kind of an ahole comment is that??

 

What fyds said.

[fyds]

What fyds said.

Well, I'm used to your laconic use of irony after all this time...

[Buzz]

At the weekend James Lawton did a piece mostly about Gerrard and in it mentioned Carra and how he should defo be Terry's partner at CB if England were serious about wanting to win the World Cup. He said something about Ferdinand being more of a ball player, but in Internationals, you defenders at the back.

Quite right too, but he won't get a look in unless there is an injury or Sven wants to rest any of his fullbacks during a game, then and only then will Carra come on.

[smithdown]

"I remember 10 minutes into the second half there was a crucnching tackle by Jamie Carragher on me - and I was in the dugout! I nearly spilled my Whiskey and Drambuie chaser...'

 

 

 

 

[sean]

Carra and Terry not compatible at the VERY top level of International football. Both out and out defenders who are comfortable-ish on the ball and with a fair 'bit' of pace.

[badtodabone]

Our crowd was so poor that season, that carra even gave them some money'

 

brilliant

[Stevie H]

Carra and Terry not compatible at the VERY top level of International football. Both out and out defenders who are comfortable-ish on the ball and with a fair 'bit' of pace.

 

not sure i agree. carragher + terry is better than ferdinand + terry every time imo at any level. ferdinand's too error-prone for the very top level.

 

however for carragher to be going to a world cup effectively as gary neville's understudy is f***ing embarrassing.

[Huyton_Red]

Carra and Terry not compatible at the VERY top level of International football. Both out and out defenders who are comfortable-ish on the ball and with a fair 'bit' of pace.

 

Rubbish

 

Hyypia is hardly a ball player or blessed with pace is he and him and carragher played in and won a European cup which has better teams in it than a world cup.

 

Defenders should be able to defend first, play the ball out of defence second. Carragher is miles ahead of ferdinand as a defender.

Edited May 24, 2006 by Huyton_Red

[Gilps]

Rubbish

 

Hyypia is hardly a ball player or blessed with pace is he and him and carragher played in and won a European cup which has better teams in it than a world cup.

 

Defenders should be able to defend first, play the ball out of defence second. Carragher is miles ahead of ferdinand as a defender.

 

Christ, I agree with Huyton Red. Someone shoot me now.

[jimmylibel]

Only good enough for a third division Spanish side don't ya know

[sean]

Rubbish

 

Hyypia is hardly a ball player or blessed with pace is he and him and carragher played in and won a European cup which has better teams in it than a world cup.

 

Defenders should be able to defend first, play the ball out of defence second. Carragher is miles ahead of ferdinand as a defender.

 

 

Hyypia is far more comfortable with a ball than either of the aforementioned. And even still he's a bit on the slow side.

[Owen1978]

Christ, I agree with Huyton Red. Someone shoot me now.

 

BANG!

 

Hyypia is far more comfortable with a ball than either of the aforementioned. And even still he's a bit on the slow side.

 

I think Carra is a better ball player than sami, sami tends to hoof it more.

[Earl Hafler]

Carra and Terry or of Campbell returns to form ( played pretty well in Paris ) Carra and Campbell.

 

Ferdinand should not be allowed anywhere near the England defence. He doesn't have the concentration or the defensive qualities of the other 3.

 

" He can step out of defence and pass the ball " . So can Carra and he knows when to do it.

 

Ferdinand will do a Cruyff turn on one of the T & T forwards and Motson will have an orgasm which will last until poor Rio gets fwocked by Ibrahimovic and we finish second in the group.

[Gilps]

He'll be playing for the 'B' team tomorrow by the looks of it anyway. ere

[Guest Anders Honoré]

not sure i agree. carragher + terry is better than ferdinand + terry every time imo at any level. ferdinand's too error-prone for the very top level.

 

however for carragher to be going to a world cup effectively as gary neville's understudy is f***ing embarrassing.

 

On the contrary. In the big games, rio usually ups his game. Think he'll do well at the world cup.

 

carra should start at rightback though. no question.

[Stevie H]

On the contrary. In the big games, rio usually ups his game. Think he'll do well at the world cup.

 

carra should start at rightback though. no question.

 

you're a mentalist. carragher's a centre-back, not a right-back. and he's a better defender, team player, leader, organiser and pretty much everything else to ferdinand. the only thing ferdinand can do better than carra is run faster, and that's only because carra can't be a*sed.

Edited May 24, 2006 by Stevie H

[Gilps]

carra should start at rightback though. no question.

 

No he shouldn't

[Guest Anders Honoré]

you're a mentalist. carragher's a centre-back, not a right-back. and he's a better defender, team player, leader, organiser and pretty much everything else to ferdinand. the only thing ferdinand can do better than carra is run faster, and that's only because carra can't be a*sed.

 

he is also better on the ball. And that is probably gonna count a lot in his favour. When both are on top of their game, there is not much to separate them defensively. Carra is more reliable, but I doubt that will be a problem for ferdinand at the world cup.

 

Carra is a centreback who has spent the majority of his senior career playing fullback. He did a darn good job of it last time he played there and should play at rightback. That would also ensure actually playing your best defenders. Rio is still a better centreback than neville is a rightback.

[Gilps]

he is also better on the ball. And that is probably gonna count a lot in his favour. When both are on top of their game, there is not much to separate them defensively. Carra is more reliable, but I doubt that will be a problem for ferdinand at the world cup.

 

Carra is a centreback who has spent the majority of his senior career playing fullback. He did a darn good job of it last time he played there and should play at rightback. That would also ensure actually playing your best defenders. Rio is still a better centreback than neville is a rightback.

 

No he isn't. I can't stand Neville, but he is a very good full back and a better player than Ferdinand. Right back is probably the position in the back four Carragher is weakest in. Playing him there would do neither him nor the team any favours.

 

Carragher should be in the team on merit at centre half because he is one of the two best options available. Simple as that. You big baldy buddhist bellend.

[Earl Hafler]

you're a mentalist. carragher's a centre-back, not a right-back. and he's a better defender, team player, leader, organiser and pretty much everything else to ferdinand. the only thing ferdinand can do better than carra is run faster, and that's only because carra can't be a*sed.

 

 

or because he doesn't need to. Carra has greater awareness, positional sense than Ferdinand and is rarely out of position. Ferdinand gets to use his pace after he's gone walk about and needs to recover.

[Guz]

People always mention Istanbul, but Carra in Turin and then Chelsea at Anfield - f*** me. I havent watched football for that long but those two performances were super human