Is it Time for Club Stalwart Jamie Carragher to be Sidelined?
As time passes by it is becoming increasingly more likely that it is only a matter of time before the great Anfield ‘yard dog’ himself becomes beyond a hindrance and the current continuous mistakes swelter into many lost points for a club trying to rebuild quickly and regain the valuable chunky champions league cheques.
The ‘Bootle boy’ takes great offence to anyone lurking on his patch and snarls unaccommodatingly in their direction, foreign or English it does not matter you had better be ready to deal with the pressure he will place on you. Carragher has been one of the reds most consistent performers over his career seeing off many newly signed defenders over his long career and giving one hundred and ten percent in training sessions and matches alike.
However, Jamie has been making consistent errors now since the new season began and is costing Liverpool Football Club points and goal vital difference. Errors leading to chances for the opposition or penalties conceded in just a few games have been at the core of his performances, yes he is a master organiser and very vocal in organising his defence but with all that a player offers the buck has to surely stop with actual tangible football ability.
I don’t think any of the incidents were stone wall concrete penalties but when talented players are clever enough to exaggerate contact it becomes easier to bully even the most nominal signs of diminishment of a top flight player.
I think if there were better defenders on offer for Kenny Dalglish then I have a feeling ’the king’ would have no choice but to give Jamie a run on the sidelines, a situation the legend has rarely found himself in during his long illustrious career.
Big Slovakian Martin Skrtel is the king of hesitation, Daniel Agger for all his ability is injury prone, Coates has only just arrived at the club and young scot Danny Wilson is far too inexperienced to throw into full blooded premier league action.
Although Carragher is still extremely well liked amongst supporters, there is for the first time a mumbling of discontent with his form. He has in recent seasons performed quite poorly for a few fixtures and turned it around quickly to dispel the criticism however this time I think it is a bit more intense than just a blip.
Opposition managers must be now targeting him tactically and players are going for him deliberately, throwing themselves to the floor at every opportunity testing the referees resolve.
I don’t think he is finished yet as that would be naive however he is definitely not at the level of a two/three seasons ago. No doubt Jamie will be putting even more energy in now and maybe trying too hard trying to extinguish the flames of criticism but one thing is for sure he will not surrender his pedestal lightly at all!
