A TEAM OF CARRAGHERS

While doing a bit of good old-fashioned internet forum 'lurking' the other day (I won't say which site, or team, as it doesn't deserve the slightest bit of recognition), a section of rival fans were watching the Liverpool v Inter game while frantically typing away on their keyboards.
Go internet warriors! Go!
As Liverpool gained ascendany in the match, so the bile against us turned. Particularly onto Carragher.
Most of it, no all of it, isn't worth even giving a second glance to.
While I understand that our rivals are not going to have anything positive about any Liverpool player generally, I can't understand the antagonism towards Carra.
If you have old stereotypical views of Scousers, then you're not going to go along with any of this, so stop reading now.
If you're a genuine football fan, maybe some of this will strike a chord.
Let's examine the facts, as much as I will try, from a neutral perspective.
100% commitment, effort, passion...everything your average fan wants in a player
Never feigns injury, rolls around in the turf.
Respects the fans, doesn't take them for granted.
Speaks with honesty and frankness, no woolly interviews, hiding behind cliches, not answering the question.
A one club, one career man. Surely an admirable thing in these days of grotesque player wage demands, Bosmans, juicy big contracts, agents insisting their clients get paid the going £100,000 a week rate.
Perhaps lacking in the flair department, but making up for it with grit, determination, heart, football intelligence and courage.
I could go on.
Negatives?
He doesn't want to play for England anymore, if that is a negative. As most supporters these days rank the success of their own club above that of the national side, I wouldn't think too many people would be bothered about that.
Luton incident? I would think that reacting to a torrent of verbal abuse and swearing, while being spat on and having beer hurled over you, would justify a little bit of a hot-headed response. I reckon Nelson Mandela would have seen red in that scenario.
Apparently, he's called a cheat because he's been involved in so many penalty incidents lately? They've been all pretty much stone wall spot kicks, not been disputed by the player, which have all been scored from. So need to get het up about that.
I hardly think upending someone in the box and going a goal down is cheating.
There's a bloke in the ECHO office who supports a Championship side, doesn't come from Liverpool, yet really likes Carragher and what he stands for. And so he should.
Let's compare it with some of the antics from some other defenders over the weekend.
Gallas, for instance.
A pretty pathetic display of petulance from the captian of the club.
Okay, galling to concede in the last minute, particularly as Clichy's tackle looked like a good one, but to walk off the field when the match is still in progress was unforgivable.
What if the keeper had saved McFadden's pen and the ball rebounded out only for a Birmingham player to score from the rebound?
And all that sitting on the pitch for a few minutes afterwards....if ever there was a reason to dislike a player, William was doing his level best.
And then there was Senderos, hissing at McFadden as he prepared to take his last gasp pen...'you're going to miss, you're going to miss...'
No he isn't Philippe, he's going to smash it into the roof of the net. More idiot football behaviour.
I'm glad to think no Liverpool defender would behave like either of those two Gooners.
But opposition fans want reasons to hate a player, there are two good examples.#
Put simply, every team wants a player like Carragher.
A player they can identify with. Who doesn't buy into the trappings of game. Just loves representing his club, and then goes home and gets on with life.
In a nutshell, it's all about envy.
They all want someone like him, but not many teams have got one.