Jamie Carragher’s response at Kenilworth Road to the Luton Town fans who lobbed a drink at him on Sunday? Understandable in the circumstances. While we would never condone Liverpool’s famous No 23 actually clouting a fan, he had plenty of provocation.
There is a grainy mobile phone picture on the front page of today's Sun of Carragher climbing up to one of the executive boxes to confront a group of Luton fans. The newspaper alleges that he offered to fight one of those who threw a drink at him when Liverpool came out for their post-match warm-down. Liverpool say that Carragher went over to sign autographs for some kids and had beer thrown at him – as well as being spat at – by one or more Luton fans.
During the game, the Liverpool fans were given the usual rundown of terrace taunts from the home support: “We pay your benefits”, “Feed the Scousers” and “You’ll never get a job”. None of them funny, nor original. And all these unpleasant jokes about poverty came from a club that is itself facing extinction at the hands of financial administrators. The Luton fans also berated Liverpool for not giving their club all the match revenue – “We want our gate receipts” – although quite what that decision has to do with the Liverpool fans was not clear.
As well as that, there were about seven blokes in side-splittingly funny wigs and moustaches in one of the executive boxes who burst into life every time the ball was over by their touchline. Who needs to watch an exciting FA Cup third round tie when you’ve got comedians like that? Do these people know that even Harry Enfield stopped doing his “Scousers” act about 10 years ago?
Oh yeah, and every time Peter Crouch got the ball, the Luton crowd called him a “freak”.
So before any Luton fans protest about Carragher’s behaviour, perhaps they might like to take a look at how a minority of their own conducted themselves. It was a shame too because the Luton players did their club proud.
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