Another day - Another Carra soundbyte clogging up the press. Let the barely deserved back-slapping begin!

Jamie Carragher just can’t keep his mouth shut these days. If he’s not consistently whining to the press about low confidence or Liverpool’s deep seated problems, he’s on all fours worshipping someone as 'the best in the world'. Every day it seems there’s another Carragher soundbyte clogging up the media and to be honest, it’s becoming monumentally irritating.

Carra’s latest fawning comments came after yesterday’s Inter Milan victory. He drooled:

“Steven Gerrard is one of the best players in the world and I think he is made for the Champions League, when all the top teams come up against us. You see some of the names they (Inter) have got and he is the one that does the decisive thing at the end of the game. There were a lot of world class players out there on both teams and he stole the show again.”

What is it with Liverpool players?! Every time the team wins seem desperate to big each other up in the press.

The same thing happened after the Marseille victory a few months ago – Carragher, Gerrard, Kuyt and Torres engaged in a sickening public display of mutual affection that was, quite frankly, embarrassing, especially given the turgid performances fans have had to endure ever since.

Why can’t the team just enjoy the victory without all the sensationalized fanfare!? Why is there this constant need for sycophantic, ego-inflating back-slapping?

I think Carragher needs to be reminded of a couple of things:

1. LIVERPOOL WON AGAINST 10 MEN. AT HOME
2. INTER MILAN WERE A MAN SHORT FOR 60 MINUTES.

Winning in such circumstances is not an amazing achievement. The victory was not a superhuman feat of footballing excellence as the press would have everyone believe. It was to be EXPECTED. Any team playing with an extra man advantage for 60 minutes at home is REQUIRED to win. Anything else is a failure, it’s as simple as that.

So Carragher and his boastful colleagues should remember that before they start blowing their own trumpets.

Going back to Carragher’s comments, I think the following line is worthy of further analysis:

“Steven Gerrard is one of the best players in the world and I think he is made for the Champions League, when all the top teams come up against us”.

Just what is Carragher suggesting – that Gerrard only raises his game against top opposition in the Champions League? If so, why is this something to praise?

It’s all well and good scoring against 10 men in the CL, but I’d much rather Gerrard had an impact against the likes of West Ham, Reading, Aston Villa and Manchester City. If he did, then maybe Liverpool’s season wouldn’t be such a disaster.

And don't get me started on Dirk Kuyt; he's another player who loves the sound of his own voice, and like Carragher, he ALWAYS has something to say after every game.

He's been through a tough time - WE GET IT. The team is capable of playing better - WE GET IT. He's annoyed about being left out of the Holland squad - WE FRICKIN' GET IT.

SHUT UP ALREADY! Get on with improving your performances and spare us the self-serving propoganda.

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Give the pessimism a rest, Carra. You're supposed to be one of Anfield's leaders. Start acting like it.

A raging victim complex is crippling Liverpool FC at the moment, and Jamie Carragher’s latest negative, pessimistic comments are irritatingly symbolic of this.

Carragher has often been lauded as the best Captain Liverpool never had. Indeed, many fans argue that it should be him and not Steven Gerrard leading Liverpool.

Well, this season, that idea has been well and truly blown out of the water, as it seems that every time Carragher opens his mouth, a stream of downbeat negativity spills out.

The worst thing about it is that Liverpool’s senior players, like Carragher (who are supposed ‘leaders’ who should be doing everything to motivate the club and the fans) who are the biggest culprits.

And it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy in a sense because, every time the team plays badly, someone moans in the press about how bad things are, and then the whole situation just continues.

I wrote last week about how Liverpool’s winning mentality had been replaced with a loser mentality, and Carragher’s most recent comments just confirm this even more.

When asked about the club’s current bad spell after the Barnsley defeat, he whined: “I wouldn't call this just a bad spell; it's been a lot longer than that. We realise that we are not playing well enough. It's not a matter of putting your finger on one reason. It's simply because we have not been good enough".

He went on: "We're devastated obviously. It's a major, major blow to go out of the competition to a lower league team at Anfield. We realise that's not good enough”.

Carragher’s self-pitying moan continued: "This clearly isn't the best preparation for Inter Milan. But we had the same situation last season, when we lost to Arsenal twice in the cups and people said we're finished before we'd even played Barcelona. But we got through on that occasion and, hopefully, this can be the same again”.

Carragher continued to state the obvious when asked about the fan response: "You get feedback from supporters all the time. Obviously, they are not too happy about things at the moment. Myself and Stevie (Gerrard), because we are local lads, hear a lot from supporters and we are supporters ourselves. We know what is being said. The supporters are as disappointed as we are".

Carragher concluded: “We can't do anything about all the things that are happening off the field. We just have to concentrate on improving the football side”.

Just like Gerrard a few weeks back, it seems as if Carragher is passing the buck and indirectly blaming off-field events for the team’s abject performances. If this is not the case, then why mention anything off-field events at all?

And these comments are not a one-off-Carragher has been a fountain of pessimism over the last few months, as illustrated by the following assorted public comments.

After the recent West Ham defeat, he stated: "We've got to sort it out very quick, otherwise fourth place is going to be in danger as well. We just need a couple of results to get the confidence back”.

After the Middlesborough draw: ”At the moment, the confidence isn't quite there, we're not quite at our best”.

After the Reading defeat in league: "At the moment, obviously, the confidence isn't great and we're not playing as well as we can. We realise that, we're not stupid".

In another interview: "We should be doing a lot better, but we've just got to try to get through this period and come out the other side".

In a recent newspaper interview: "We are not good enough. It is not one particular 'this' or 'that'. It is just that other teams have been playing better than us. We have obviously got to improve both as individuals and as a team".

When is this constant moaning in the press going to end?!

What possible purpose do Carragher’s comments serve?!

I’m sure there will be apologists out there who will argue that Carra is just being ‘honest’, but what is the point? It is obvious that Liverpool are struggling; players do not need to spell it out in such explicit terms in the press.

In all my years as a Liverpool fan, I have never seen such a constant stream of players moaning to the press about how hard things are. It’s pathetic and makes a mockery of everything Liverpool FC stands for.

Self-pitying negativity is not what fans want to hear from the senior players at the club. The likes of Carragher, Gerrard and co should just put a stop to their tedious whining, start taking some personal responsibility for this shambolic season and quietly get on with working hard and to improve their performances.

Whilst this continues, the team will continue to wallow in mediocrity. Strong, positive leaders focused on constructive improvement are needed at Anfield.

Sadly, at the moment, all we have are moaning, self-pitying ladyboys with a collective victim complex.

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Liverpool's winning mentality has been eroded by a team of weak-minded LOSERS...and Jamie Carragher is the biggest culprit!

There is a sickness shrouding Anfield, and it is not the anti-football, technical ineptitude and perennial underperformance in the league – it is the death of Liverpool’s winning mentality.

Quite simply, the current Liverpool team is full of defeatist, whining LOSERS.

Bill Shankly once said: “A lot of football success is in the mind. You must believe you are the best and then make sure that you are.”

Liverpool's current squad and management have a serious problem with collective defeatist mentality, and The huge number of pessimistic comments in the press this season has exposed the 'loser' mentality eating away at Anfield.

I've chosen a selection of public comments from the last couple of months to illustrate my point, but the entire season has been full of public defeatism.
Let’s start with Ryan Babel. After the recent Sunderland VICTORY, he stated:

"Fortunately we saw off Sunderland on Saturday”.

Fortunately? According Sunderland such respect to the extent of suggesting that Liverpool struggled to beat a team in the relegation zone is ridiculous. Even if it’s true, Babel should put a positive slant on it. He continued:

"Hopefully we have taken a first step towards regaining confidence, which is a bit low at the moment".

Is there any benefit in telling the world this? And he went on:

"We haven't been doing well the past few weeks. Our captain Steven Gerrard already said that confidence is a bit low at Liverpool at the moment”.

Such comments should be no surprise coming from a player who clearly has no self-belief:

"I can't physically cope with the terrific pace of the Premier League. I invariably face a tall task, even also against the so-called small teams".

Is this what Liverpool fans want to hear from players? Here’s a thought – GROW UP. Stop acting like a baby and start acting like a MAN. If you can’t hack the Premiership, keep it to yourself, instead of inviting ridicule and making yourself and the team look weak.

It gets worse. Let’s move onto Dirk Kuyt, who recently whined:

"We are struggling at the moment in the league. We know we can do better and win games like West Ham away. It's been disappointing to lose a lot of points at home this season”.

What purpose is served by confirming the obvious fact that Liverpool are struggling in the league? The trend continued with Liverpool's so-called 'inspirational captain' Steven Gerrard offering his own inimitable rallying cry:

“Confidence is a bit low at the moment”.

Great. So after a victory, Liverpool's captain focuses on the negative. Why? Perhaps it has something to do with the pessimism spilling down from the top. Rafael Benitez is no stranger to public defeatism, as his comments after the Sunerland vctory demonstrate:

“It was important to find our confidence. We need to find the confidence we had when we had people scoring goals and winning games”

What about Jamie Carragher? Surely positivity from him? Think again! Carragher has been a fountain of pessimism over the last few months, as illustrated by the following assorted public comments:

"We've got to sort it out very quick, otherwise fourth place is going to be in danger as well. We just need a couple of results to get the confidence back”.

After the West Ham defeat:

"At the moment, the confidence isn't quite there, we're not quite at our best”.

After the West Ham defeat:

"At the moment, obviously, the confidence isn't great and we're not playing as well as we can. We realise that, we're not stupid. A draw wouldn't have been that bad, but we've got to move on now”.

In another interview:

"We should be doing a lot better, but we've just got to try to get through this period and come out the other side."

In a recent newspaper interview:

"We are not good enough. It is not one particular 'this' or 'that'. It is just that other teams have been playing better than us. We have obviously got to improve both as individuals and as a team".

Aaaagh!

There seems to be an obsession with Liverpool players telling the world that confidence is at rock-bottom. Such comments are maddeningly counter-productive and give other teams a psychological advantage: if Liverpool are weak, struggling and lacking confidence, they are BEATABLE.

Whilst it may be true that confidence is low, WHY SHOUT ABOUT IT IN THE PRESS? Who does this help? NOBODY. It just perpetuates the negativity hanging over the club and lets every other club in Europe know that Liverpool are there for the taking.

It doesn’t stop there! More examples include Gerrard complaining that Liverpool’s off-field problems were affecting the team and, in the last few days, Benitez criticizing Xabi Alonso in public.

With such a negative, defeatist attitude coming out the club, it is no wonder Liverpool’s season is tailing off into ignominious failure.

Anfield needs WINNERS in the team – players with an unshakeable winning mentality – not mewling ladyboys who cry about lacking confidence every five seconds.

You never heard Graeme Souness moaning about lack of confidence. Emlyn Hughes never whined about not being able to ‘cope’ with the league. Kenny Dalglish never threw in the towel and continually whimpered about how confidence was low.

Why? Because they were winners with the right mentality.

All the comments I have highlighted above are not what Liverpool FC is all about, and such an astounding level of defeatism has no place at the club.

I am not suggesting that there should be blanket optimism and blind faith – far from it. There are, however, ways to present a united, positive front in the face of adversity, and at the moment, Liverpool just do not have a clue.

A massive overhaul of the club's media strategy is needed, and this should start with players being banned from talking about poinless, negative things 'like lack of confidence' to the press.

It needs to start from the top down, but this will be difficult to achieve with arch pessimist Steven Gerrard and petulant sulker Rafael Benitez running things. Both are supposed to be club leaders but both have a tendency to exacerbate the negativity with repeatedly ill-advised public comments.

Until the club sheds the losing mentality (on and off the field) and rediscovers the never say die, winning attitude that made the club great, the mediocrity and chronic premiership failure will continue.

And won't that be fun?

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