The season has barely started and already criticism in some quarters is suggesting that Jamie Carragher should not only be benched, but that he should retire. Carragher is not getting any younger at the age of 33, but he still has a lot to offer Liverpool, and deserves more respect than he has been shown in the last few weeks.

Carragher is Mr. Liverpool, he has been an ever present over the past decade, and one of the most consistent and reliable performers for Liverpool during this period, so this knee jerk reaction to his start to the season is uncalled for.

Carragher gave away the penalty-which on another day might not have been given-which saw Liverpool lose a tight game to Stoke, and he made an uncharacteristic mistake which saw them lose their clean sheet against Bolton, but he has been solid throughout Liverpool’s league games so far. As a defender your mistakes are always magnified, so you are more likely to come in for criticism than those up the field ahead of you. This seems a little unfair as other players could be equally to blame for Liverpool’s performances so far this season, yet Carragher is taking the majority of the flak.

Carragher’s still has a lot to offer Liverpool, his positioning is still excellent, and he is still a top tackler, he is also a leader on the field, and this is vital to Liverpool particularly in the absence of Steven Gerrard. Those suggesting that his legs are gone and that he is lacking pace, seem deluded as pace isn’t something he has ever possessed. The same goes for criticism of his distribution, again he has always been more of a hoofer, he has never possessed the passing skills of Xabi Alonso, and he takes a safety first approach. Playing Carragher alongside Daniel Agger who possesses pace and excellent distribution skills is the perfect foil to this.

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It would be criminal to suggest that Martin Skrtel, Agger or Sebastien Coates are better than Carragher, but it might not be too long before they become the better option. However, at this time Liverpool should stick with Carragher. He has been consistently better than Skrtel over the last few seasons, unfortunately Agger is injured more often than not, and Coates is still young with plenty to learn, and will no doubt benefit from learning alongside the experienced Carragher. Carragher’s role will inevitably decrease as time goes by, but just like Giggs at United, Carragher can still do a fine job at the club. He has plenty to offer the reds, and his experience will be very beneficial to the youngsters at the club.

To be fair to Carragher he hasn’t started any of the last few seasons that well, but by the end he has been a rock in Liverpool’s defence. He was heavily criticised at the beginning of both last season and 2009, but he responded brilliantly over the rest of the year, and the criticism soon dissipated. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be dropped based on one or two errors in the opening five games. Nobody will be more upset about making mistakes than Carragher himself, but if he puts in a few good performances the criticism will soon disappear.

Of course there is no room for sentiment in football, but the judgement that he is only playing because he is a club legend is harsh, and Kenny Dalglish has been quick to state that he is picked on merit. He is seemingly just the scapegoat of the moment, and just because he is over 30 and makes a mistake it shouldn’t mean that he is past it.

Ultimately, Carragher will know himself when it is time to stand aside or retire. Nobody deserves their place on past glories, and he may not be the player he was a few years back, but he is still a first choice, and deserves much more respect for everything he has given and brought to the club than he is currently receiving.

Do you think the criticism of Carragher has been harsh? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below, or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter for more comment and debate. 

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Chelsea have published a statement detailing the difficulties behind expansion at Stamford Bridge, and have admitted that although they have not decided on a stadium move, if they do choose to leave their current home it will be for a site within three miles.

Andre Villas Boas’ side have a smaller capacity at their home ground than their Premier League title rivals, and are exploring the opportunity to build a new arena for the club’s supporters.

However, with renovation work on Stamford Bridge the ideal choice, the side have revealed the obstacles stopping them from doing this.

“The club has reports and studies from as early as 2003/04 on various aspects of a redevelopment of the stadium and has spent a considerable amount of time and money in looking at various aspects of a redevelopment,” a statement on the official website reads.

“The bottom line is a redevelopment adding a significant number of seats needs a site of 16 to 18 acres or more, and at Stamford Bridge there are less than 12 acres.

“The club has worked with several architects firms looking for ways to redevelop each of the four stands at Stamford Bridge to increase capacity.

“The club believes that by 2020 all available sites within three miles will have gone.

“If we are unable to secure one of those sites, and did eventually decide that leaving Stamford Bridge would be in the best interests of the club and its fans, then sites further afield than three miles may be the only option.

“The club’s objective is to remain at Stamford Bridge or move to a new stadium within three miles,” it concluded.

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A new arena would be a huge outlay in Roman Abramovich’s millions, but in the long run would reap financial reward through increased attendances.

By Gareth McKnight

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Last month, Arsenal were among a host of Premier League clubs rumoured to be weighing up a bid for Brighton defender Lewis Dunk.

Following numerous injuries to the clubs defenders, the 19 year old defender has become an integral part of a Brighton side that has thus far excelled itself in the Champonship this season. An uncompromising centre back that looks set to have a big future in the game.

Now, after 13 impressive appearances this season, both Spurs and Man City are said to have joined the race for the youngster, with at least £5 million expected to be necessary to persuade Brighton to part with the talented youngster.

Money talks, and if a big club or big clubs were to come in for Dunk in January Brighton would almost certainly be powerless to keep the player, as manager Gus Poyet has already accepted, ‘He is going to play in the Premier League that is something I cannot control.’

It should asked however, what is in the best interests of Dunk? Many a footballer has been touted as the next big thing, got that ‘dream’ move to a top club, only to then see their career stall as first team opportunities are limited.

The importance of choosing the right club is paramount to whether a player will make it. Take two of Dunk’s supposed suitors, Arsenal and Manchester City. If Dunk were to move to North London, one thing that could be guaranteed is that he would be given a chance by Arsene Wenger, at a club so deeply grounded in youth development. Indeed, if he were to move from Brighton, his career may not stall.

Yet, let’s say Dunk gets his move in January not to Arsenal but instead to Manchester City, surely the chance of him getting his chance would be exceptionally slim? The sad fact is, the highest bidder for a youngster is where they would likely end up, whether that is the best place for him or not.

For many, the best possible scenario for the youngster will be at least another season at Brighton, first team football at any level is vital and the Championship is an exceptionally competitive and talented league. If Dunk is allowed to finish his footballing education at Brighton, he will be far better placed to fashion a long and successful career and avoid being another talented youngster thrown on the scrapheap.

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Comment below and follow me on Twitter @CamHumphries for cutting edge debate regarding all things sport. 

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Tottenham forward Rafael van der Vaart has stated that despite Arsenal’s revival over the last six weeks, Spurs are better than them and are the number one team in North London.

The balance of power between the two bitter rivals seemed to be changing as Harry Redknapp’s men beat the Gunners 2-1 at White Hart Lane recently, but Arsenal are now only three points from the top four after beating Chelsea 5-3 on Saturday.

However, the Netherlands international was full of praise for his team and how they were playing, and believes they are superior to their local rivals.

“We are better than Arsenal,” the ex-Real Madrid man told Sky Sports.

“In our last seven games we have won six and drawn once. It’s a long season, but I think we have a bigger and better squad.

“Are we the best team in London? Maybe, but it’s still early. We’re in a good way. We are much better than we were last season,” he stated.

Van der Vaart labelled current league leaders Manchester City as the best team in the country, and hailed Roberto Mancini’s outfit’s performances of late.

“Man City are the best team in the league and below them you have a lot of good teams and we are one of them.

“At the moment they are really good. They are winning games easily and how they played against Man United was impressive, but they also have the difficulty of a lot of egos so that could also be a problem.

“When you play for a big team, when you buy a lot of good players and a lot of players also aren’t happy.

“Look at (Emmanuel) Adebayor. He is a great player for us, but he was not even in the squad at City and was training with the youngsters,” he concluded.

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Van der Vaart will be rested for the Europa League trip to take on Rubin Kazan on Thursday, with the match against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday in mind.

By Gareth McKnight

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When Arsenal announced that three statues were to be unveiled on Friday outside The Emirates the debate about their identities was bound to consume Arsenal fans, each with their own special memories, each with their own favourite players. The trio of Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry were revealed but not all agreed. Most of the talk on the Internet predicted that Thierry Henry and Wenger would be accompanied by one other, the identity of which varied from person to person depending on their generation and therefore favourite players. Writers such as The Mirror’s John Cross claimed that whilst the three figures warranted their place on the plinths so did so many other individuals such as George Graham, and Ian Wright. To a certain extent this is true.

Ian Wright was one of the best and most charismatic Arsenal players that I have witnessed in my two decades of watching Arsenal. In the latter George Graham years he was almost the soul outlet for a largely defensive side and the personality the exuded from both himself and his football made ‘boring’ Arsenal a pleasure to watch. To break Cliff Bastin’s scoring record as he did was a remarkable feat considering he played in such a defensive side under Graham and he was unfortunate that his record was so short lived due to the mercurial Henry. But that is the point really; however good Wright was, and he was an exceptional talent, Henry was better and he not only broke Wright’s record but he beat it by more than forty goals.

I think that ahead of Wright in the queue would come Bergkamp too. Bergkamp’s move to Arsenal was a seminal moment not only for Arsenal but also for all English clubs. Prior to the Dutchman their had been few players from the continent who had come over to England with their best years ahead of them as Dennis did. Bergkamp encapsulated Wenger’s new look Arsenal perfectly and brought a touch of class to the Premier League that was rarely seen before and we have rarely seen since.

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As for George Graham there can be no doubt that he was a truly wonderful manager for Arsenal and a lot of Wenger’s early success was partly down to the defensive solidity that Graham had instilled in his team. However the cloud under which he left tainted the fans’ memory of him and like Ian Wright he was not the most successful of his kind, Wenger is. Although Wenger might not have a statue at present we can know with close to certainty that we he eventually steps down a fourth statue will be raised in his honour. Many people were surprised about his omission but you don’t make people saints before they’ve passed away and in the same way you don’t honour a manager’s achievements when there are still more to come. He is our longest serving and most successful manager and the transformation he has instigated in both English football and at Arsenal football club have been nothing short of breathtaking. He will have his statue, but not yet.

To have omitted Herbert Chapman would have been to disrespect the history and roots of the football club itself. Chapman won Arsenal their first ever trophies in the double winning season of 1930/31 and successfully persuaded the authorities to change Gillespie Road tube station to Arsenal tube station. In all senses of the expression Chapman put Arsenal on the map. He laid the foundations for success at this club and if it wasn’t for his sudden death in 1934 he could and would have achieved a lot more.

If we could have a hundred statues to remember a hundred players I’m sure we could find players to be their subject but the fact is then we wouldn’t be celebrating these few individuals who have really made the biggest difference. Obviously that is a hard accolade to quantify but in that way you have to consider which individuals have statistically done the most. Adams is the most successful captain we’ve ever had and Henry is our all time top goal scorer. Chapman was the first ever truly successful manager of our club and you can be sure that our most successful manager ever will get his statue when he retires. Ultimately the statues could have included Liam Brady, Dennis Bergkamp, Vieira, Cliff Bastin, Alan Smith, David Rocastle and many others but the point of the statues is to celebrate the best of the best and not the best of the rest. That is what has been done.

For more Arsenal news and stories follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Manchester United went top of the Premier League for a few hours at least overtaking rivals City after comfortably beating QPR at Loftus Road.

A goal in each half from Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick was enough for the Red Devil’s to see off Neil Warnock’s side who drop to 15th and sit just three points above the drop zone. The opening goal came after only 52 second with Rooney turning Antonio Valencia’s before Carrick wrapped the game up 10 minutes into the second half to move above City at the top. A month and a half prior United were lagging seven points behind their noisy neighbours following their derby day thrashing and looked all but out of the title race. But a run of six wins and a draw from the subsequent seven games has seen Sir Alex Ferguson’s side move a point clear at the summit ahead of the blues game with Arsenal. QPR, on the other hand, lost for the second time in a row and stretched their winless run to four games and now lie perilously close to the bottom three. Having beaten Chelsea at Loftus Road earlier this season the R’s faithful will have been hoping for another scalp but their hopes were dashed inside the first minute after Rooney gave United an early advantage.

Two goals against Wolves last week saw the England striker rediscover his scoring touch and a barren run of form and his hunger to score goals was satisfied after just 52 seconds getting on the end of Valencia’s whipped cross to head in his 12th goal of the season. The visitors were well on top during the first half as they went in search of a second goal that would kill the game with Radek Cerny producing a number of impressive saves whilst Daniel Gabbidon and Alejandro Faurlin had to clear efforts off the line. The woodwork also took a rattling with Phil Jones and Johnny Evans both hitting the upright as the hosts crumpled under a sea of United pressure as they continued to search for the deciding goal. The latter will have been kicking himself after heading the ball against the post when it looked easier to score before Danny Wellbeck went close with an effort.

Warnock’s side managed to hold on until 10 minutes after the break with Carrick striding forward from midfield before beating Cerny to score his first top-flight goal since 30 December 2009. The home side did improve gradually in the second half and could have set up an exciting end to the game had Heidar Helguson or DJ Campbell displayed more composure when presented with two opportunities to halve the deficit. Still, United looked dangerous every time they went forward and should have increased their lead in the second half with Rooney going close to scoring his second whilst Valencia also failed to beat Cerny and score the goal his industrious performance deserved. It didn’t matter though as they eased their way to final whistle to leapfrog their rivals and go top of the Premier League.

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In the modern game of football, just about everything is for sale in terms of sponsorship and an influx of money can make all the difference to struggling clubs, it seems nearly every day we are hearing about a club selling the naming rights of their stadiums – Newcastle have become the Sports Direct Arena – and with Manchester City making such a large amount of money from renaming their stadium The Etihad, who can blame them?

It is not just the naming rights however, now more and more clubs are looking to either expand their current stadiums or move to a new home, to mixed reactions from their supporters, yet just how much of an impact does a move actually have on the club?

It is evident that to create a successful team, far more is needed than a large stadium, with Stoke having one of the best and most intimidating atmospheres in the league, their home – the Britannia is nowhere near the size of say the Emirates, yet has a much better atmosphere. Even the Old Trafford faithful were infamously accused of being a ‘prawn sandwich brigade’ by the never short of an opinion Roy Keane, yet you wouldn’t get this accusation at the Britannia or Anfield.

It seems everyone is being linked with a move to a bigger and better stadium, with owners and chairmen arguing that the extra revenue gained from a stadium with a larger capacity will not only help the club compete financially but will attract more supporters and enable more fans to go to games – take a club like Liverpool, whose demand for both match day tickets and season tickets far outstrip that of their capacity at Anfield. Certain stadiums have either been expanded as far as is able, or are simply gridlocked and are not able to increase capacity, leading to the suggestion of moving to a completely new location.

This inevitably brings its own problems, with fans worrying that the history may become lost along the way – it is clearly inevitable that a new home will take time to get used to – the recent example of Arsenal leaving long-time home Highbury for the Emirates can be used here, with the fans and players needing time to adjust to the 60,000 plus seater stadium. Even now, the atmosphere at the Emirates is still lagging behind the level produced at Highbury, and this is such a valid concern of fans and one that is often overlooked and underestimated.

Despite the loss of history for fans and the accusation that a clubs new home can be accused of lacking in atmosphere –  especially should the supporters be further away from the pitch than before-  more and more clubs seem to be looking at the possibility of moving to new homes – Chelsea seem set on either expanding or moving away from the Bridge, and both West Ham and Spurs made cases for moving to the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 games have concluded.

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It cannot be denied that the increase in revenue has the potential to immensely help a club, and if you take a club like Chelsea or Liverpool who could easily fill a 60,000 capacity ground, which is roughly an extra 20,000 or so tickets every match day, the dividends are clear to see from a financial capacity – this is even more vital for clubs like Liverpool who do not have a billionaire owner to fall back on.

This could then go some way towards clubs becoming more financially self-sufficient – something that in light of the FFP regulations is becoming more and more vital and will effect clubs such as Chelsea more so than ones without megabucks owners as they simply cannot justify the money they spend in a break even context, thus clubs see increased revenue from bigger stadiums as a way to aid this.

There is also the need to compete with teams such as Arsenal and United – not to mention clubs like Barcelona and Munich in terms of their ground size and impressiveness on European nights.

Yet all this does not necessarily equate to success – whilst a great deal of revenue can be gained from a larger stadium, there is also a huge cost in firstly building a new stadium and then maintaining said ground. For clubs like QPR  who feel it would be beneficial to move to a bigger home – do they really think they can fill a ground of 60,000 plus should they fall out of the Premier League – something that is not an impossible scenario to envisage?

West Ham are not even in the Premier League, and are a yo-yo team at best, granted with a large fan base, but can they really fill a ground as big as the Olympic Stadium week in, week out? Fans now more than ever can access matches on the TV and internet, and simply may not be in a position to afford a ticket every week to see a live game. Of course it is inevitable that along with a move to a new round, the ticket prices will also increase, and as they are hardly cheap anyway, will fans really be prepared to pay even more just to see a game of football – especially if they have mortgages and families to think of?

Despite moving to the impressive Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have struggled to win trophies, and in actual fact did better at Highbury, with the Arsenal Ladies team being the only ones to contribute to the trophy cabinet in recent memory. Anfield has one of the best atmospheres in football, yet plans are afoot for a move to Stanley Park – there is no guarantee with a new stadium a fantastic atmosphere would follow.

There is much more to being successful than moving to a bigger stadium. Capacity and revenue aside, owners and chairmen often forget that stadiums can hold a great deal of history and tradition for the fans they rely on to fill the seats, and this is something that is vital to the atmosphere of a ground, and can go a long way to being the ‘12th’ man teams sometimes need.

Weighing up the potential benefits of a new home against the drawbacks is a difficult task, and with fans having such definite opinions either way, it is an unenviable task for chairmen to make. What do you think? Is your club looking to make a move?

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As transfer deadline day approaches, withering yet more precious life fragments from our ultimately pointless existences, like a child whose pined all Christmas for that dream present only to find Santa has given it to that rich brat down the road and he’s been left to make do with a barely functioning second hand training bike on loan from Wigan which his father had to sell his favorite jumper to afford – now’s as good a time as any to compile a list!

And surely it’s that time again where we mockingly predict things that are inevitably likely to happen on planet football before the window closes, finally affording us sweet, blessed, gentle release from the madness, and all that endless, endless speculation.

Click on the burning Fernando Torres shirt to unveil the top 1o

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Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has stated that Arsene Wenger will turn the club’s fortunes around, and that if he was to be sacked it would be a big mistake.

The Gunners have had an inconsistent 2011-12, and are at risk of missing out on the top four due to the competitive nature of the Premier League this season.

Despite questions being raised over Wenger’s continued stewardship in the media, Petit has urged the club to trust in their current manager.

“I think that will be probably the biggest mistake at Arsenal,” the 41-year-old is reported to have said in The Daily Mail.

“If Arsene has to leave the club they need to find a big manager to settle down and that would be very difficult for the next manager.

“I think Arsene’s still the solution. They need to change a few things in the transfer market, change a few things in their politics to bring a competitive team.

“I think it’s mentally that the team is very weak. I think Arsene Wenger and Arsenal did build many successes. Arsenal won many trophies.

“They had experienced players with big characters and all of a sudden Arsene Wenger decided to change completely the team, decided to put confidence in young players and we have to admire that because I think with the new regulations I think financially Arsenal’s politics in the transfer market have been right so far in terms of not making big speculation on players.

“I was a big admirer of Arsenal’s politics for five years. They were probably the best team after Barcelona in terms of football. But unfortunately for them last season was the final cut, especially the Carling Cup final against Birmingham.

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“They need more experienced players, more big characters in the team because the quality is there and they need some players to be the mentors in the team,” the Frenchman concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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It seems like a lifetime ago that the fixture between Arsenal and Manchester United was the undisputed highlight of the Premier League calendar. Two titans in English football led by their respective talisman, it was Keane versus Vieira and it was always an enthralling spectacle.

Both players epitomised the box-to-box midfielder role, acting as the heartbeat of their exceptional teams. Their unrivalled passion and tenacity was equalled by their technique on the ball, always looking to break up play and ignite the next attacking move. Since both players have hung up their boots and slipped into their suits, we’re yet to witness the next thrilling rivalry. I find myself asking, where are the modern day midfield generals?

In spite of Keane’s absence Sir Alex Ferguson has continued to deliver success at the gates of Old Trafford. His midfield is a fine blend of experience and youthful exuberance but he is yet to acquire a worthy successor to his beloved Irishman. With the Red Devils somewhat stuttering in their season run-in, it strikes me that a player with Keane’s mentality and influence would help see United over the line.

Darren Fletcher has the potential to fill Roy’s shoes but his unfortunate illness looks like keeping him out of action for the foreseeable future and whilst Ferguson has moulded Michael Carrick into a deeper, more defensively minded player, he lacks a certain doggedness and drive in his style of play. Both Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are seasoned professionals who undoubtedly exert a big influence at the club but neither possesses Keane’s tackling credentials, especially Scholes. Perhaps this is why Ferguson appears intent on retaining the services of young starlet Paul Pogba, who certainly shares plenty of the same physical and playing attributes of his French counterpart.

Speaking of Vieira, Arsenal have suffered a contrasting fortune since his departure from the club in 2005. His importance to the team that dominated a decade ago is highlighted by the fact that the Gunners are yet to win a trophy since his exodus. Of course it would be incredibly naive of me to suggest that this is the sole reason for the clubs barren spell but it’s worth noting that Arsenal no longer boast the same calibre of leaders in their current squad.

Wenger has seemingly already installed Vieira’s replacement in the team with the Cameroonian crusader Alex Song. However, Song has come under criticism this season for a number of below par and error prone performances and lines up behind Robin Van Persie in terms of authority and importance to the team.

Arsenal fans won’t welcome this next point but in my eyes Scott Parker is the closest example to Vieira and Keane’s prestige we have currently playing in the Premier League. Parker is a leader of men, a one-man band type of player whose performances nearly singlehandedly saved West Ham from the drop last season. His battling defensive traits are matched in equal measures by his marauding runs forward and it came as no surprise to me that he was installed as the new England captain.

Looking elsewhere in the Premier League, many Liverpool fans will champion Steven Gerrard as the best box-to-box midfielder in the country. Whilst there’s no disputing his significance at the Anfield club, I believe his best position is further up the pitch akin to his role just behind Torres under Rafa Benitez. Charlie Adam was certainly the architect during his time at Blackpool and perhaps once he returns from injury he can move out from underneath Xabi Alonso’s shadow and dispel his tag as a ‘big fish in a small pond’.

A quick glance into my crystal ball and I can only really see one candidate capable of mimicking the accomplishments of both Vieira and Keane. Everton’s Jack Rodwell is a technically gifted individual who also has a gritty edge to his game; perhaps this is why Sir Alex has made no secret of his affection for the player and is constantly linked with a move the moment each transfer window swings open.

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Perhaps football has become too rigid in its definitions, with players being instructed to have either an attacking or defensive playing philosophy. Whatever the reason, I’m left thinking that football’s greatest rivalries will suffer somewhat until two prominent figures lock horns once more.

Come and find me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’m trying to decide who has it worse, Vieira for having to put up with a horde of young egos at Manchester City or Keane for having to stand so close to Adrian Chiles every week. 

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