Is Jamie Carragher proof that ‘Once a Blue, always a Blue’ is a myth?
Liverpool legend, yet former Everton supporter, Jamie Carragher has admitted during an interview with Everton fan site GrandOldTeam that he experienced somewhat of a tough transition from being a Bluenose to curtailing his love for the Toffees whilst representing Liverpool.
When recalling the early stages of his fledgling professional career at Anfield, Carragher cites many an occasion where his loyalties to the blue side of Liverpool was raised as a concern amongst the Anfield coaching staff.
One such example included receiving a rather short, sharp shrift from the late, great, former Liverpool first team coach Ronnie Moran after celebrating an Everton goal – whilst the then highly rated Reds youth team prospect was spectating a Toffees’ reserve team victory over Stockport.
Another display of Carragher’s enthusiasm for the Blues was on show during the opening day of the 1996-97 Premier League season – the year that the Bootle born defender would make his top-flight debut. The 39-year-old reminisced this further moment of Everton interest to GrandOldTeam:
“I’ll always remember the very first game that I was on the bench for Liverpool – Ravanelli scored a hat-trick… 3-3 it was, away at Middlesbrough… Everton beat Newcastle at home, 2-0, and that was Shearer’s first game for Newcastle.
“I remember warming up at half-time and signalling to my Dad in the crowd ‘it’s two-nil’ to Everton – and even my Dad, at the end, he said ‘listen…you can’t be doing that.”
Evidently, despite numerous pieces of advice to the contrary, Carragher continued his soft spot for the Goodison Park club throughout his formative years in the Liverpool first team.
However, the turning point for Carragher appears to have occurred after the defender played in a 2-1 FA Cup defeat to rivals Manchester United in 1999 – with the 38 time capped England international telling GrandOldTeam that, post game, he went for, “a few drinks where I was from, which was full of Everton people, family and friends – and they were laughing and enjoying that we got beat; which is normal, I accept that – but I was in that bad of a mood, it was like, that’s it!…Then I would say I started wanting Everton to lose.”
During the interview Carragher continued his support for all things Merseyside by suggesting to GrandOldTeam that he would welcome a change to the footballing landscape to something closer resembling that of the two Manchester giants.
“I want Everton to get a new stadium. I want Everton and Liverpool to be up there challenging. You see Manchester now – City and United – I want that to be our city…They both have great players at the club, both have the stadiums, people look at both clubs as realistically going to win.”
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