Crouch, Kuyt, and Carragher: Red Card Shambles at Liverpool

This morning it was brought to my attention by a Liverpool supporter that Peter Crouch has accused John Obi Mikel of play-acting.

Two things, Peter:

Not only would I have sent you off on the spot as a referee—if I were your boss I'd dock you a month's pay, for ruining the team's chances of getting back into the match and staying in the Cup.

It's the old adage: Sort out your own problems before "tackling" others.

Launching yourself into the air like Crouch did is extremely dangerous—and had it been worse-timed, the play could have done some very real damage to John Obi Mikel.

The moral of the story here is not to make stupid airbourne assaults on the ball. Your studs will always stay up—that's the nature of the tackle. Once you leave the ground you have no control over your momentum, and it can be—and has been—very dangerous for the opposition to receive such tackles.

I remember when a certain Djibril Cisse had his leg broken in such a tackle. The Liverpool press were furious for about a week, complaining that their players were targeted and that the offending player should have been sent off.

I heard no such complaints when Dirk Kuyt flung himself towards Philip Neville in the first Merseyside derby. That in itself was a stupid challenge—and having already seen an Everton player sent off for the "last man" rule, I fully expected Mark Clattenburg to send Kuyt off too.

The result?

A very lenient yellow card.

Liverpool should consider themselves lucky.

My last point reflects on Jamie Carragher, a wonderfully talented defender who has suddenly taken to hauling people down in the box at every opportunity.

It's not clever Jamie—and you could quite easily have been sent off, again, against Everton some seven weeks ago.

What exasperates me is how talented these players are...and yet how clueless they seem to be.

Crouch thinks his tackle is fine because Mikel was play-acting (WRONG), Kuyt made a dangerous tackle and got away with it, and Carragher has had free-kicks and even a penalty given against him over the last seven weeks for stupid challenges.

Maybe it's not Rafael Benitez's team selection that's the problem—maybe it's the brain-dead challenges forcing Rafa into a selection nightmare in the first place.

Five of the current first-teamers (including one Steven Gerrard) are on four yellow cards. Five yellows means a suspension. What happens if they all pick one up next game?

My final point: I have been a fervent admirer of Liverpool for a few years now. They're a team united and powerful in their support. That support will diminish quickly if players like Peter Crouch keep coming out with the rubbish we've all been subjected too.

I'm not saying for one moment that John Obi Mikel wasn't play-acting. But why give him the opportunity to do so with such a stupid tackle?

For shame, Peter Crouch. Sort your own life out before accusing others. For the first time this season, I think your place in the Liverpool squad is at risk.

Because you have become a risk in yourself.

EDIT: Apologies, the above statement on Djibril Cisse is incorrect - many apologies for my incorrect recollection. I stand by the rest of my article, however.