Jamie Carragher accuses Aston Villa fans of ‘crossing the line’ with their chants at Steven Gerrard
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Jamie Carragher accuses Aston Villa supporters of ‘crossing the line’ with chants aimed at Steven Gerrard before his former Liverpool team-mate was sacked… after they called on him to ‘get out of our club’ during the defeat to Fulham
- Steven Gerrard was sacked by Aston Villa after Thursday’s 3-0 defeat to Fulham
- Villa fans had turned against Gerrard during the game and asked for him to be fired
- Carragher defended Gerrard and thought the chants were a step too far
- However, he realized that the dismissal was the right decision after poor results
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Jamie Carragher has criticized Aston Villa fans for ‘crossing the line’ with their chants towards Steven Gerrard before the former Villa boss was fired.
Gerrard was sacked as manager of the West Midlands club last Thursday in the immediate aftermath of their disastrous 3-0 defeat to Fulham.
He left Villa in 17th place, only outside the relegation zone on goal difference and with just nine points from their first 11 games.
Under caretaker boss Aaron Danks, they came back straight away – beating Brentford 4-0 on Sunday in a performance that couldn’t have been more different from the one at Craven Cottage.
Jamie Carragher has criticized Aston Villa fans for ‘crossing the line’ with their chants towards Steven Gerrard
By the end of Thursday’s game, Villa fans had turned on Gerrard, expressing their frustration at the former Liverpool and England midfielder.
Supporters from the end could be heard chanting ‘Steven Gerrard, get out of our club’ and ‘You’ll never work again’.
And Carragher, who played his entire career with Gerrard and calls the former midfielder a friend, was not happy with the away supporters chanting on Thursday, but admitted his former team-mate had to leave the club after the defeat.
Gerrard was sacked after Villa’s disastrous 3-0 defeat to Fulham last week at Craven Cottage
They then came back from his dismissal with a stunning 4-0 win over Brentford on Sunday
“I think it was the right decision,” Carragher told Monday Night Football.
“Mainly at the back of the second half at Fulham. There was the eviction and it all started to go wrong and it was no longer just a 1-0 loss, it was two and three.
“And with the reaction from the crowd, I think Stevie could not have entered the game on Sunday because of those chants and the discontent of Villa supporters.
“I’m not saying this because he’s a friend and I think supporters who pay money and leave during the week are allowed to express 100 per cent their concerns and things aren’t going well.
‘They thought it was a bit boring and not exciting enough. I just felt some of the chants at the end, and maybe because he’s my mate, I thought they were a little over the line.”
However, Carragher appreciated that the call to fire Gerrard was the right decision
Carragher also revealed that he had spoken to Gerrard ahead of Thursday’s game, with the former Villa boss expecting him to also get the clash against Brentford to turn their poor start to the season.
He added: “I can understand the frustration. It was hard to watch (for me) but I spoke to Stevie last Monday for these two games.
“He felt he would have the Fulham game and then the Brentford game, but I think it was clear after the Fulham game it had become untenable and I think it was the right decision.”