Former Birmingham City skipper Stephen Carr has declared he is 'never going to apologise' for the infamous hand gesture he made at Aston Villa's Villa Park in 2010, an act that only cemented his heroic status among Blues supporters.
Carr's Unrepentant Stance
The right-back, who initially joined Birmingham on a short-term contract but went on to captain the club to Carling Cup glory at Wembley, holds legendary status at St Andrew's. The incident occurred in April 2010 during a heated Second City derby, where Blues lost to a contentious penalty decision. Carr, still seething, directed a gesture towards the Villa North Stand.
Speaking on the Keep Right On Podcast, Carr explained: 'That's the passion of football, at the end of the day. I'm never going to apologise for that. Is it the right way to go about things at times? No, but you're passionate, I thought we got done over and I was angry. Sometimes you overstep the mark.'
He added: 'To me, it is what it is. I know it meant a lot to the Blues fans but it was done like that, it was done purely through passion and I'd had enough. I thought we got robbed there that day, we played well and got a penalty given against us. Unfortunately I then missed a game over it, which I was a bit gutted about. But that's football, sometimes there's not enough passion out there.'
Revenge and Glory
Carr and Birmingham City exacted sweet revenge the following season when they faced Villa in the Carling Cup quarter-finals. Blues triumphed at St Andrew's before overcoming West Ham and eventually Arsenal at Wembley to lift the trophy. Reflecting on those matches, Carr described them as among the best of his career.
'In my career they are up there as two of the best games I've ever been involved in,' he said. 'We're losing but you could just feel the stadium right behind you and they were part of why we ended up getting to Wembley. You've got a crowd and a stadium that can be intimidating - they were unbelievable games. I had my mates there and my family, it was phenomenal.'
Carr continued: 'Especially Aston Villa, it's a derby game, it adds a bit more to it. My son watches some of it still. The atmosphere was absolutely phenomenal, absolutely rocking. When you have that behind you it goes a long way.'
What are your memories of Stephen Carr in a Blues shirt? Let us know.
