IF anyone is surprised that speculation is growing that Jamie Carragher has informed the FA he no longer wishes to be considered for selection for England then they shouldn't be.
After being considered nothing more than a stand in for his country by Sven Goran Eriksson, Carragher has had to put up with being sent even further down the England pecking order by Steve McClaren - and it stinks.
Carragher is a world class centre back. He's not a stand in for Rio Ferdinand, a poor man's Ledley King or an auxilliary full back. He is one of the few top class operators in his position and yet for some strange reason he has had to put up with being treated like s**t by the current national team manager and his predecessor.

Things came to a head last month when Carragher travelled to Estonia with England after a long, greulling season with Liverpool.
Like pretty much everyone else in the country, Carragher was no doubt expecting to be given the nod to play in his preferred position when Ferdinand was ruled out through injury.
But, in his wisdom, McClaren opted for King, leaving the Liverpool man kicking his heels on the bench, no doubt wondering what the hell he was doing there.
I spoke to Carragher on his return and, although he didn't admit it, I got the impression he was frustratated by his treatment - and rightly so.
The following Saturday I warned of what might happen in this article which appeared in the Pink Echo:

Crazy why Carra isn’t recognised more often Jun 16 2007
by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo


COMPARISONS between Jamie Carragher and Alan Hansen are nothing new.
Hansen, a man who made playing centre half look ridiculously easy, is on record as saying Carragher is a better out and out defender than he ever was and there are many among the Anfield faithful who agree.
But there is one comparison which neither will enjoy – both of them have seen their supreme talents continually overlooked at international level.
Despite being one of the finest defenders ever to emerge from Scotland, Hansen only won 26 caps for his country with the likes of Aberdeen's Alex McLeish and Willie Miller regularly being selected at his expense.
Similarly, Carragher has proven himself to be one of the best centre backs in all of Europe – as Ronaldinho, Drogba and Eto'o would no doubt testify – but still finds himself down the England pecking order behind Ledley King and even Wes Brown.
Apparently, Steve McLaren's thinking is that Carragher and John Terry are too similar to play together, a ridiculous theory which would never cross the mind of an Italian or Argentinian national team manager.
If the England team was picked on form, Terry and Carragher would be first choice with Everton's Joleon Lescott the emerging force challenging them for a place.
Sadly, it seems as if its picked on who's face does and doesn't fit, and because of that McLaren could ultimately end up costing himself the services of Carragher.
And if that happened it would be a shame for England and for football.

So I'm not surprised in the slightest that the Mail on Sunday is reporting that Carragher has quit international football and I won't be disappointed if he has either.
I'd be gutted for him because his talent deserves to be displayed on the unique platform that is international football.
And because he is so good he should never have been put into a position where he had to question whether it was worth him being involved in the national squad.
But as a Liverpool fan I'd be absolutely delighted.
Everyone at Anfield knows how good Carra is and so does everyone who supports the club.
If he was to quit England it'd mean we'd have him all to ourselves and the lack of travelling, extra games and general involvement could only ever be a good thing for us.
Carragher would be fresher for Liverpool and any such decision would pay dividends for his club just like Paul Scholes refusal to be considered for his country has benefited both him and Manchester United.
England's loss would undoubtedly be Liverpool's gain and then we would all be grateful that Steve McClaren, for one, does not dream of a team of Carraghers.

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