Jamie Carragher apologises for Liverpool's 'unacceptable' performance

Posted Friday, January 15, 2010 by BBC.com

Jamie Carragher apologises for Liverpool's 'unacceptable' performance
Jamie Carragher holds his hands up to Liverpool's poor performance against Reading as Shane Long shows him the way.

Jamie Carragher has apologised to Liverpool's supporters for the wretched performance against Reading last night that saw his team lose their FA Cup third-round replay 2-1 at Anfield. Carragher refused to make any excuses for why the team failed to progress, having led 1-0 in added time. He told the Liverpool Echo it was "unacceptable".

"It was a very bad night for Liverpool and we can't disguise that – we had to do more against a side from a lower league," said Carragher. "We have to apologise for the way we performed. We have to give credit to Reading, hold our hands up. We all like to win but when you don't, you have to be a good loser. We have to accept they deserved it. But, at the same time, we have got to look at ourselves and the way we performed was not acceptable.

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"We've got a massive game coming up against Stoke now. It will be very tough, as we played extra time and we have got to show enormous character to come back. But that's what we have got to do. We have got to move on but, at the same time, we have to say sorry to the fans who came to Anfield and all those watching on TV."

Carragher insists that the squad will not give up the fight. "We have got to do better and we have got to recover," said the vice-captain. "There are still four months left of the season; it's been tough and this result has made it a little bit tougher for us.

"But we are Liverpool. We can't be where we are and we have got to improve. Liverpool Football Club demands certain standards. At the moment we are not reaching them and we know that but we have all got to come as one and stick together.

"The stuff that goes on off the field has got nothing to do with it. I don't think so anyway. If you say it has, you are only making excuses. Whatever goes on behind the scenes, we have got to do our own job." Liverpool now face two Premier League games in the space of five days, away at Stoke City on Saturday followed by a home fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on 20 January.