Former Birmingham City captain Stephen Carr has opened up about the notorious hand gesture at Villa Park in 2010, insisting he has no regrets over the incident that cemented his hero status among Blues supporters.

Carr, who joined on a short-term deal before leading City to their famous Carling Cup triumph at Wembley, became a cult figure at St Andrew’s. His fiery moment at Villa Park in April 2010 — a gesture aimed at the North Stand after a controversial derby defeat — only added to his legend.

Speaking on the Keep Right On podcast for Casino Review Site, Carr said:

“That’s football passion at the end of the day. I’m never going to apologise for it. Was it the right thing to do? Probably not, but I was angry. I thought we got done over and emotions got the better of me. It came from pure passion — I’d just had enough.”

He added that the fallout cost him a game’s suspension:

“I was gutted to miss a match because of it, but that’s football. Sometimes there’s not enough passion out there.”

Carr and Blues gained revenge the following season, beating Villa in the Carling Cup quarter-finals before seeing off West Ham and Arsenal to lift the trophy.

“Those were two of the best games of my career,” Carr reflected. “You could feel the crowd driving us on. St Andrew’s was electric — intimidating for the opposition, unbelievable for us. And against Villa, being a derby, it meant even more.”