I should see him as a star, but to me he's just 'our Lee', says Paul Carsley

The message was from his brother Lee: 'Sorry, son. Had to be done.' An injury-time strike from the midfielder — his only goal this season — made it a miserable weekend for the bricklayer who remains true to his Birmingham roots.

"Ideally, I'd like Lee to have a good game today," he said. "I don't even mind if he scores. So long as the Blues win."

The brothers exchange glances and smile.

Lee, 34, has been at Everton for the past five seasons and will put friendships to one side for the return to his home city today. It's been that way ever since Birmingham were elevated to the top tier.

"It's part of everyday life now," said Paul. "Years ago, it seemed strange. The night he scored that goal, my phone never stopped for about an hour.

"But I don't begrudge him any of it. He had to leave home at 15 and carve out a life for himself in digs. That's a big deal for any teenager. He's succeeded through total dedication. He's my younger brother, but I look up to him because of that."

Carsley Jnr butts in. 'I remember being dropped off outside a house in Derby with about £2.50 in my pocket. Les Dolphin, Derby's agent, shook my hand and said: "All the best, son."

Then he drove off.

"And that was it. I was just stood outside this house in Derby, not knowing a soul. I was there for a good couple of hours standing around. Actually, it could have been a wind-up."

If there is a footballer with a drier sense of humour than Carsley I would like to meet him. He has three children, Calum, Conor and Lois; Conor, now aged nine, was born with Down's Syndrome and that forced Carsley to grow up quickly. Laughter is often a way out, even if it can be dark humour.

Like the time he rescued an overweight 'young' Doberman from a dogs' home.

"It was a big dog ... well fat, really. Dobermans are supposed to be lean. It was the close season and I thought I could get a bit of weight off it so I took it running with me. Only poor Sam was struggling to keep up. He was clearly in distress and I was miles from home.

"I ended up slinging this dog over my shoulder and running about three miles back to the house with it.

"We raced it around to the vet and he took one look at it and said: 'How old did you say this dog was?'

"Turned out that he was about 16. Taking him running was the worst thing I could have done. I felt awful. Sam, bless him, was really struggling and didn't recover."

Every year, Carsley stands rattling a tin for the Down's Syndrome Association during an awareness week for the charity. Of course, personal circumstances play a part, but not many Barclays Premier League footballers do that.

"The last thing I did for them was at Tesco in Solihull. We were packing the bags for tips. I was sorting them but people weren't putting any money in. I got a bit fed up, so went and had a sit down. This bloke comes up to me and says: 'All right mate, can you help pack me bag for me, please?'

"I looked up at him and said: 'Sorry, but I don't actually work here.' I got a few funny stares. I could see the ones that half-recognised me thinking to themselves: 'What's he doing here?'"

Carsley would never be allowed to get ideas above his station, as the following story from his taxi driver father Frank reveals. Frank was taking him to the Ireland team hotel, the Celtic Manor hotel, near Newport, and asked for directions.

"He told me that I couldn't miss the thing. It's a monumental hotel on top of a huge hill. Anyway, we were nattering away and before you know it, I've driven past it. Lee told me I was the worst taxi driver going, he keeps going on and on about missing this bloody hotel.

"After about 10 minutes, I'd had enough. I told him: 'I don't care who you are, son. International footballer, Premier League superstar, you'll be walking down the hard shoulder with your bag in a minute. You're not too big not to get put over my knee...' And he just looks at me, laughing."

Lee is in the last few months of his Everton contract and has talks planned with David Moyes, but is unwilling to expand on the subject.

"It's gone through the roof at Everton," he said. "David Moyes has done a great job. He's got the manager- of-the-year a couple of times. People in the game know what he has done.

"I remember an incident with Jesper Blomqvist in his (Moyes's) first game at home. He threw a bit of a wobbler and the manager stamped on it.

"The gaffer has got a big thing that if he's substituting you, it's for a reason. Basically, he's trying to win a game. We have to respect that. It's never happened since, to anyone.

"He's a good motivator. His man-management is good and getting better. He will be the first to admit that this season he's had to change his style of management an awful lot because we have played in Europe.

"And now we have the likes of Mikel Arteta, Yakubu, Andy Johnson. We spent £6million on a left back when we bought Leighton Baines — that would never have happened when I first turned up. It shows how far the club has come. And that chase for the Champions League spot is still on."

Paul Carsley will forego his normal seat in the stands. A family friend, Kevin Fleming, has invited the Carsley clan to his executive box.

"We look at him as a 'normal' player because he's family," added Paul. "Lee played with Thomas Gravesen and I thought he was a really good player. But when you think about it, my brother plays for Everton and Ireland. Gravesen plays for Everton and Denmark. He's a good player. But because he's 'Our Lee,' I don't think about him like that. But I should, really."

Carsley will make his way up the steps to the executive box at the final whistle. Despite their allegiances, Paul and Kevin will greet him as one of their own.

Which is understandable. Essentially, that's just what he is.

A charity match in aid of the Down's Syndrome Society and MacMillan Nurses is taking place at the BT club, Wilclare Road, Sheldon, Birmingham on Saturday May 17, starting at 10.30am.