Carter was a decent footballer. It's a shame he seldom chose to show it.
And unless you're the Championship Pirlo (which I think we can both agree, Dazzler wasn't) there is a certain requirement that you put at least the odd tackle in from central midfield, and at the very least cover some ground.
Carter rarely showed his 'class' on the ball which exacerbated the fact he let physical side of playing central midfield in the Championship completely pass him by.
I'm sure Carter was a much better footballer than someone like John Welsh, but at least Welsh actually contributed in most games (admittedly in L1) in the role he was designated to do.