Jamie Carragher

[dom9]

Really think he'll do another season, he's definitely not spent yet..imo

Another season of playing? What could possibly make you think that?

[saj]

Carra's punditry performance at the Euro's was absolutely ****. He seemed scared of Roy Keane.

[Maxiedge]

Legend and model professional. Also, seems like a really top bloke.

Thank you for everything so far JC!

Also, I said this before the announcement, but him and Nevile would make a great modern no-nonsense duo of pundits. I even think there's room for Redknapp there (even though not a fan) just to balance it out a bit.

[Cormack74]

Right or wrong, I definitely wouldn't say it was laughable.

Ok RP maybe laughable over emphasises it, but unless I've misunderstood, Holt is either saying that F and T are (were) at Cannavaro's level or that Carra isn't (wasn't) at F and T's level.

I just don't see either of those points as having more than the most marginal bit of veracity (if any). The Terry/Ferdinand/Carra comparisons are extremely subjective IMO (as you have to some extent inferred yourself with your comments on Rio).

[Alex]

Carra's punditry performance at the Euro's was absolutely ****. He seemed scared of Roy Keane.

Clearly we didnt watch the same Jamie Carragher then

[saj]

Clearly we didnt watch the same Jamie Carragher then

Nah we didn't. IMO he was awful and looked out of place. It might have been his squeaky voice that put me off. He's was not as bad as Alan Shearer and co though.

[Daniel 7]

I remember a discussion between Keane and Carragher where Carra easily got the better of him.

Thought he came across really well - knowledgeable, intelligent and insightful - and most of all relevant. ONce upon a time, Hansen was held in high regard because he was relevant. Now, he's just a dinosaur who is massively out of touch with this generation of football. Shearer is just a crushing, grinning bore.

[Red_Polo]

Ok RP maybe laughable over emphasises it, but unless I've misunderstood, Holt is either saying that F and T are (were) at Cannavaro's level or that Carra isn't (wasn't) at F and T's level.

I just don't see either of those points as having more than the most marginal bit of veracity (if any). The Terry/Ferdinand/Carra comparisons are extremely subjective IMO (as you have to some extent inferred yourself with your comments on Rio).

I think it was intending to give some perspective to the praise offered, to intimate that he will be remembered by most as a quality defender who was an undoubtedly great servant to LFC, rather than as a great defender.

Like I say, I agree about Cannavaro being well ahead of Ferdinand and Terry. The point as I saw it was that Carra wasn't quite as talented as any of them but at his best did enough to warrant mention with them.

[Neil Young]

Carragher.

[Daniel 7]

Owen's written a blog about him

http://www.michaelowen.com/blog.html

CARRA


I had known it was coming for a while, but for some reason, until you see it appear in a newspaper or flash across your TV screen, it never seems to sink in. Jamie Carragher, or 'Carra' to most of the footballing world, announced that he will retire from the game at the end of the current Premier League campaign.

As always with this type of news, the initial reaction from the majority of people in the game will be to feel a sense of sadness. It was certainly mine. Having played so well in recent weeks it is understandable for many people to believe that Carra still has what it takes to compete at the top level for at least another season. After all, he has only just turned 35 and he plays in a position that requires an experienced head. It is also a position that, providing you have a football brain and your positional play is up to scratch, can leave you less exposed than many of the other positions on the field of play.

So, why did Carra decide to call it a day and was there a reason behind the timing of the announcement? What is Carra like as a person and a player and how will the next chapter of his life pan out? As a room-mate and team mate for 7 years and a friend for 16, I'd like to pay my own tribute to Carra and share my opinion on what made him the player he is.

After two substitute appearances, Carra made his full debut at Anfield against Aston Villa on the 18th January, 1997. I was in the crowd watching him as he scored a header at The Kop end in a 3-0 victory! After a couple more appearances, Carra found himself slipping back down the pecking order due to some of the established first team regulars returning to fitness.

In May 1997 I was called into the squad for the first time and it coincided with Carra being back amongst the first team squad. As you can imagine, the two youngsters in the squad were thrown in a room together and the rest is history.

We formed a lasting friendship while rooming together for 7 years, playing hundreds of games between us and winning a few trophies along the way. That was until Rafa Benitez took over and immediately broke up all of the existing room pairings. His idea was to pair both centre halves together, full-backs and wide men, central midfielders, strike partners etc, presumably trying to forge a good relationship prior to the following day’s game. Rest assured, we didn't approve of that idea!

As a player, a huge attribute of Carra's is his toughness. There was a season that I vividly remember him being in such pain leading up to games that I was astounded to see him out on the pitch. He was taking pain killers like smarties and somehow got to the end of the season having played virtually every minute before undergoing surgery to cure his problem. His attitude and work rate in the gym having suffered a broken leg in an away game at Blackburn was another sight to behold. He couldn't bear being out injured and came back from that injury in double quick time.

In my opinion, Carra's best attribute is between his ears. I have no doubt that, if asked, he could have played in any position on the park to a high standard. He quite simply has a 'football brain'. It was probably no coincidence. As a youngster he represented England as a striker. He then made his debut for Liverpool as a central midfielder before playing for years under Gerard Houllier as a full-back. Finally, it is at centre back where he ended up and who will ever forget his performance in Istanbul where every quality he possesses was evident on the biggest club stage of all?

His relationship with the fans is second to none. People can relate to him. His demeanour, attitude and style of play both characterised and represented where he is from. He lives in the city and rubs shoulders with the fans over a pint after a game on a Saturday. He was brought up that way. In many ways his retirement from International Football at a relatively young age helped form an even stronger bond with the fans. They felt that he only had eyes for them and to a certain degree it was true. He was proud to play for his country but he always seemed to be fourth choice. I think the tipping point came when his two kids arrived. Being away from home for long periods is tough enough but when you are not playing it compounds the agony. With players of a similar age ahead of him in the queue, he decided to focus his efforts on Liverpool.

The timing of the announcement was typical Carra. Inevitably, whenever the news broke it was going to make the headlines. However, he chose the day after an England game, maybe a strategic ploy to get his story slightly watered down during other major sporting news while also creating enough time between the announcement and Liverpool's next game for the dust to settle and the news not to be too much of a distraction. It was a reflection of how he is as a player and person - understated, unselfish and class.

One of the most flattering things to have been brought up since Carra made his announcement is the possibility of retiring the No.23 shirt. I read an interesting tweet from Paul Dalglish (son of Kenny) suggesting it wouldn't be a great idea. I have to go along with his reasoning. Nearly every kid in the red half of Merseyside will grow up wanting to be Carra. Wearing 'his' shirt will not only create something to strive for, but once on their back, provide a responsibility to wear the shirt displaying the same pride as the previous owner. Much like the Newcastle No.9, the Liverpool No.7, and the Manchester United No.7, the Liverpool No.23 will from now on always be synonymous with the man who wore it.

So what next for Carra? There is no doubt that he is management material. He is an encyclopaedia of football knowledge and potential managerial talents like him don't come around too often. On the flip side to that, he isn't the most tolerant of people and I'd envisage him having the odd confrontation with some of the more pampered footballers of today. I also don't see him wanting to venture far from the North West. He is, and always has been, amongst his friends and family in Bootle and prizing him away could be an impossible task.

Of course, the perfect job in the long term would be the Liverpool hot seat but it remains to be seen whether a rookie manager could take on a job so big. Maybe working his way up the ladder from within is the way to go, treading those same famous steps as many of the boot room boys did during the club’s glory years. Whatever he does, sometimes you come across people in life that are just born to succeed. Carra is certainly one of them.

[Vermilion]

Had to get a bitter dig in at Rafa. Probably still hates him for winning No5 and all the stick he took after.

[Leyton388]

**** him the attention seeking hobbit. Carra is a legend which is somthing Micheal baggins will never be.

[Liverpool]

is carrs contract up?

[Exiled_red]

is carrs contract up?

His contract expires in the summer.

[kop-al-74]

Has Rafa been asked or has he made any comment on Carra?