The Carra Banner

Video showing the making of the Jamie Carragher banner made for his last game for Liverpool FC against QPR. The Legendary defender made 737 appearances for the redmen from 1996 to 2013. YNWA Carra

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Jamie Carragher Photos

Some classic photos of Jamie Carragher’s Liverpool career.

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Carra Interview

Before his final Liverpool appearance this Sunday, defender Jamie Carragher answered questions from reporters gathered at Melwood today. Read everything our No.23 had to say…

One game to go, how are you feeling about retirement now?

People keep asking me, the answer will come after the game. We just want to concentrate on the game; I'm looking forward to getting my tickets sorted and hopefully get a win, then I can look back and give you a better answer.

Have you, at any time, reconsidered retirement or has Brendan asked you to reconsider?

No, not really. We've had a couple of chats about different things over the season, not just since I made my decision. The more I've been in the team, the more I've wanted to stick with my decision and go out playing. I've been quite fortunate really that at the time that I announced it, I kept myself in the side. I can go out playing, which is something I'd prefer rather than maybe stay another year and be in the stand, on the bench or wherever it may be.

What will be the best memory of your Liverpool career?

Istanbul, nothing will beat that - the Champions League final. There's no point going over the game, I think we all know what happened that night. It's difficult to ever top that.

What was it like, that feeling, to lift the European Cup?

We've never won the league, which is a disappointment; if we'd have won that maybe I could have compared the two. We've won FA Cups, Carling Cups, the UEFA Cup but nothing compared to the Champions League. It's the biggest and best trophy that you can win as a footballer in club football. It's what we achieved.

Given the step you're taking after your football career, does it rule out management or is that something you're still looking at in the future?

I've never ruled anything out or in. I've gone down this road for a couple of years, I'll see if I enjoy it or if I'm any good at it, and see where it takes me. I've been playing football all my life and I'm looking forward to doing different things, and seeing where it takes me.

How emotional are you going to be at the weekend?

I won't be crying, put it that way!

Are you somebody who might have a 'Wish I could have...' when you retire?

I wish I'd have won the league. But you've given it everything and done as much as you can in terms of what you put into it. It's a team game; there are different managers and coaches who have helped you along the way, you do your best. I've done alright.

You've been part of a close-knit family for all of those years - that's a big part of your life that's suddenly going to change...

People automatically think of Anfield, I think of this place [Melwood]. This is where you come every day, this is where I've been coming since I was nine years of age. Anfield is sort of the icing on the cake where you go at the end of the week or every couple of weeks. It's special but this is where you come every day, the people you see; the people on the gate, the girls upstairs in the canteen, Ann on reception who is the only one who has been here longer than me - she's just pipped me. It's probably coming here and the characters and people you meet every day. You'll have to fill that void in your life.

Will the door still be open for you? Do you plan on coming back?

Ask Brendan on Friday, he's the boss. Once you're done, you're done. I'm sure I'll be welcome to come in for my lunch one day and watch training, but I don't think it's something I'll be doing.

When did you first realise it was time to go?

About 12 months ago, the end of the season. I was in and out of the side with Kenny. I was thinking about it in the summer but I had a year to go and a new manager coming in. I knew then it was always going to be my last season.

Going back to your debut, would have you taken then what you have achieved?

If someone had offered me to be here until the end of my career - the trophies, the big games we've played and won, the stadiums I've played in - I'd have bitten their hand off for that. I'm very lucky to have played with some great players, top managers and given the opportunity to experience those wins and sometimes losses. I've very lucky.

You mentioned the league title...why did Liverpool fall short?

Very simple - we weren't good enough, all of us. There's no fancy reason or excuse, other teams in that particular season were better than us. A couple of times we went close but it was Manchester United or Arsenal. It's not something I lose sleep over, I've been very lucky to achieve some of the things I have. If you look at everyone, there's always something someone hasn't done. There's always more to achieve, whatever you've done. I'm pleased with how it's gone.

You and Steven Gerrard always seem to be together - are there any concerns about Liverpool not having that local heartbeat in the team when you've gone?

I'm probably more concerned about who he's going to sit next to on the coach on the way home. I had that problem at the weekend coming back from Fulham when he wasn't there. I was on my own! Every club will say they want to bring players through from the Academy, that's why you have academies and put so much time and money into it. But the players have got to be good enough. If they're good enough, brilliant - get them in there. It's always good to have a few local lads in the side. That's the aim of everyone.

Now that Alex Ferguson has retired at Manchester United, does it give everyone else an opportunity?

I think it does a little bit more, he's obviously been a top manager - his record is there for all to see. They've got another top manager in David Moyes, I'm sure he'll do a great job there. I'm sure everyone is looking at it and seeing how it will go; maybe it will give other people a chance to get in there if there is maybe a bit of uncertainty at the club. But Manchester United are probably aware of that as well so I'm sure they'll be doing everything to stop that.

In terms of the Liverpool you're leaving, are you excited about the future of the club?

I am, I'm always positive about the club. The last few years haven't been great for us, with league positions and missing out on the Champions League. But with the new manager coming in and the run we've been on in the second half of the season, it gives us a lot to look forward to for next season.

How would a 'team of Carraghers' cope in the Premier League?

A lot of 0-0s!

Paul Scholes came back from retirement after half a year - can you see something similar for yourself?

No, I don't think so. The manager has known for a while that I'm retiring, so I'm sure he's got plans in place and different players that he wants to bring in, ideas of what he wants to do.

How did if feel physically when you were suffering cramp in Istanbul?

Not good! It was just one of those things, you've got to play on. Plenty of players have been in that situation and done the same - mine's highlighted because of the magnitude of the game and everyone was watching. I'm not the only player who has had cramp in football and carried on - there are plenty of other players who have done that. It was just part of the game, that's what made it so special. There were lots of different incidents and things going on, I'm just glad to have been part of it.

Who were the players who were inspirational for you during your time here?

When I first got into the side, I'd say John Barnes, he was the captain and a great player - one of the top players to ever play for the club. As I came into the side a bit more I'd say Steven Gerrard, even though he's younger than me. He's an inspiration, not just for younger players. It doesn't matter if it's a younger player or an older player. You watch the way he plays, what he's done for us and how he's won us a few trophies - he's added to my medal collection! I'd say those two.

Defensively, who have you learnt most from?

The best centre-back I played alongside was Sami Hyypia, I thought he was a great player for the club. We've had lots of players but it could also be a coach; we had Phil Thompson here, Benitez was brilliant at setting up defences. He brought my game on a lot in terms of playing at centre-back because that was his expertise - making a team solid. It's difficult to pick one person, I've had a lot of help from a lot of different people.

How did you feel when your position was under pressure?

It gives you motivation, football is a fight really whether it's opposition or sometimes it can be within your own dressing room in terms of getting a place. We're all mates, we're a big squad but when the team goes up, there's only one name that you look for. It's added motivation but if it hadn't have happened I'd have still motivated myself some other way. I've always been that type of lad. It pushed me on and made me a better player.

Have your recent performances made you think you could carry on?

It's made me go the other way, to be honest. It's made me think it is the right time. It's nice that I'm in the side and people are saying I'm doing well and why not stay for another year? It's better than them saying you should have gone a year ago. I prefer it to be like that and get out while it's going well because it can easily change.

How has the game changed during your era?

Anyone who has been in football the amount of time I have, you look from day one until now. There are big changes. The sports science side of it has come on more than anything; doctors, how to train and all this type of stuff. I think that has been the big advance in the game during that time. Four or five years ago, the Premier League was its best - I think it's dipped a little bit at the moment. A few years ago, ourselves, Chelsea and Manchester United were always close to winning the Champions League for two or three years. I think that was the height of the Premier League - hopefully that's something that I'll be able to talk about next season and we get the Premier League back up there. It would be nice to see some more top players coming in and give the league a little bit of a boost.

Rio Ferdinand has announced his England retirement today. Do you look back and think it would be nice to have had a few more games at that level?

I wish he'd have retired years ago, I might have got a few more games! He's been a great player, he's retired from England. He's a similar age to me so it was always going to come up at one time or another. Him and John Terry were the cornerstones of the England side for 10 years and it was just timing really - it was difficult for me to get in. They're two great players and I wish them well.

Is there anything you won't miss about being a professional player?

The feeling when you get beat, but I suppose I'll have that as a fan - watching and I won't be able to do anything about it if results aren't going well for Liverpool. So that feeling after a defeat, you're pretty low for a few days.

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Carra Leaves Team Bus To Thank Fans

Jamie Carragher proved he was a true 'working class hero' on Sunday when he got off the team bus to thank a group of fans for making a banner in his honour.

Banner-maker Andrew Jones and his mates got a shock when the bus transporting Carra and the squad after the 3-1 win at Fulham pulled up and the 35-year-old stepped off.

Carra posed for photos with the lads, who first displayed the banner at St Mary's a few months back.

The photo above was posted by Andrew on his @L9Red Twitter account alongside the caption: "Carraghers jumping off the ellisons to get a photo with our banner just shows how much of a legend he is 23CARRAGOLD."

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'Let's Give Carra Perfect Farewell'

Anfield will pay tribute to a true Liverpool legend when Jamie Carragher brings the curtain down on his career this Sunday, writes John Aldridge.

Carra will get the send-off he deserves and it promises to be an emotional afternoon.

Brendan Rodgers' team talk before the game against Queens Park Rangers should be short and sweet: 'We have to win the game for Carra'.

Every one of his team-mates should be desperate to ensure he goes out on a higher rather than a whimper.

What Carra has done for Liverpool for the past 16 years is difficult to sum up. Sunday will be his 737th appearance - putting him second in the club's all-time appearance list behind the great Ian Callaghan.

In every one of those games he has given everything for the shirt.

Carra epitomises everything that's best about Liverpool Football Club.

At the former players association gala dinner at the Hilton next Monday night he will receive a special award off us to mark his fantastic achievements. It's fully deserved.

Carra has been a stalwart. A one-club man who has shown remarkable consistency over so many years. It's a pity he didn't win the Premier League title as that's the only major accolade to have eluded him but he still boasts a medal collection to cherish.

Of course he lifted the big one - the European Cup - and I'll always remember his great performances en-route to Istanbul in 2005 against the likes of Juventus and Chelsea.

Then who could forget the way he performed in the second and in extra time in the final? He was so important in that amazing fightback against Milan - fighting off cramp and putting his body on the line.

Any aspiring centre-back should get the DVD of that game and study the way Carra played.

On the international stage, he never really got the recognition he deserved in terms of England but I don't think that really bothered him.

Club always came before country for Carra with Liverpool meaning more to him than England.

He has always stayed close to his roots and that close bond with the fans will be evident at Anfield on Sunday.

As fans we're selfish and I'm gutted he's calling it a day. I want him to stick around and play another year as I believe he still has a lot to offer.

But I fully understand why he's retiring. He wants to go out on a high and he's got himself a great new job with Sky Sports.

He was an excellent pundit at the Euros last summer and I've got no doubt he will do really well at Sky.

That will be his focus for the next few years but I'm sure he will be back involved at the club one day.

I wouldn't write him off as a future Liverpool manager. Hopefully that won't be for a long time as we want Rodgers to be successful. But football is in Carra's blood. He lives the game 24/7 and he's the type I want to see coaching and managing.

It's the end of an era on Sunday and Carra will leave some huge boots to fill.

Source http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

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Carra To Bow Out As Captain

Jamie Carragher will captain Liverpool FC in the final two games of his illustrious career as Steven Gerrard prepares to undergo shoulder surgery.

The 35-year-old defender will take over the armband for Sunday's trip to Fulham and the last home match against QPR.

Gerrard's season is over after the Reds decided to bring forward his operation. He has been hampered by the problem for months and was going to go under the knife after the end of the campaign.

However, the injury has progressively worsened in recent weeks and the club's medical staff have decided not to wait any longer.

Gerrard will also miss the end of season game in Cape Town and England's friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil.

The operation will keep Gerrard sidelined for between six and eight weeks so he should be back fit for the start of pre-season training.

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Carra And Owen Reminisce

Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen chased the same dreams as boys, shared the same aspirations as room-mates, and realised many of their ambitions as team-mates for Liverpool and England. They bring the curtain down on glittering careers next month. The Daily Express sat in as the duo reminisced.

Retirement is around the corner - how does it feel?

MO: I decided before Christmas, but to see it in black and white and on TV felt different. You watch the interviews with ex-players and team-mates and that's when it sinks in. The reaction of my family was one I didn't expect. It was like it dawned on them for real as well. They were upset.

JC: It's the end of Team Owen and the Chrysler.

MO: When I was at Liverpool, my mum and dad, brothers and sisters, would go everywhere to watch me. Me and Carra used to room together and he'd ask, 'Is Team Owen coming today?' We bought a Chrysler because it was bigger than a normal car and could fit everyone in.

JC: My mum has only seen me play four times. One of them was the Youth Cup final, another my testimonial. She didn't go to Istanbul but Athens and one of the semi-finals against Chelsea. She'll come to my final game, though.

MO: Your dad goes to the games, though. Remember Valencia? (laughing).

JC: We came out of the hotel for the coach to take us to the ground and all the fans were going mad outside. Then Michael points, 'There's your dad'. My dad was on someone's shoulders, drunk, singing. Not just standing there, but on someone's shoulders.

MO: It was brilliant. Carra's dad was leading the encore.

How important have both your fathers been during your careers?

JC: You cannot do it on your own. You need someone to take you to the matches, to stand on the line, buy your boots. It might be your mum or grandfather, but for a lot of players it's your dad pushing.

Michael's father was a footballer. My dad had fantastic passion as a Sunday League manager and going to Everton.

MO: It's an unforgiving game. If you're not good enough, you get kicked out. People think you just turn up and you're a footballer; but you have been lucky to be given what you're given. You earn big money and all the rest of it; but it is years of hard work and practice, your dad doing miles up and down motorways.

I'm that taxi service now for my kids. If I scored a great goal when I was young, I wouldn't be bothered if there were 5,000 people there just as long as I could look behind the goal and see I'd made my dad happy. My retirement is part of my dad's life ending as well.

Can you remember the first time you met each other?

MO: I went to Lilleshall and the head teacher would sit you down and say, 'We're not having another Carragher here'. He was a couple of years before me and was supposed to have given them a hard time.

JC: School wasn't my strength.

MO: I'd never met him, but the teachers went on about him. I thought he must be a monster.

JC: Our first match was against Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup in 1996. He scored a hat-trick and it went from there.

MO: We have almost lived each other's careers. We were room-mates from the start and there is something different when you are mates with someone and they're on the ball in a game. You kick it with them. You share their problems in the team hotel and vice versa. I don't think there's anything in our careers that we didn't know or understand. I have seen him at his lowest point. He has been there for mine.

Jamie is starting every game for Liverpool, playing well. Michael, do you understand why he is retiring?

MO: Of course he could carry on playing. I still think I could score goals in the Premier League, but they say go out when you're at the top. There are players who love the game and will continue playing in the lower leagues, but it holds no excitement for me. That's not being disrespectful. I understand where Carra is coming from. I'm 33 and I feel I can play for two or three more years, but to the same standard that I am used to? No.

I'm only going to get slower and worse, and it's frustrating when you know you were very good and now you are only average. It is painful. Going on to the pitch doesn't hold the excitement for me like it used to.

Do you feel fulfilled then?

JC: When you look at what has happened with Michael over the last 12 months, you see people getting little digs in. I don't get that. Michael burst on to the scene, my progress came in steps. Our careers have been the other way round maybe but we have still done the same, although I wasn't European Footballer of the Year. You've done what you've done, whether it was at the beginning, in the middle or at the end.

MO: I always wanted to go out at as high a level as possible. Moving to Stoke I thought I'd be able to play more games and score more goals than I had at Manchester United. Go out with a bit of a bang and, in my mind, feel good about myself again. It hasn't happened. But I'm proud of what I've done, if a bit frustrated that injury robbed me of one of my main assets - pace.

JC: What striker at 33 is as good as he was at 17? People say look at Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Great players. But if they play well or bad, it doesn't make that much difference to how Manchester United are playing. If I play badly, I can cost Liverpool a big game. Going into Chelsea, I was thinking, 'Fernando Torres is quick, can I cope?' An element of fear comes into the decision to retire, especially being at Liverpool. If I was somewhere else, I don't think I'd have that.

You secured the FA Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cups together, played in the Champions League. What were the best times for you?

MO: When we were young, breaking through.

JC: Everything was new, the first of everything. You get in the Liverpool team, England, win your first trophy. There was a buzz with every step. Every season I've played I've had targets - this season it was 700 games.

MO: When we were young we were that excited to play a game. Wake up Saturday, get your suit on, we're going to Anfield, I'm going to score, we're going to win. It is everyone's dream, but you do lose that once you are 10 years down the road. In the good old days, of 17, 18, 19, you couldn't sleep you were that excited to play the next day. It has been a gradual process but that has left me.

What ambitions did you have as room-mates?

MO: The perception is footballers are flicking through magazines about their next car, talking about girls, planning where their next night out will be. We were full on football, him especially, desperate to play for Liverpool and win. If we lost, we'd be gutted. It was worse for Carra, who had to go into the town. It ruined your week.

JC: It still does.

Michael, people think you didn't have that feeling for Liverpool?

MO: If I had the head on me now when I was a kid it might have been different. At the time I just wanted to play in every game, score in every game, be a hero to everyone and have everyone love you. I didn't do anything wrong, but, as Carra said, I scored one of the most famous goals with England not Liverpool.

I wasn't a Scouser. My mum and dad were, but my dad finished his career at Chester so he set up camp there. There is a little detachment for me because there were the Fowlers, McManamans, Gerrards and Carraghers. It was circumstance. It annoys me because my heart was full of Liverpool. Perhaps scoring in a World Cup, not living in the city and then going to Madrid hasn't helped.

JC: It's strange when you move. Ian Rush left and came back a hero. I still feel sorry for Steve McManaman. People say he left for nothing. Well, you got him for nothing. Michael came for nothing. We got £8m. People say we could have got £20m. Well, the year before we got Markus Babbel for nothing. I was disappointed with Michael's reaction. He came back with Newcastle for the first time - 'Where were you in Istanbul?' Before Istanbul there was Cardiff in 2001 when Michael won the FA Cup for us. People were talking about it for weeks. That was the best thing that had happened to Liverpool in a decade since winning the league.

Jamie, you tried to talk him out of going to Madrid?

JC: I said he wouldn't get in the team, with Raul and Ronaldo there. But he said, 'I had Fowler and Collymore ahead of me at Liverpool'. I thought, 'Fair play'.

MO: The perception is I went out to Madrid, hardly played, and came back. I started 20 and came on in 18. You can have no regrets, but I was driving to the airport and thought, 'Oh sugar'. I never wanted to leave Liverpool. That needs to be stressed. If I could have gone over for a week, put the kit on, played with all those stars in that stadium, and then come back to Liverpool I would have been happy. I thought I'd be like Rushy and come back after a year. That's what got me through; but then it didn't happen, for lots of reasons.

How will you feel on the first day of pre-season?

JC: I love pre-season. Come back in, training in nice weather, a few new signings. It's like the first day back at school. I've told the lads I'll be texting them pictures of me on the beach when they step off the plane in Australia after travelling for 24 hours. I know a lot of footballers let themselves go when they finish, but I can't think of anything worse. I'll keep myself trim.

MO: Mentally I'm ready to retire. It happens to everyone. I've other things to try.

Pre-season was about excitement, but towards the end there's a dread because the clubs I've been at you go to parts of the world for three or four weeks at a time and it can be quite hard.

Will coaching be on the agenda?

JC: We all look at Ferguson and Mourinho and think we'd love to be them - on the sidelines, winning games, big trophies - but you have to think where they started.

Mourinho was an assistant for years. Brendan Rodgers hasn't just got the Liverpool job. He has been working for 20 years. Would I be prepared to go and work at an academy? Maybe, but it's not top of my list of things that I want to do.

MO: It takes over your life.

JC: I'm not sure players in our situation will go down that road. Maybe if you get a good job straight away, but think of the journeys the managers have gone on to get to the top. Very few top players now would be prepared to do that.

MO: Some days you look at what you've learnt and think, 'I'd love to give it a go'. But then the work you have to put in is a lot. If I'm missing football, I'll see. But the doubt is whether you can do 10 to 15 years of hard work to get there.

Sum each other up in just a few words.

MO: Aggressive. And zero tolerance. Passionate.

JC: Greedy...

MO: Get lost.

JC: Scorching pace, great goals and lots of mental strength.

Source http://www.express.co.uk

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Rodgers On Carra Replacements

Brendan Rodgers admits Liverpool may need to bring in defensive reinforcements this summer.

While the Reds have strengthened in midfield and attack since Rodgers arrived at the club last summer, the squad has been well stocked with defensive quality.

However, the retirement of Jamie Carragher at the end of the season means the Liverpool manager may look to enter the transfer market.

He told reporters at his pre-Villa press conference: "We're going to be light in that area. We have to assess it between now and the end of the season.

"That's the one area of the field where we haven't brought anyone in. We've brought midfield players and front players into the group, but as of yet there has been no one in that area.

"We're going to lose Jamie, which is a big loss. There is no player that is irreplaceable but he's a big loss.

"You see his experience and how he leads the line, and when you're playing as a defender you need someone who is vocal in there who can organise the line. He does that remarkably well.

"But I've also got really good players here. Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel - we've got some really, really good players.

"Between now and the end of the season we know we need to strengthen the group and that's something we'll look at doing.

"If it's not something we've got in the group we may need that kind of character, who can organise and lead. That's something we'll have a look at."

While Carragher spent much of the first half of the season on the bench, he returned to the starting 11 in the Barclays Premier League against Norwich in January and has remained there since.

An injury kept him out of our defeat to Southampton but he is set to return this weekend.

Rodgers was pressed by reporters on exactly how big a loss the 35-year-old would be when he finally called it a day.

"I will miss him," he said. "He's a good man and a lover of football. He puts everything into his training every day. He's a real role model for all the players - young and senior players.

"He's got eight games left and let's not write him off yet. He's still fit and strong. We missed his leadership qualities at Southampton and he'll come back into the squad for the weekend."

With eight games remaining, Liverpool still have a chance to qualify for Europe next season - but even if that doesn't happen, Rodgers is confident he can attract quality players to the club.

"Whether we're in Europe or not we're going to be able to attract good players here," he added. "Of course, [Europe] is where we'd like to be, but if it isn't to be I still believe we'll be able to bring in players who'll improve us.

"That's the challenge now: to bring those types in over the next months."

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Twitter Reaction To Carragher Announcement

Tributes poured in on Twitter this week from around the footballing world after Jamie Carragher announced he will retire at the end of the current season.

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We All Dream...

Liverpool fans used to dream of a team of Jamie Carraghers. Now they will have to get used to a club without his presence at all, writes David Maddock.

The Anfield legend - and he is a legend in the true sense of the words - is the modern embodiment of Liverpool Football Club, and it is hard to conceive how on earth they will go about replacing him.

Some weeks ago, he spoke passionately about his friend and team-mate Steven Gerrard being the greatest ever player to have represented the club. And so too is Carragher.

I would put him up there alongside Kenny Dalglish, Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Rodger Hunt, Ian Callaghan  and Billy Liddell in the bracket of the true Anfield greats, and that shows just how irreplaceable he will be.

He is a local lad who will play more than 500 league games for the Reds and will stand just behind Callaghan at second in the all time list of appearances. No one, not even Gerrard, knows more about the bond between fans and players, and no one knows more about what it means to represent LFC.

It is hard to imagine anyone ever will from now on either. It is getting harder by the year to represent your local club, and it seems inconceivable that anyone will stay with one club for as long as Carragher and Gerrard.

Yet it is not just his admirable passion and commitment, his love of the city of Liverpool and their club that makes him stand out. He is also a top class defender, with the emphasis very much on the IS.

He was man of the match against both Arsenal and City in the last week, and the fact that he has fought hard to win his place back in what will prove to be his final season speaks volumes about his incredible quality.

At his peak he was the best defender in the country, as his remarkable performance in that 2005 Champions' League final testified, and it is still my contention that had Capello picked Carragher ahead of Upson against Germany in the 2010 World Cup, we would have won that game and had a chance of lifting the trophy.

Of course, he has been underrated at international level, just as he has even been sometimes overlooked by his own fans, who were quick to criticise him under Gerard Houllier and only recognised his real quality after Istanbul.

Carragher will not at least go out on a high, with fans realising the man who reinvented himself from midfielder to centre half to left back to right back and into centre half again to have a career at the club he loves, is one of the true greats.

And if they have a memory of him, it will be that one in Istanbul where - almost crippled with cramp, he flung himself to deny a certain goal for AC Milan and take the final to penalties where Liverpool confirmed their greatest ever triumph.

But there will be another memory of Carragher too, of quiet times at Anfield when his high-pitched voice could be heard above the crowd, screaming instructions to his team mates and organising better than any defender of his era.

And that is why I would suggest he is the greatest defender to have played for Liverpool. His quality is greater than many give him credit for, his organisational skills impeccable, and his desire and commitment second to none.

Had he won a league title, it would have been no contest, but still I would place him ahead of Hansen, Lawrenson and Ron Yeats.

And yes, I would dream of a team of Carraghers.

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Jamie Carragher Retiring From Football

Jamie Carragher has today announced that he is to leave Liverpool Football Club at the end of the season and will be retiring from football.

The Reds defender has enjoyed a glittering career at Anfield, having joined the club's youth system aged nine before going on to make his first-team debut in January 1997 against Middlesbrough. He has subsequently made more than 700 senior appearances for Liverpool, winning a host of major honours. He is second only to Ian Callaghan in the club's all-time appearance table.

The 35-year-old has made the announcement this week to end speculation surrounding his future.

He will continue to concentrate his efforts on helping Brendan Rodgers' side achieve success in the Barclays Premier League this season and the on-going Europa League campaign.

Carragher said: "This will be my last season at Liverpool and my last as a professional footballer.

"I'm making this announcement now because I don't want the manager or the club to be answering questions on my future when I've already decided what I am going to do.

"I will be fully committed between now and the end of the season to doing the very best for Liverpool Football Club, as I've done my entire career since joining aged just nine-years-old.

"It has been a privilege and an honour to represent this great club for as long as I have and I am immensely proud to have done so and thankful for all the support I have had. There are many memories I want to share and people to thank, but now is not the time for that.

"I won't be making any further comment on this decision until the end of the season; all our focus and concentration should be on achieving the best possible finish in the league this season and trying to win the last remaining trophy we are competing in."

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Carra Top 4 Still On

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool still have every chance of qualifying for the Champions League this season.

The Reds endured mixed results at the start of the season but, following Saturday's 3-0 win over Wigan, they are now seven games unbeaten in the Barclays Premier League.

Though the gap to West Brom in the fourth qualifying spot is eight points, traditional rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are within four and two points respectively.

Carragher thinks fourth is still a realistic target.

"We look as if we have not made a good start, but with winning on Saturday, we are not too far behind the top four," the 34-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek.

"It is still up for grabs.

"Besides the top two, and even Manchester United lost on Saturday, a lot of teams are dropping points all over the place.

"From our own point of view, we now want to kick on and make a challenge for that top four place because it seems that everyone is throwing it away."

The Reds have the youngest average age of any Barclays Premier League team this season, with the mean age of our first 11 being 23.37 - lower than Southampton's 23.69 and Arsenal's 23.81.

Teenagers such as Andre Wisdom, Raheem Sterling and Suso have featured week in, week out under new manager Brendan Rodgers, and Carragher hopes this will bode well for the future.

He said: "The owners have come in and looked at it and thought they want to bring in a new manager who will promote players from the Academy, which he has done.

"I think it does take time to settle in. It was difficult to replace players like Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt due to the financial situation in terms of us spending a lot of money in the last few years.

"[Rodgers] has been very brave putting young players in and giving them a chance. Hopefully, we'll see the benefit of that in the future."

Source  http://www.liverpoolfc.com

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