Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher says his biggest regret is that he will retire having never won a Premier League title. please log in to view this image The 35-year-old is preparing to play his final match for Liverpool against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday. He has won a Champions League, Uefa Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups during his 16 years and 723 games. "I've never won the league, that's a disappointment," the ex-England centre-back said. "I wish I'd won the title." When asked why Liverpool had failed to pip Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea on a number of occasions, he added: "It's very simple. We weren't good enough. There's no fancy reason or excuse. The teams were better than us. A couple of times we were close, but Arsenal and Man United were better than us. "If you look at everyone there's always something somebody hasn't done. There's always more that could be achieved no matter what you've done." Carragher believes Alex Ferguson's retirement as Manchester United boss might give other clubs an opportunity. "Everyone is looking at it to see how it will go; maybe it will give other people a chance to get in there if there is bit of uncertainty," he said. Carragher is second only to Ian Callaghan in the club's all-time appearance table but he went on to say he had no regrets about his decision to retire, despite having re-established himself in the Liverpool side on the back of a string of impressive performances. "People keep asking me how I am feeling but I suppose the answer will come after the game." he said. "I am just concentrating on that, hopefully getting a win and then I can look back at it and give a better answer," he said. "I've not reconsidered it. I've had a few chats with the manager since making my decision, more about the season than anything else. "But the more I've been in the team, the more I've wanted to stick with my decision and go out playing. I have been fortunate that since the announcement I've got myself back in the team. It's better than staying another year and maybe being in the stand or on the bench." Carragher, who is going to be a television pundit, went on to reveal when he had decided this season would be his last: "I made my mind up about 12 months ago, the end of the season. I was in and out of the side with Kenny [Dalglish]. 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." {LINK}
Must be in here somewhere, because I've read it before. It could have been on the Beeb footie website or in a rag.
There wasn't much in terms of direction that Jamie Carragher could offer Steven Gerrard out on the field - but Carra admits there was the occasional Scouse squabble in the heat of the moment. Teammates, opponents and spectators will all pay testimony to the vocal presence that has allowed Carragher to marshall the Liverpool back-line over the years. The man himself admits there have been certain players who have been forced to bear the brunt of his orders a little more than the rest. However, Gerrard was rarely one of them. "I don't know how you play football without talking," Carragher admitted to Liverpoolfc.com. "I just don't know how people can do it. "I couldn't play a game of football without telling people what to do. You're also helping yourself because if they do their job better, it makes it easier for you. "But a lot of the time, the players are that good that you think there's nothing you can say to them. What do you say to Gerrard? What do you say to Luis Suarez? "I always talk to Stevie through the game - about whether he needs to go forward, or close someone down, or drop off - you always give him that information. "But in terms of losing your rag with someone, I don't do it with him. I think we've had a couple of moments, me and Stevie, on the pitch, nothing major, but that's just your will to win." Carra continued: "There are a few [who have taken plenty of stick] though. Jose Enrique gets a little bit at the moment. "Alvaro Arbeloa used to get quite a bit. We had that situation at West Brom [on the penultimate day of the 2008-09 campaign] which obviously went too far. "But it's always normally the people who are around you. It's normally it's the full-backs because they are the closest to me. "No-one has ever said anything or complained about it, so they probably don't mind too much. "And I'm one of them - if something happens on the pitch, as soon as the whistle blows it's forgotten about. What happens on the pitch stays on the pitch." Carragher has never been one to shy away from telling referees exactly what he thinks. So we asked him how he believed Premier League refs would find life after Carragher. "I think they'll be looking forward to things being a lot quieter!" joked the Bootle Boy. "I just think referees are part of the game and you certainly don't want the opposition getting on top of a referee. "You need to make sure that you are fighting for your club, to make sure that you are getting the 50/50 decisions. "You need to speak to the referee and have a good rapport with him. As one of the experienced players, you can sort a situation out with another player in your team and tell them to calm down. "It all boils down to - if me talking to a referee can help Liverpool then that's all that matters." {LINK}
Didier Drogba has become the latest high profile name to pay tribute to Jamie Carragher ahead of the defender's retirement from football this weekend. please log in to view this image The former Chelsea powerhouse was involved in a number of gruelling battles with the Liverpool No.23 during the course of his eight-year spell at Stamford Bridge, including Champions League and FA Cup semi-finals. Now at Galatasaray, Drogba has recalled what it was like to face the Reds legend for LFC TV's forthcoming 'Carragher' documentary. The Ivorian said: "Jamie is an icon - a Liverpool icon. "16 years at the club, he has been the captain and a true leader. I think even now, he is still the leader of the team. "He did a lot of things for the club, including winning the Champions League. "I played a lot of games against him and it was always a battle. "When I thought I'd won the duel, he'd be there again, but it was always in a good spirit. "That's what made him a great player."
Liverpool have revealed details of how they plan to honour Jamie Carragher on his last appearance for the club against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday. The 35-year-old will play his 737th and final match for the Reds against the Londoners as the 2012-13 season comes to a conclusion at Anfield. Prior to kick off, players from both Liverpool and QPR will create a guard of honour for Carragher, while the LED boards around the perimeter of the pitch will read 'Thanks For The Memories, Carra' and 'A True Liverpool Legend'. After a short introduction from matchday announcer Peter McDowall, Carra will head out onto the pitch accompanied by his two children and the Kop will be asked to hold aloft cards to create a 'JC 23' mosaic before he is presented with a gift on behalf of QPR. Following the conclusion of the game, Ian Callaghan - LFC's all-time record appearance maker - will join captain Steven Gerrard in making a presentation to Carragher and each will say a few words about the No.23. The man himself will then address the Anfield crowd before the first-team squad and staff embark on their traditional end-of-season lap of honour around the pitch.
Jamie Carragher is on a mission to sign off his Liverpool FC career with victory against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday - as he reveals his only regret is that he won't have Steven Gerrard alongside him at Anfield. The ECHO understands that both teams will form a guard of honour for Carragher before kick-off, while a mosaic on the Kop will pay tribute to the long-serving defender. There will also be a special presentation made to him after the game. Steven Gerrard, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, will be there to watch his close friend take his final bow. "I'm not the emotional type. I don't get upset - that's not me," Carragher said. "But it will be a big day as I've got a lot of great memories at Anfield. I'm just concentrating on the game itself and I want to make sure we finish the season with three points. "I would have loved to have Stevie alongside me for this one. He would probably have let me be captain anyway. "It's strange to think that I won't ever play alongside Stevie in a competitive game again. I suppose it's the end of an era in that sense." This is the way Jamie Carragher wanted it to be. On Sunday the Kop legend will lead Liverpool out on an emotionally charged afternoon at Anfield. The visit of Queens Park Rangers will bring the curtain down not only on this season but on an illustrious career. A capacity crowd will stand to applaud the contribution of one of the greatest servants in the club's 121-year history. Carragher's 737th appearance for the Reds - a total only bettered by Ian Callaghan (857) - will be his last. The void created by his retirement will be vast as he adheres to the old adage of always leaving them wanting more. Just a few months ago the Bootle-born defender feared the reality of his exit from Anfield would be very different. Carragher had decided last summer that his 17th campaign of Premier League duty would be his swansong, but by the midway point of this season he was seriously considering packing in early. He had started just one league game under Brendan Rodgers before Christmas and the prospect of continuing to warm the bench led him to reassess. "I knew at the start of the season this would be my last season and I told the manager that," Carragher said. "Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel were umming and ahhing about whether they would be staying but they both ended up signing new contracts so I knew I wasn't going to be first choice at that stage. "The new manager was always going to go with them, but I saw the Carling Cup and the UEFA Cup as a way to get games in. "But in the second half of the season I was worried. I was looking and thinking 'where am I going to get games here?' "Around Christmas I spoke to the manager then about calling it a day. I knew he would go stronger in the UEFA Cup the further we went so I wouldn't have those games and we were out of the Carling Cup. "We had a chat about it. Brendan has never tried to change my mind. He has always respected my thoughts as I know myself and my body better than anyone. I decided to keep going and I'm glad I did. "After a couple of bad results, I think the manager felt 'you know what, he trains well every day and has done well in the cup games he's played so he deserves a go in the league'. "I never ever caused a problem when I was substitute either under Kenny Dalglish last season or with Brendan. "I never knocked on his door. The manager will tell you that. I just trained and played games when I was needed. I think the attitude I showed then and the way I conducted myself has got me the rewards of playing in recent months." The recall Carragher craved arrived in mid-January when he was preferred to Skrtel for the visit of Norwich City and didn't put a foot wrong in a 5-0 triumph. The 35-year-old has been first choice ever since - starting 14 of the past 15 league matches and only missing the trip to Southampton due to injury. His consistency has rightly seen him showered with praise but he has never had any second thoughts since the day in February when he announced his retirement. Typically, even the timing of that saw him put the club first. "After the Norwich game a lot was made about me being back in the side," he said. "The manager had spoken about me being vocal at the back and people were questioning him about my future. They were saying 'well, his contract runs out in a few months so what are you going to do about it?' "I didn't want that dragging on. I've seen that happen at other clubs - like the Frank Lampard situation at Chelsea. "I didn't want it to look like there was a problem between me and the club. Whether they wanted to give me a new deal or not, or whether I wanted to stay on or not, I didn't want to get involved in all that. "The deal with Sky Sports to do TV work was there and I didn't want it to leak out that I was joining them. I wanted to tell people myself. "I was going to announce it but then I realised there were two big games coming up against Arsenal and Man City. I decided to wait until after them and it worked out perfectly for me. I did quite well in those two games and it was the right time for it to come out." Sunday represents the end of an era for a proud one-club man. Carragher was just nine years old when he first walked into Liverpool's School of Excellence. He signed his first professional deal in 1996 and made his first team bow the following year. Life after Liverpool will take some adjusting to but he is convinced the time is right to say farewell. "People always talk about your career as if it only started when you became famous as a professional," he said. "But my football career started when I was six years of age. It will leave a big void. I do love playing football and I'll certainly be looking for a five-aside team to join. "I have always wanted to play for Liverpool and I feel very fortunate to have been able to do that throughout my entire career. "I have never wanted to play for anyone else. I think it's really good when you look around the world and see players who have only played for one team. I've always thought that was really classy. "When you are playing for a top club who have won lots of trophies why would you want to leave? There was never any reason to and to be honest no-one has ever made a big effort to sign me. "How do you finish at Liverpool? "There are two ways to go out. "You either go out not playing, whether that's on the bench or in the stand, or you go out playing. "I always wanted to go out playing but I feared I would go out on the bench or in the stand. "I think I could play for another year but would I be playing every week? The manager will look to strengthen in my position this summer and I couldn't go back to being a sub again. "I always wanted to go out with it being my decision, rather than the club saying we're not going to give you a new contract or they want to move you on or you're playing in the reserves. "I intend to enjoy Sunday and go out on a high." {LINK}
Rate in order: Owen, Beckham, Scholes, Carragher (in terms of WC ability) No taking into account wht you think of them as a person just their natural ability
Not that strange, they have all just retired and they are 4 of the best English players over last 15 years. My opinion is slightly biased probably because Owen and Becks are such England legends. Nevertheless think Scholes is most naturally talented so number 1. as great a bloke and player Carra is, he is clear number 4. Gonna go Owen for 2. One of the best goalscorers around, if it wasnt for the injuries he would have smashed the England goalscoring record and been smashing them in at a top club. Beckham as a man = living legend. Anyone who has a bad word to say about the bloke clearly has some insecure, jealousy issues.
The Scouse Neville. Not the most naturally gifted human being but put himself on the line for his club time after time.
Depends what you're looking for in a player, and they all played so differently, in different positions. Very few defenders I've seen have read the game as well as Jamie. You're looking at him being right up there for game intelligence, being in the right place at the right time. The best defenders don't need to make a 30yard lung bursting run, concluding in a desperate oscar award winning last ditch tackle - they stopped the danger before the pass was even made by closing off the run, making a pass not possible. Carra was phenominal in that regard. Scholes by far the most technically gifted with the ball. Not even a question. Awesome player. Owen was a clinical finisher and had blistering pace, but was quite limited compared to other premiership strikers over the years. Henry, Shearer, Van Nistelrooy, Rooney, etc etc. Beckham is massively over rated as a player. He had a fantastic eye for a cross or freekick, but was limited besides that. You can't argue against his professionalism and conduct since 2000+ though. Great role model and always gave 100% in every game, so I respect him for that.
He can be annoying and I can understand people not liking him but I'm a very tolerant person and it wouldn't make for good radio if they all had the same opinion as each other and the listeners. I'm a bit hit and miss with his opinions TBH. I can usually see what he is getting at but I don't always agree, at least he applies logic to his views unlike a lot of people. I quite like listening to Goughie too but I very rarely agree with anything he says
I'd say Beckham, Owen, Scholes then Carragher for contribution to the England side. Beckham played in three world cups and performed very well as captain too. Owen had a very good world cup when he was eighteen which puts him ahead of the others for me. Scholes did alright but like with Gerrard, he got pushed out of position to accommodate others, I don't think we ever saw the Scholes of Man Utd in an England shirt. Carragher never really got a chance for England. In terms of contribution outside the international scene, I'd go Scholes, Carragher, Beckham then Owen. This is harder than I thought it would be
