Swashbuckling midfielders who hit Hollywood balls? £35million...

[Haukur Gudnason]

Teenage scoring sensations? £30million. Jamie Carraghers? Priceless.

CARRAGHER LEADS WAY FOR FOOTBALL'S NEW SUPERHEROES
Brian Reade, Mirror

http://www.mirror.co.uk/columnists/brianreadesport/

Apr 16 2005

IT wasn't a bad night's work for a team given less chance of getting a result in Italy than a beaming cardinal emerging from the Vatican to hail Ian Paisley the new Pope.

Maybe the rest of England will now begin to appreciate a fact known at Anfield and Spain for some time. That Rafa Benitez is one of the world's top coaches. That anyone who can wipe the floor tactically with Juve's Fabio Capello, using players supposedly not on the same planet as his, nine months into a job at a club which was in turmoil and decline, is a bit special.

Maybe now they'll realise that Jose Mourinho is not the only foreign coach bringing fresh hope and prestige to English football. Not that Benitez will complain about languishing in The Special One's shadow as he takes the first traumatic steps of turning around the Anfield supertanker.

Being held in high esteem by the people who pay your wages and judge your work, week-in-week-out, is what really matters. And in this respect he is in tune with the heartbeat of his side, Jamie Carragher, who is possibly the most underrated player in the land.

I'm still laughing as I type in The Times's "ratings assessment" of his performance in Turin. "Jamie Carragher: 6/10. Made important interceptions and blocks, although he caused anxiety when giving the ball away on the edge of his own penalty area."

Which is like giving Geoff Hurst 6/10 after his hat-trick in 1966 and writing: "Only had three decent shots, and caused a bit of a panic when one hit the bar and bounced on to the line."

Carragher was a colossus against Juventus. Just as he's been in every single Liverpool game this season. No offence to Steven Gerrard, but the Liverpool player who should have been short-listed for PFA's Footballer of the Year is Carragher.

Because in a season of heart-thumping highs and gut-wrenching lows (most domestic away games), he has easily been the club's most consistent performer. The true driving force, composed and committed for 90 minutes, focused purely on giving his all for a cause that courses through his blood.

A man who couldn't bear to look one of his mates - who'd just paid £28 to watch him perform - in the eye on a Saturday night, without knowing he'd given everything. In an era where players see themselves as individual brands, with heads turned by sharks who want 10 per cent of their disloyalty, football desperately needs its Jamie Carraghers.

Honest men who think the way fans with one hundredth of their talent think. Who go on record as saying "I want to stay here for life," who don't simply spout cliches about performances "not being acceptable for a club of this size" but actually do something about it, by showing passion and leadership on the pitch, and unswerving loyalty off it.

Men whose desire is not to pine for a bigger stage, profile or pay-day but to pay back his fellow working-class men who have made him rich.

Men who are genuine role models, whose name you'd take pleasure in buying for the back of your kid's shirt. And it's the names of men like Carragher, John Terry and Gary Neville, that more and more kids are asking for.

We used to patronise these kind of players by calling them no-nonsense lads with big hearts. But they are becoming the new superheroes.

Increasingly, fans sick of throwing affection at more skilful, attacking players, only to see it thrown back in their faces as they kiss the next flag of convenience, will tire of the Wayne Rooneys and Alan Smiths, and invest their emotion in home-grown lads whose heart is in the same places as theirs.

When Benitez lost Gerrard for Wednesday's game, he said "big problems require big solutions". No they don't, they require big men. Heroes who fear no one, lead by example and are prepared to die for a club.

And, not unimportantly, show Italian defenders who still see themselves as the best in the world, a thing or two about the art of defending.

Teenage scoring sensations? £30million. Swashbuckling midfielders who hit Hollywood balls? £35million. Jamie Carraghers? Priceless.

 

[Haukur Gudnason]

Carragher's exemplary attitude makes awards absence simply inexplicable
James Lawton, Independent
23 April 2005

Any professional body so slow to condemn in the hardest terms the antics of such members as Rio Ferdinand, Lee Bowyer, Kieron Dyer, Craig Bellamy and Robbie Savage is never going to be infallible when judging superior performance and behaviour.

However, the Professional Footballers' Association stepped beyond criticism when they made John Terry and Frank Lampard front-runners for tomorrow's awarding of the Players' Player of the Year title.

Rarely has the honour been so closely and legitimately contested, and certainly not in 1999 when the gorgeous but somewhat irrelevant David Ginola won it for a virtuoso FA Cup goal against Barnsley while Roy Keane was pistol-whipping Manchester United towards their historic treble.

Terry, for the intensity and near perfection of his contribution to Chelsea's remarkable season, should - just - get the nod, but surely there must be one deep source of regret when the champagne is popped in the West End tomorrow night.

It is that there will be no official acknowledgement of the stupendous effort of will by Liverpool's Jamie Carragher.

Predictably, his Anfield team-mate Steven Gerrard, who in football terms at least is second only to David Beckham in drawing tabloid headlines, is in the frame. So is the masterful goalkeeper Petr Cech, the gutsy young striker Andy Johnson and the eternal Thierry Henry. They are all men of talent and achievement, no doubt, but it is wrong that Carragher is excluded.

Carragher has been the rock on which the new coach, Rafael Benitez, has built his extraordinary push into the semi-finals of the Champions' League.

But this is not just about performance on the field; it has also to do with demeanour and spirit and discipline, a sense that a professional football life is short, and now hugely rewarded, and there is thus a pressing obligation to deliver the best you have for the club, the fans, the game, and, in the end, yourself.

In all these respects Carragher has not had just a great season. It has been epic.

Inevitably, Gerrard has had spectacular moments but has his commitment, either on or off the field, begun to match that of the relentless Carragher? All the senses - and some of the statistics - say no. When Gerrard, and his exceptional ability, have been missing, Liverpool have tended to do better. We know that certain truths can always be buried in statistics, but others are self-evident. One is that not once has Carragher projected himself as anything more than any other of the troops. This cannot be said of Gerrard. Indeed, the charge against him is that right from the start of the season he has in effect put Liverpool on trial. He said that his future was dependent on the club's performance. Could they show themselves to be winners? If they couldn't, the chances were that he would be off. This is not the philosophy of a team man; it is the thinking of someone persuaded that today's football is mostly about opportunism and its first cousin, rampant self-interest.

The Bootle-bred Carragher is a throwback. He is Tommy Smith with healthy knees, Ian Callaghan with a few thousand miles left on the clock, Ian St John with that a rage against the idea of losing which you can be sure is never going to die.

All season Carragher has played unstintingly at the heart of Liverpool's defence. Against Juventus he was immense. Under Gérard Houllier he was given various roles. He was a jobbing defender, left-back one day, right-back another, and then filling in as a central defender. This was nothing so much as an insult to a player, who, with Aston Villa's Gareth Barry, played the most games (27) for England's Under-21. He never whinged about Houllier's team-sheets. He was just glad to be handed a shirt.

You don't need a razor to cut Carragher's Scouse accent - a butter knife will do. A few years ago he had something of a reputation as a trainee "scally," but those who know him best say it was an illusion. He had a little growing up to do and when it was done he was all of a professional piece. The other day he was encountered with his head buried in a book. It was the autobiography of Sir Clive Woodward. Carragher wanted to see what made this eccentric, driven coach a member, with Sir Alf Ramsey, of England's two-man club of World Cup winners.

If Carragher read the assessment of another World Cup winner, fellow defender George Cohen, a few years ago, it didn't turn his head. Cohen, a full-back of great speed and sure defensive instinct, said: "Of all the English defenders playing today I think I like Jamie Carragher best. He seems to me a real pro, a kid who understands why he is on the field... it is not to look good, like so many of them when they come away with the ball... that's a part of the game, of course, but his priority is the right one... he sees himself as a defender, he keeps his position, he makes his tackles... he's not the prettiest of players, maybe, but he warms the heart of an old pro like me because he's obviously taken the time to learn his business."

When you recall those words from one of only 10 living Englishmen who have won the World Cup of football, comparisons are hard to resist.

You have to think of the gifted but erratic Ferdinand, author of another costly mistake at Everton the other night, pushing for an expansion of his vast salary much less than a year after serving an eight-month suspension for walking away from a drugs test. You have to think of Dyer and Bellamy refusing to play in certain positions, and Dyer scrapping with his team-mate Bowyer in front of the long-suffering Toon Army. You cannot forget the caperings of Savage, sneaking away from Birmingham City and generally creating so much ado about so very little.

For anyone who cares about football there will no hardship offering a toast to Terry or Lampard. Still less for raising one to Jamie Carragher, a footballer of pride and dignity and a fighting heart. Such a combination is said not to exist, but we know now it simply isn't true.

 

[Haukur Gudnason]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=D&xml=/sport/2005/04/23/sfnliv23.xml

Boy from Bootle proud to drive Liverpool forward
By Alan Smith (Filed: 23/04/2005)


Jamie Carragher hasn't got much wrong lately. In fact, he has been right on the ball, a tower of strength at the heart of Liverpool's defence during an up-and-down campaign that could end in sensational style. The Champions League final awaits should they get the better of Chelsea, starting next Wednesday with the semi-final first leg.


Bootle boy, born and bred: Liverpool's Jamie Carragher

But nobody's perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. And Carragher got his dates slightly wrong when planning his summer wedding. As it turns out, pre-season training clashes with the big day. "We don't normally come back until the 10th or 11th of July," he explains. "But we're in on the 27th of June this time. I had visions of getting married and going on a honeymoon. We'll just have to take the honeymoon before the wedding now."

Yet this proud son of Liverpool won't mind that one bit if a trip to Istanbul precedes the nuptials. For him more than most in Liverpool's cosmopolitan squad, a place in the final would mean something special - a return to the glory days for the club he joined as a boy.

Ever since that epic night in Turin when Rafael Benitez's side held out for a goalless draw with Juventus, the red half of Merseyside has been walking on air. "Everyone's beeping their horns at you," Carragher says. "They see you in your car at traffic lights and give you the thumbs up. It means so much to them. It's been up and down for the supporters but this has been a big lift."

And how the fans needed a boost after witnessing one or two league matches they would rather forget. In particular, the away performances at Southampton and Birmingham stood out for all the wrong reasons when the team, seemingly bereft of fight and direction, looked a million miles away from conquering Europe.

"You get criticised in the media and rightly so," Carragher admits. "This is Liverpool Football Club. We shouldn't be sinking to those depths. It shouldn't get as bad as that. We were all disappointed about it at the time and still are really."

So what has been the difference? How does he account for the sharp contrast when the Premiership and Champions League have looked like two different sports?

"It is a different game in Europe - the Premiership's more physical - and with us having a few foreign players who have only just come over, it takes time to adjust. They're used to the European games more, and the manager is more experienced in Europe than he is here.

"Even so, for the manager to get us to the Champions League semi-final in his first season when he's still assessing players who are just getting used to the English game - it's an excellent achievement. You think of the great teams that Arsenal have had and they haven't got this far. That puts it in perspective."

When team-mates talk about Carragher, they naturally mention his classic 'scally' character, one that dominates the dressing room with biting scouse wit. Revealingly, though, they also refer to someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly, who won't tend to hold back if someone is not pulling their weight. In this respect, he is probably more vocal than Steven Gerrard, his good mate and captain, when it comes to giving the battle cry, firing up his team-mates for huge occasions like Wednesday.

"I was talking to the lads the other day, saying we might never get this chance again," he says. "There's probably six to eight clubs every season who you'd say could win the Champions League. That's how difficult it is. Now we're in the last four playing a team we know very well."

And for someone schooled at Anfield under the cautious Gerard Houllier, you won't hear this particular defender criticise Chelsea's style of play. "The best teams are built from the back. Look at AC Milan. For me they're the best team in Europe whether they win the Champions League or not. Look at how strong they are defensively. That's the key to everything.

"But if you keep clean sheets and have players like Robben and Duff and Drogba and Lampard then you're going to win games. That's what it's about."

And even though it's Chelsea, Carragher accepts that this is still a European tie. "If we're getting beat by one goal with 10 minutes to go that's not such a bad result. We don't want to be trying to get the equaliser and conceding the second. It's little things like that that change it slightly.

"I'm delighted that the second leg is at home because if we're still in with a shout the atmosphere at Anfield is going to be something special."

Apart from the semi-final, the Reds are still chasing fourth place in the Premiership, continuing today with a trip to Crystal Palace. Once again, Carragher should be there, the only league ever-present in his manager's squad. Whatever happened to rotation?

"I don't believe in that, to be honest," he says. "Don't get me wrong, you don't always feel 100 per cent going into a game, especially after travelling away in Europe, but I don't think you need too much rest, especially as a defender."

And as far as the local lad is concerned, who nominates winning the Merseyside Sports Personality of the Year award as his proudest moment so far, the proof is in the pudding.

Whether partnering Sami Hyypia or Mauricio Pellegrino, two stoppers of diminishing pace, Carragher's reading of the game and nose for danger have been absolutely superb. After a good seven years as a utility man, he can hold his head high as one of this country's finest centre-halves.

An avalanche of praise, however, won't succeed in changing the man. It's his family, he says, that keep his feet on the ground.

"They wouldn't want to see me get above my station. It's the way you're brought up. I like to keep my old mates and everything. Maybe if I ever moved and I didn't have my family around me I could get a bit carried away with things. I don't know."

I do. That would never happen. Apart from the fact that he can't see beyond a career at Liverpool, this down to earth character simply doesn't do flash. He bought a wallet once and got slaughtered by his mates. The boys from Bootle, he was reminded, use their pockets for cash.

As for diamond earrings, don't even go there. Carragher's performances on the pitch shine brightly enough.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

About bloody time the lad gets his due recognition and respect. Sod off, the Rios and the Bowyers, we dont need the likes of yers.

 

[Help?]

Ahh, dear Jamie, that was a superb pass to Forlan 2 and a half years ago .








































sorry

 

[shokz]

About bloody time the lad gets his due recognition and respect. Sod off, the Rios and the Bowyers, we dont need the likes of yers.

Not only that Ewan, but I wouldn't mind at all to see Rio piss off elsewhere if the fee is enough for Essien - no gaurantee he'll come though - and a replacement defender at the back. I don't say that because he met Kenyon, I couldn't give a toss about that. I say it because the cockney gangster twat is partly responsible for screwing up two seasons (unavail 2003/04 & first month of 04/05) and now he and his agent have the cheek to believe that Rio is deserving of atleast £100,000?. "Best defender on the planet"? my f*****g arse. If anyone believes that Rio Ferdinand will be hard to replace, then think again because in my opinion we've still not replaced Stam. Better off being sold than having to shell out between £5m-£6m a year for that ungrateful bastards salary and then we can bring in someone who will love the club and die for the cause. Nesta's basic salary is roughly only half of what Ferdinand and Zahavi are demanding, stuff the greedy swines.

Rant over, night fellas

 

[0le_Spain]

I've been watching Liverpool play alot and Carra has been great, prolley one of the top CB's in the Premier this season. He reminds me alot of Puyol in that you watch him play and he is the heart of the team, a local lad and with the right mindset. Good to see he's getting some recognition

 

[henry#14]

Yeah but Puyol sometimes looks like he's hyped on coke:fool:

 

[Joe Star]

carragher

 

[0le_Spain]

Yeah but Puyol sometimes looks like he's hyped on coke:fool:

Nah thats your new striker from Chelsea

 

[Klobb]

carrrrrragher

 

[Virgo]

I thought Hyppia was the best defender in the game against Juventus and most stuff I've read at the time tended to agree with me. Nothing wrong with giving value to the homegrown players though.

 

[Atlas]

true many people forget about Carra because he doesn't play beautiful and because his a defender, but he has been one of our best players this season if not our best.


Jamie Carragher :Bow: