His legs may be going, he may be a boyhood blue, but he loves the club and his dad's well 'ard apparently so I don't have a bad word to say about him.
No matter what you think about Jamie now, anyone who doesn't think that this one club man is a Liverpool Legend is a grade A moron.
What sets Jamie Lee Duncan Carragher apart for me is that he loves Liverpool and gives more for Liverpool than he does/did the national team. If ever there was a man who embodied 'We're not English, we are Scouse' its him.
He loves the club and is a proud man, perhaps that's why he's finding it so hard to give up. But wouldn't you? I know if Liverpool were willing to play me then I'd bite their hand off. It must hurt the man seeing the club he loves being torn asunder by shit signings and the media. He's always going to give 110% and anyone who says he doesn't have what it takes, better beware.
"[player] walked on to the training pitch with a smile on his face. He was limping off it with a grimace an hour later. The first chance I got, I did him. Never have I hunted down a 50–50 tackle with greater appetite. 'You're not f**king laughing now, are you, you soft c**t?' I said as he hobbled away." Who did he say this about in his autobiography?
716 games according to the official, and 5 goals. But the man isn't about goals, the man is about last ditch tackles stopping AC Milan players from winning the Champions League, the man is about battling cramp throughout extra time in FA Cup finals. The man is about winning, and doing what he can to help the team. The pain on his face was visible from the stands in the 2012 League Cup final. The obvious distress he suffered from not being part of the 'Mickey Mouse' cup, compared the fact he didn't give two shits about going out of major International tournaments just says what LFC means to Carra 23.
Just imagine how many appearances our Jamie would have if Lucas Neill hadn't broke his leg in 03/04. Imagine the state Neill would be in now if David Thomson hadn't been hanging around with Neill some time later...
Some say that he's too passionate. Not me, I know how he feels. When he squared up to Arbeloa, some thought he should have kept it shut. Nah, he thought that Alvaro was risking the points he so desperately wanted, so he let it be known. Countless defenders have been shepherded in by Carra, and the combination of Carra and Hyypia in their peak was a thing of beauty.
Rafael Benitez, tactical genuis and loved by most LFC fans, knew all about Carra even before he arrived:
"It’s like I said with Stevie recently – to be at one club for such a long time and to play 600 games is absolutely amazing and shows the passion and commitment,” said Benitez.
“Before I came here, I watched a lot of games and was analysing the players and Carra always stood out as you could see he was a clever player."
You know what, if Rafa thinks that Carra is a special player, then I think I do too.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/hOZlFOm5Dbk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/hOZlFOm5Dbk</a>]]>I remember on holiday with the partner in 2009, it was September and there were only us and one other couple in the hotel. To be fair thats probably because everyone else checked the weather and knew it was going to be torrential rain in Majorca all week, but I digress. Looking across the Pool one cloudy Spanish morning I clocked the book the fella from the other couple had, it was Carra, by Carra. Which was funny, because that was the book I was reading by the pool. So as far as I am aware, everyone has read his book
Its rare for a defender to be such an idol, normally a kids favourite player is the number 9, or the lung bursting midfielder who can lift the game by the scruff of its neck (we've had a few of each of those in our time too) but Carra is different. A family man with his own business interests and his own charity, you see his name on countless shirts in the Kop. He's more than a player, he's an ambassador.
And for those saying "loads of English defenders are brave role models", lets consider Carra.
He's got a close family, he doesn't cheat or shag his teammates birds.
He's got a charity that helps local kids in the community, no matter their colour or disability. He doesn't pick up fines for parking his car in disabled bays...
Our fans from across the Atlantic love him, they probably wouldn't love him if he mocked Americans about 9/11
He's not been removed from England duty (on multiple occasions), hes been asked to come out of retirement because his country needs him.
And he's not a filthy racist.
So ask me who's the biggest hero out of any defender to set foot on the turf? You can stick your EBJT up your arse, give me SHJC instead.
Scouse Hero, Jamie Carragher.
