Carra set for 600th game

JAMIE CARRAGHER will create another slice of history at Portsmouth tomorrow when he becomes only the ninth Liverpool player to join the 600 club. Here DOMINIC KING talks exclusively to some of the people who have helped shape his glittering career.

ROY EVANS set the wheels in motion on Carragher's Anfield career when he sent him on to replace Rob Jones in the 75th minute at the Riverside Stadium and knew immediately he was destined for the top.

Young players can be terrific on the training ground but you never really know what they are going to be like until they play a competitive game.

With Jamie, though, I never had any fears about throwing him in.

Even from an early age, he was always trying to help others in the team and you just knew he was going to mature into a leader because he had such passion for the game - it has been fantastic to watch him develop.

Mind you, when he first got into the team, he had to get used to taking plenty of stick.

He never made any secret Everton was the first result he would look for - when they won, you'd know about it because Jamie would be jumping around at the back of the bus!

In a funny way, though, people respected him even more for it, as he showed great passion and he's now got that passion for Liverpool and more besides; he's been a wonderful servant for the club in the last 15 years. To get to 600 games shows how well he has managed his lifestyle and looked after himself; he's a role model and has shown phenomenal consistency to stay in Liverpool's team for so long.

Others may have more skill and because he has played as a defender throughout his career, he perhaps hasn't got the plaudits on a wider level he should have but Liverpool supporters know great players when they see them - and that's exactly what Jamie is.

STEVE McMANAMAN was a mainstay of the Liverpool side which Carragher broke into. He never harboured any doubts the local lad would come good - even if he lacked a bit of pace.

MY first real memory of Carra came from when he was playing in the team that won the won the FA Youth Cup in 199 6. I used to go with Jamie (Redknapp) and Robbie (Fowler) a lot to watch them and he always stood out, partic-ularly in one game at West Ham.

He was a great character - with that voice you could hear him coming from a mile away - but it was extra special for me and Robbie to see him come through, as it was another good young local lad.

Over my period in the team, he must have played in four or five different positions but his attitude was impeccable; he was so determined that it didn't matter whether he played right-back, left-back or wherever.

He was always eager to learn but, equally, Carra was never afraid to mix it with the older lads and he would put himself about in training - people always talk about his tackling but I wouldn't know about that; he was never quick enough to catch me!

You sometimes wonder how hard it is going to be for a young, local lad coming into the team and whether the crowd will accept them; sometimes the pressure to succeed can be too much but with Carra it was never going to be an issue. It didn't bother him at all.

To get to 600 games in this day and age is an outstanding achievement; it shows how well he has looked after himself and why he has been at the top of his profession for such a long time - that he can still play three times a week is a testament to his ability.

Carra has been a wonderful player for Liverpool, an absolute superstar and I've no doubt whatsoever there will be many more games to come in the future; he's as important to this team now as he's ever been.

STEVE HEIGHWAY was influential in ensuring Carragher had the opportunity to develop his talents with Liverpool rather than one of their rivals; from an early age, he noticed the traits which would help set him apart.

I WAS completely taken back that he has got to 600 games but it is absolutely brilliant news. I might have had an early input in his career but a lot of other good people did, too; 600 games is magnificent but I'm more impressed with the type of person he is.

He has gone about getting to that figure in such an impressive way. I know people talk about what he was like when he joined in at Melwood but even when he was 10 years old, he was a dominant figure - he wanted the ball and was willing to boss others around.

But he always did it in a nice way; he was just a winner and a very impressive character; we still get on really well now, even though I'm an old fart! He embodies everything that is good about this football club and remembers the ladder by which he rose.

MIKE DICKINSON was a member of the PE department at Savio during Carragher's school days and has watched with great pride as he has blossomed from promising novice to seasoned thoroughbred.

I used to be a physio with England's Under-15 schoolboy team, so when James' dad, Phil, told me he was having trials for the National School of Excellence, I told him it was a fantastic opportunity for him, one he should grasp if it the chance came along.

Back then when he was 14, there was nothing to him physically and James looked like a drink of water - very tall and skinny. But he had a natural instinct that would drive him on and that's why he flew through all those trials.

Regardless of whether he made it as a professional or not, Lilleshall was always going to be a beneficial experience but James naturally wanted to make the best of every situation and he has turned out to be everything we hoped he would be - as a footballer and person.

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