Product Description

Jamie Carragher is one of the most charismatic footballers of his generation. Adored by the fans, he was recently voted the most popular player in the entire Liverpool squad. Yet the young Carra came to Liverpool as an Everton fan, from an Everton family and with Everton friends. Packed with great anecdotes, controversial opinions and large helpings of his trademark humour, this is his story...Born in January 1978 in Bootle, Merseyside, Carragher signed professional terms with Liverpool in 1996, having served a successful apprenticeship, won the FA Youth Cup and played for England Under-21s. He scored a goal in his first full league game for the senior team - pretty good for a defender and very unusual for him - and his versatility was to ensure a permanent place in the starting line up before long and he is now vice-captain. In fact he is so integral to the Liverpool squad, the Kop chants 'we all dream of a team of Carraghers' to the tune of 'Yellow Submarine'. Raw, funny and down-to-earth, his book is an antidote to the anodyne sports autobiography. It takes you behind the scenes of all of Liverpool and England's greatest triumphs and disasters in the company of a player who never fails to be intelligent, controversial or just downright hilarious.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13198 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

From the Inside Flap
For the Anfield faithful, Jamie Carragher represents everything that is great about Liverpool Football Club, prompting the Kop to sing 'we all dream of a team of Carraghers'. The club's vice captain, longest-serving player and one of a select band of players to have made more than 500 appearances for the Reds, Carra never gives less than 100 per cent for the cause. Never was this more true than in Liverpool's stunning Champions League triumph in Istanbul in 2005. He is the embodiment of old-fashioned football values– a rarity in the modern game – honest and uncompromising.

In Carra: My Autobiography, the Liverpool defender takes us deep into the heart of Anfield, into the club's past glories and its uncertain future. In his typically down-to-earth style, Carra reveals what made him discard his blue Evertonian roots to become a fully fledged Red, how he mended his wild ways to become a true professional and a multiple trophy-winner, and the truth about a succession of managers – Evans, Houllier, Benitez – in the hottest seat in football. A scouser through and through, Carra also has some forthright views on the England team, and tells why he rejected calls from both Steve McClaren and Fabio Capello to return to the international fold.

Full of sensational stories and controversial opinions, of glory and heartbreak on and off the pitch, Carra: My Autobiography is a football book unlike any other. The authentic voice of Anfield, Carra is one of the Bootroom Boys in true Liverpool tradition, and is as committed on the page as in every game he has ever played.

About the Author
Now vice-captain and Liverpool's longest serving player - one of a select band of players to have made more than 500 appearances for the club - Jamie Carragher signed professional terms with the Reds aged 18 in October 1996. His first team debut came at Middlesbrough on 8 January 1997 as a substitute and he made his first start against Aston Villa ten days later. Carra's passion, enthusiasm and incredible versatility soon ensured regular starts from then on, whether at right-back, left-back, centre-half or in defensive midfield. Carra was part of Gerard Houllier's Treble-winning side of 2001, playing most of the season at left-back. His solid displays earned him a full England debut against Holland in August 2001. Sadly, like teammate Steven Gerrard, injury ruled him out of the 2002 World Cup, and there was more heartbreak a year later when a broken leg forced him to miss six months of the 2003-04 campaign. While Carra had always been a first-team regular at Anfield, he'd somehow struggled to get the recognition he deserved. Each new signing was seen as a threat to his place. The arrival of new boss Rafa Benitez changed all this, with Mr Versatile getting the permanent centre-back slot he'd always craved. The Bootle boy was soon being labelled the most underrated defender in the country, not least for his heroics in the unforgettable Champions League final in 2005, and was voted Liverpoolfc.tv's Player of the Year. In July 2005, the defender signed a new four-year deal at Anfield. His loyalty was rewarded a month later when, in the absence of the injured Steven Gerrard, Carra lifted the European Super Cup. There was more silverware at the end of the season despite an own goal in the FA Cup final against West Ham. It was the defender's 10th final in as many years - and what better way to prepare for the World Cup, even though it was to end in crushing disappointment. In August 2006 Carra captained the club in the Community Shield against champions Chelsea, jointly holding the silver dish aloft with injured skipper Gerrard.

Customer Reviews

`And number one, is Carragher, and number two was Carragher, and number...
Jamie Carragher is one of the most popular footballers in Liverpool`s history. He is worshiped by the LFC fans, and the envy of rival back fours. His popularity was proven when he was recently voted the most popular player in the entire Liverpool squad.
The story tells how a teenage Carra came to Liverpool even though he had been brought up as an Everton fan, from an Everton family and with Everton friends. The book is well written packed with great anecdotes and stories, and he doesnt pull any punches with some controversial opinions and large helpings of his trademark humour, you cannot help but enjoy it. There has been a growing list of good books from Liverpool authors lately, `43 years with the same bird, by Brian Reade` is great, `Here we go gathering cups in may` by Nicky Alt is excellent, the `Soft Target` thrillers by Conrad Jones The 18th Brigade (Soft Target Series)(SET at Anfield) are terrifiyingly good!! There is another Carragher book due out next year, obviously written by someone else. This is the real mcoy from the horses mouth. The only thing missing is the story of how he picked up a bag full of premiership medals....but there is plenty of time yet.
So popular now he is now vice-captain. In fact he is so integral to the Liverpool squad, the Kop chants 'we all dream of a team of Carraghers' to the tune of 'Yellow Submarine'. Raw, funny and down-to-earth, his book is an antidote to the anodyne sports autobiography. It takes you behind the scenes of all of Liverpool and England's greatest triumphs and disasters in the company of a player who never fails to be intelligent, controversial or just downright hilarious.

Footballer in interesting , honourable ,honest and erudite shock!
It's interesting that I have chosen to read the autobiography of Jamie ( James is the name his family know him by ) just as his worth to Liverpool is being questioned by some Liverpool fans after their slightly shaky start to the season. Now if I didn't know it already from watching him play so consistently (well ...up to this point anyway ) I would have said that if anyone represented consummate professionalism and commitment to the cause of L.F.C. it was Jamie Carragher and that if anyone deserved the patience and support of the fans through a rare out of form spell it was JC again. Reading this book has further cemented that believe for not only is a genuinely fascinating, entertaining , honest and revealing autobiography it is also one of the more erudite .
Carragher , initially an Everton fan discusses his changing relationship with his boyhood club , a relationship that has deteriorated to such a degree ( he blames bitter Everton fans as much as anything ) he now values a win over them more than one over Manchester United. He discusses the impact ex-managers like Gerard Houllier ( who many will be surprised to hear he is invariably very complimentary about and includes a brilliant anecdote with reference to Paul Ince ) and Rafa Benitez have made on his career and the fact that playing for Liverpool meant more to him than playing for England which may be sacrilege to some .
Mostly though its the tone and structure of the book that mark it out as different from the standard footballers autobiography . There is none of the rote: then we went to such and such and won 2-1 with goals from Bing & Bong before beating so and so at home with Jay Jay scoring a brace. Carragher tackles ( no pun intended ) managers and pivotal events -Istanbul , the Gerrard cup final - chapter by chapter, though the narrative still sticks to chronology . He is scathing of numerous ex- colleagues who he feels were not up to the standard required for Premiership football. Salif Diao , El Hadj Dioff , Bruno Cheyrou to name a few lambastes others -Stan Collymore ,Sander Westerveld - for their attitude while at the club. Others, like Didi Hamann , Danny Murphy ( who never wanted to leave Liverpool in the first place) he has nothing but praise for.
With reference to leaving Liverpool Carragher is also extremely understanding and supportive of former teams mates Michael Owen ( or MO as he calls him ) and Steve McMannaman for heading out in search in pastures new. That is not for him though .Carragher is Liverpool through and through and in this book he comes across as decent , honourable and likable and how many top flight footballers can you say that about ?

`We all dream of a team of Carraghers`
Forget all the reviews from the bitter opposition fans, this review is based on reading the book, and many other football biographies over many years, and comparing the contents for other readers.
`Carra` is well written and is a truly honest account of the Liverpool ledgend`s career so far. It details the war of loyalties that raged in his heart and through his Evertonion family when he signed a contract with the wrong half of Liverpool(their opinion not mine!), as a teenager. It is frank, moving and hilarious. Carra`s humour runs through the book, even the darker chapters which talk about his turmoil when he wasnt being picked for England, and finality of his retirement from international football, which as we know is a national dissaster.
Some recent bio`s have skirted round issues already in the public domain (eg Rooney and his old slappers!!) but this a great read, written from the heart with the integrity that we would expect from Anfield`s favorite son. Five Stars all day long.