Carragher: My early memories of Gerrard The story of what a - TopicsExpress

Carragher: My early memories of Gerrard The story of what a young Steven Gerrard did to a veteran Paul Ince on one of the Scousers first days at Melwood to render everyone who witnessed it speechless has been told and retold. On Saturday, in conversation with the official Liverpool FC matchday programme, Jamie Carragher told it again to mark 16 years since Gerrards debut against Blackburn Rovers on November 28, 1998. He spoke of how the scrawny kid from Huyton, who had been called up from the youth ranks to train in West Derby, went shuddering into the club captain, Ince, robbing him of possession. How Gerrard was unflappable, picking up his head and spraying a cross-field pass like it was the most natural thing in the world. And how everyone there knew sheer potential was in their midst. But Carra retold the tale not just to illustrate how Gerrard had that aggression and composure from an early age, but to hammer home the importance of what the 18-year-old did next in his career. To make the point that at Liverpool, there can be no relenting in delivering and no satisfaction at early strides. And to underline the fact that Gerrard continued to push the limits from his first day at Melwood, which has been the key to his formidable Anfield career. Teammates have told stories about the first time they witnessed Stevens qualities - the type of qualities supporters have seen displayed so often over the years, said Carragher. There is one where he wiped Paul Ince out in a tackle in one of his first training sessions before raking a perfect cross-field pass. Stevie was 18 years old and Ince was Liverpools club captain, had captained England and had played in Italy. Yet for me, its only when a player does something in a match situation that you can really gauge where he is at in terms of a standing. When I was 16 years old Steve Heighway, my youth-team coach told me that he believed I was good enough to play for Liverpools first team. I didnt know whether that meant one game, 10 games, 100 games, or a lot more as it turned out to be. There are no guarantees in football. What Steve meant was, I had the ability to reach the first team, but it was up to me to prove I could stay there. It was the same with Steven Gerrard. You knew hed play for Liverpools first team. Stevie got his chance and took off. With better players and greater experience he became a better player and quickly accelerated into the world-class category leaving others behind. To be a Liverpool player, you obviously need to have ability. But to stay there for the number of years - or your entire career like Stevie - you have to be made of the toughest stuff mentally. There is so much emotion involved when representing your local club. You are aware of the history and the traditions of success. The challenge to continue that tradition is unrelenting. To be captain for so long, it probably reveals more than anything else about his strength and character. Gerrards debut was a fleeting appearance as he took to the field against Blackburn Rovers in the 90th minute to replace Vegard Heggem; however, six days later, the youngster was handed his first full start against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. I remember Stevie having a difficult afternoon at right-back when he was marking David Ginola, reflected Carragher. Ginola was flying at the time and one of the best wingers in the Premier League. Three days later we played Celta Vigo at Anfield [in the UEFA Cup third round second leg]. Ince and Steve McManaman were suspended after being sent off against Valencia and Gerard Houllier, whod been appointed as sole manager not long before, had selection problems in midfield. Vigo were an exciting team and doing well in La Liga. In the first leg they had beaten us convincingly in Spain and had some excellent players in the centre of the park - midfielders like Alexandr Mostovoi, Valeri Karpin, Claude Makelele and Mazinho. If it was a daunting task for Stevie, he didnt show it. It was his first start in a competitive first-team match at Anfield and even though we were below strength, he did things that made you stop and just go, wow. He took the situation in his stride, passed with authority, tackled fearlessly and tried to drive the team forward. Everything he did was delivered with confidence, a football arrogance. There was a type of conviction that you get with the best Liverpool-born players. Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley have similar qualities. There was a belief and grit in Stevies play combined with technique. Nothing was going to get in his way. He wasnt going to let anybody beat him without a fight. Even though we lost to Celta that night, it was a marker of what was to follow for him personally. Carragher and Gerrard tasted the highs and lows of life at Liverpool together from 1998 up until the former chose to hang up his boots in May 2013. From Istanbul to Athens, cup final triumphs to last-minute losses, the pair were the beating Scouse heart of so many Liverpool XIs during Carraghers time at the club. He believes Gerrards passion and drive was no more evident than when the Reds locked horns with their fierce rivals Everton - games that Carragher simply loved to win and matches in which his teammate would constantly rise to the occasion. Plenty of people point towards the Olympiacos game of 2004-05 as an example of how Stevie could impact the outcome of a match, explained the Bootle-born defender. Theres Istanbul and the FA Cup final against West Ham in 2006. But he was often at his best in the derbies against Everton when I was in the Liverpool team. There was a period in 2003-04 where he was playing as the lone midfielder with Vladimir Smicer, Harry Kewell and El-Hadji Diouf. There was a lot of work to do defensively and the pressure was huge as a 23-year-old local lad. But he held everything together and ran a 3-0 victory at Goodison park without much help at all from those in front of him.