Search icon

Football

10th Mar 2016

Jamie Carragher reveals just how close he came to joining Brendan Rodgers’ backroom staff

Within a whisker

Darragh Murphy

What could have been?

Jamie Carragher’s now legendary appearances on Monday Night Football almost never were as he’s revealed that he came within a whisker of becoming first team coach at Liverpool.

Carragher decided to venture down the punditry route after retiring but Brendan Rodgers, when he signed with Liverpool in 2012, had initially wanted the centre-half to become a member of his coaching staff.

Liverpool FC Training Session

In a question-and-answer session with The Daily Mail, Carragher explained how he came within a whisker of finding himself in the Anfield dugout before Rodgers went in a different direction.

Carragher said: “The first time I spoke to Brendan Rodgers, he had just been announced as the Liverpool manager, it was in the summer so players were on holiday. He rang me and he said he wanted me to be on his staff.

West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool - Premier League

“I thought at that stage of my career, I wasn’t playing every week under Kenny Dalglish before he was sacked, so I thought I’d play some games and maybe learn the coaching side of it.

“I then met him face-to-face in Liverpool before we started pre-season training and he changed his mind and brought Mike Marsh in from the academy. Maybe if I had landed the role I would still be at the club now or sacked with Brendan. That was the closest I’ve been.”

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10