Jamie Carragher has paid tribute to former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, who has passed away at the age of 73, describing how he had a transformative impact at Anfield and how he changed the culture at the club and restored success.
Hoillier managed the Reds between 1998 and 2004 and led them to five major trophies including the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup treble in the 2000-01 campaign.
Carragher has labelled the Frenchman "a great man" who was a catalyst for bringing trophies back to Liverpool in the 1990s and the former England defender is grateful for the influence Houllier had on his career, the career of others and on Liverpool as a football club.
"The job he did for Liverpool and other clubs, the influence he had on what the French did in the 1998 World Cup win, but what he did for me, [Steven Gerrard], Michael Owen, Danny Murphy, when he first came in. I don't think I, or any of those lads or anyone else involved in the club, will ever forget what he did for us. He meant so much to us all, really," Carragher told Sky Sports News.
"I always feel it was underestimated the job he did at Liverpool. A lot of that team who won the Champions League in 2005 under Rafael Benitez, a lot of those players were the nucleus of Gerard's team and I think the job he did was testament to where the club is today in terms of that team he created in the early 2000s and the success we had in that decade from 2001 to 2009 under Gerard and Rafa after that.
"Without his advice and guidance at such a young age I don't think I'd have had the career I had. I never, ever give one person in my life the title of being 'the' biggest influence but there will always be three or four people who I look to who have shaped me and shaped my career and he is well amongst that and I'll never forget what he did for me."
Houllier made his managerial name with French sides Lens and Paris Saint-Germain in the 1980s before taking over the French national side in 1992. He also had managerial experience with Lyon before taking charge at Aston Villa between 2010 and 2011.
Oliver Thomas
