Carragher's red letter day

Steven Gerrard will cede his captain's armband to Liverpool FC team-mate Jamie Carragher this evening when the Bootle-born defender makes his 500th appearance for the club against Luton Town FC in an FA Cup replay.

Lauded
"Jamie will play," said Reds manager Rafael Benítez. "I was talking with Steven Gerrard and he said to me that whether he is in the team or not, Jamie should be the captain. So Carra will captain the side." The gesture is a mark of the reverence in which the erstwhile England international is held, an admiration that has built up over his eleven years in the first team since making his senior debut in January 1997.

'Mr Reliable'
"With young lads, particularly defenders, you always worry whether they can take it and if they could bounce back from a mistake. But with Jamie you always knew he had the courage to play," said Roy Evans, Liverpool's manager at that time. "He doesn't hide and has gone on to lead the team from the back for many years. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't nailed on to make it. He was steady at first and obviously being a Bluenose at the time you wondered how long he would last! But he developed as the years went on and became Mr Reliable."

Early honour
Being a Bluenose, a fan of arch-rivals Everton FC, during his childhood has not inhibited Carragher's relationship with the Kop, who regularly sing "We All Dream Of A Team Of Carraghers" to the tune of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine. The ditty will no doubt resound around Anfield tonight when Carragher attempts to rouse Liverpool to a win against third-flight Luton. Their first encounter ended in a 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road nine days ago, and the 29-year-old is keen to add to the eleven trophies he has won since helping a Liverpool team that also numbered Michael Owen claim the 1995/96 FA Youth Cup.

Hyypiä praise
Sami Hyypiä has played alongside Carragher more than most, and has had a box seat to view his career development. "He is the best defender I've played with," he said. "Five hundred games before you are 30 is a massive achievement, but I don't think it will stop there for Jamie. I think he'll keep going far beyond that." Carragher himself is now setting his sights on Ian Callaghan's record of 857 games, saying: "I'm not going to break any goalscoring records, so I'll just have to try to break a few appearance records instead."