Gérard Houllier

JAMIE CARRAGHER might now say “I absolutely loved him, I adored him”, but his relationship with Gerard Houllier was more fractious at the start.

The Frenchman, labelled ‘Gerard Who?’ when he arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 1998, was eager to rid his squad of their Spice Boys reputation; Carragher, who had just broken into the first team, enjoyed social drinking with friends and family.

When the player was sent off against Charlton in February 1998, it meant 40 days without a game and Houllier decided he needed to devise a plan.