Ayre: JC asked why I was there

On Carragher's contribution to the club...

It's very difficult because it's such a big thing that he's done and given to the club. For any player that has played his whole playing career at his home club and one single club, that shows an enormous amount of dedication - the important games he has played in and the contribution he has made. I'm sure lots of people have talked about that.

As big a contribution from Jamie for Liverpool is the stuff he does not just on the pitch, but off the pitch. Some of that is football-related; in the dressing room, where he is a real leader and character. I don't think anyone who knows Jamie will be surprised to know he tells it how it is and makes sure his opinion is heard - just as he does on the pitch. What he does for us as a club in the community, what he does for fans, what he does through his own charity - all of those things make the man that he is and all make up part of the contribution he has made over so many years for the football club.

On Carragher's character...

In terms of the humility Jamie shows, I was very fortunate to be on the committee for his testimonial. We spent several months putting both the game itself together and also the gala dinner that he had. When we came to the gala dinner and some of the things on the matchday, we were running through some ideas all sat around a table - he made a statement which was: 'I don't want this to be all about me.' We said: 'Well, that's exactly what it has to be about.' He really didn't like it because he's not that sort of person; for him, genuinely, the whole thing was about his charity and the foundation. We managed to convince him that it had to be about him and he had to be involved. It's just a great example of the sort of character he is - he's not looking for any recognition or reward, he's just looking to do the right thing.

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Another one that sums up his humour and character was not long after I joined. We were on the pre-season tour in Asia; I was the only director from the club in attendance. We played in Thailand and Singapore that year and I was asked to go out on the pitch with the dignitaries to meet the teams before the match. I'm in a line of people as you do in a big game, shaking hands with people. Jamie was the captain that day because Steven hadn't travelled. I was just behind the Prime Minister and Prince of Thailand - I stuck my hand out to shake hands and Jamie said to me: 'What are you doing here?' The two of us were just laughing and on the TV coverage people said nobody knew what we were laughing at, but we were just falling about laughing. He's just got that wit and character in him that comes with Scousers and treats everyone the same; I respect him for that. He's got a fantastic sense of humour and he'll apply it whenever he needs to.

On Carragher's decision to retire...

Brendan has said many times that he'd love to keep Carra in the team if that was the right thing for Carra, but I think anyone who knows Jamie would know it's pretty difficult to convince him of anything. He's a very single-minded person and when he sets his mind to something, that's what he does. Over the last couple of years I've had a couple of chats with him - he doesn't want to fizzle out, I guess was his view, and he's got a lot to offer in lots of areas. We definitely had the conversation with him and there are definitely options for him. He'll tell it himself; I think he wants to make that initial break and consider his options. But there's always a place for Jamie at Liverpool Football Club.

On replacing Carragher...

You can replace the position but you can't replace the person - there isn't a replacement for Jamie Carragher because I'm sure there isn't another one. He's unique, outstanding, all of those things that you would say about him so I don't think we can ever replace him. But obviously there's a lot of work going on across the summer to replace his position, and we have to find the best we can find in that regard.

On having Scouse players in the first team...

I've been supporting Liverpool since I was four or five years old and I can't remember a time when there wasn't a Scouser in the team. We've had great plaudits over the last couple of years in particular about young players that have made it onto the pitch for the club - Jay Spearing, Martin Kelly, Conor Coady coming through and others. The Academy is a fantastic set-up; the fact that the manager and managers before have brought young players through and given them the opportunity just as Steven and Jamie have - that's what we have to all hope for. Nobody can say we'll put somebody in the team just because they are a Scouser, but it's what fans love to see and what we love to see. I know the manager loves the idea of having that Scouse heartbeat in the team, so everybody will be focused on trying to deliver it. If there's a player out there who we either already have or haven't quite yet found, hopefully they never slip through the net. I don't think there are any examples of people slipping through the net other than going to the other side of the park. We'll be doing everything we can do to ensure we always have a Scouser on the pitch.

On Carragher's legacy...

He's certainly up there with the greats and is one of the greats. It's hard to analyse individuals against great past heroes and icons of the club. He just epitomises everything that this club is about, he's a great person, a local lad who made good and became a stalwart of the team. He's played in some of the biggest matches, a European Cup winner and all that sort of thing. He sits amongst a great group of people; we have a hall of fame and I'm sure he sits very close to being in that as we progress that process. They sing the song about a team of Carraghers and I think there's a reason for that - because if you could pick players with as much spirit, tenacity and commitment and all those things for Liverpool Football Club, a lot of them would look like Jamie.

A new documentary featuring Jamie Carragher's managers, teammates and some high-profile opponents airs for  the first time at 7pm BST on Friday, May 24 on LFC TV. 'Carragher' will also be available on LFC TV Online and will conclude a fortnight of tributes across club media.