Filed under: Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Euro 2012, Football, England Football
In a rare moment of modesty John Terry conceded he was "not everybody's cup of tea" but the defender's message in his first media briefing since being reinstated as England captain was certainly not one of contrition or self-doubt.Terry is back in charge of the England dressing room, or at least he is once again the senior figure amongst the players, and the overwhelming impression was that he wanted everyone to know it.
We don't yet know if Fabio Capello would have taken the decision to relieve Rio Ferdinand of the role he acquired when the coach decided Terry's off-field life was at odds with the position of England captain had the Manchester United not suffered so badly with injuries.
Nor do we know for certain if Terry would have been leading the team out against Wales in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, had Steven Gerrard, Ferdinand's deputy and the team captain at last summer's World Cup, been fit.
If Terry's manner was anything to go by though, this was a decision destined to be made sooner rather than later.
As far as the Chelsea man is concerned, the past 12 months have been little more than a blip. He is back in charge and fears that factions within in the England camp with some players unhappy at the treatment of Ferdinand - he learned of Capello's plans through the media - or the return of Terry are unfounded.
"When the manager confronted the team this morning on the training pitch, he said I was going to made captain again and asked if anyone had any questions and nobody spoke, nobody said a word to the manager this morning, nobody said a word to me so I would presume yes," he said.
"And if anybody did have a problem with it I would respect them coming up to me personally, because I've read a few things over the past few days and people thinking they know and saying players aren't happy."
FanHouse UK Picture Galleries: WAGS: Do They Still Matter? | CHEEKY: Things Sport Fans Write
AGELESS: When They Were Young | WTA: Players To Watch | KITS: Best Of The Lot | KITS: And The Worst
AGELESS: When They Were Young | WTA: Players To Watch | KITS: Best Of The Lot | KITS: And The Worst
You can only hope Terry was talking tough for the cameras and that behind closed doors he would be more subtle in his efforts to ensure his troops were ready to rally behind him. Because if, in his own mind, he is assured of their backing simply because no one called Capello out in front of the entire squad, he is hopelessly misguided.
Then again, there is a strong case to be made that there has been too much navel-gazing about the whole issue and it's time to get on with the more important job in hand.
The whole 12-month saga about the captaincy has been wearying and is one many people would happily never hear of again. But it has prompted one recurring theme; it doesn't matter who does the job so long as they do it well. The problem is, it's hard to reach a consensus on what the job actually is.
To some - Terry, David Beckham before him, the FA's commercial department - the job extends way beyond the confines of the pitch. To others, including Capello we once thought, it's a role that involves nothing more than helping galvanise a team to win a specific game and depending on the team, that might involve little more than tossing a coin.
The coach has decided Terry's personality and style of play is best suited to getting the best out the group of players. We'll find out if he is right, and a passionate Millennium Stadium is probably as good a place as any for the Chelsea man to dust off his self-styled "passion and hunger and desire to succeed" and lead from the front.
Capello thinks it's the right decision, Terry certainly thinks it's the right decision and most England supporters couldn't care less about the decision so long as the team wins games regularly.
And on that count, Terry provided a reminder that Wales have the capacity to surprise.
"It's going to be tough, even though they haven't had the best start in the group and have conceded too many goals," he said. "We know first hand from the likes of Craig Bellamy and Gareth Bale can pose a real individual threat. Bale has been excellent this season."
The home draw with Montenegro has left England with little margin for error in the qualifying campaign. Capello and Terry's job now is to work together to steer the squad through to the Euro 2012 finals. If the team fails in that objective, a new coach will be in place sooner rather than later.
And unfortunately, that will mean the captaincy issue raising its head once again.
- John Terry in his own words
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/03/22/euro-2012-england-john-terry-fabio-capello-rio-ferdinand/
Dustin Johnson Eduardo Da Silva Ernests Gulbis Ernie Els Fabio Cannavaro
No comments:
Post a Comment