Mark Lawrenson said on
Match of the Day 2, “It seems Terry is pre-empting
the FA by retiring. He’s almost citing a witch-hunt with his statement. But
away from that, he’s always been outstanding for England as a leader and a
player on the pitch. They will miss him”
Now, I’m not going to
sit here and defend a man who has compiled a shameful repertoire, which rivals
even the infamous Joey Barton, if a little less sociopathic. He is guilty of a
multitude of misdemeanours, all of which could have been easily avoided with even
the slightest hint of brain power. Problems were clear right from the start of
his career; from kicking off repeatedly at night clubs to revealing his sensitive
understanding of world affairs by mocking American tourists at Heathrow airport
days after 9/11 – it was plain to see from an early age that Terry was, in many
respects, a bad egg.
What followed was the
Wayne Bridge affair in 2010, a tumultuous period that cost him the England
captaincy as punishment. Who would have believed that Terry, having been
reinstated, would lose it again less than a year later? The irrepressible cloud
that has hung over Terry since the incident of apparent racism against Anton
Ferdinand in 2011 has not since dissipated, and Terry has cited the FA’s stance
on the matter as the key factor in his decision to retire.
Having been cleared of racially abusing Ferdinand in July, Terry found himself the subject if an FA
investigation into the matter. Objectively, I can understand Terry’s evident frustration
at this. He was found not guilty, and if the FA are still pressing charges
against him, it is clear that they do not accept the verdict, and wish to
inflict any punishment they can on their former captain. It is evident that
they no longer wanted him to play for England again, and his decision to retire
will be met with relief from English football’s governing body. But will there be a cost for their obsession?
Crucially, Terry is a
colossal leader and an outstanding defender. He is, and has been for the best
part of a decade, a footballing role model for young defenders the world over.
Of this, there is no question. His two worlds are separate; his ugly, off the
field side, and his heroic performances on it.
Unlike other bad boys of English
football, he is capable of shutting out the destructive, and concentrates on
leading his team to victory. We all expect a trail of injured players and multi-coloured
cards to follow when the likes of Lee Catermole, Marlon King and Ryan Shawcross
take the field. But Terry is different, as much as we hate to admit it.
Terry has led Chelsea
to three Premier League titles, four FA cups, two League cups and a Champions
league since 2004, making him Chelsea’s most successful captain. He was named
Uefa Club Defender of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009. He was PFA Player’s
Player of the year in 2005, and was also in the FIFPro World XI from 2005 to
2008. As England captain, he always displayed absolute professionalism on the
pitch throughout his tenure.
The endorsements from
England bosses are endless. Fabio Capello resigned on the eve of Euro 2012
after Terry was stripped of the captaincy for the second time; Roy Hodgson consistently
backed Terry, and always picked him to start for England right up until his
retirement.
Asked whether the
Chelsea skipper is a natural leader in 2001 during the first captaincy debate,
Steve McLaren told the BBC: “Yes, of
course he is. I think everyone accepts that, everyone can see it, everybody who
knows John Terry behind the scenes knows that.” McLaren was almost right.
Yes, everyone can see it, no doubt those who work with him know it (with a few
notable exceptions), but the nation cannot, and probably will never accept John
Terry.
By Tom Gatehouse
Pictures and links: http://tbbsportsjournalism.files.wordpress.com, BBC Sport, football365.com, http://i2.cdn.turner.com, youtube, The Telegraph
No comments:
Post a Comment