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A year after bring stripped of the England captaincy, Chelsea FC defender John Terry has been reinstated as captain of the national team and will wear the armband beginning with Tuesday's friendly against Ghana. England manager Fabio Capello announced that Terry would become England captain again, content that the defender had been properly punished for newspaper allegations that he had an affair with an ex-teammate's ex-girlfriend. Those allegations were refuted by both parties, but Capello still stripped Terry of the captaincy more than a year ago.
"After one year of punishment, Terry will again be the permanent captain," Capello said. "I think one year's punishment is enough. He understood the mistake and he (has) learned from his mistakes ... He will be a very important captain for us because when I choose him, I know he is a leader ... He is the biggest personality in the dressing room."
Now, Terry will return as England captain on a permanent basis on the back of a strong season for Chelsea. A poor World Cup cast some doubt as the future of the 30-year-old, but he has been one of the only constants on an ever-changing Chelsea back line.
His good play, along with the continued injury woes of Rio Ferdinand and Steve Gerrard has made Terry the clear choice to wear the armband, at least in Capello's mind. After Terry was stripped of the captaincy last year several different players led England, with Gerrard and Ferdinand the two lead men. In a single match against Denmark last month though, Gerrard and Ferdinand were out with injuries and Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Gareth Barry all took turns with the armband.
Many believed that Ferdinand was the top challenger to Terry, but Ferdinand appears have passed on the opportunity. The Manchester United defender is not only oft-injured and set to miss the next England matches with a calf knock, but when Capello wanted to meet with him earlier this week to discuss the captaincy, Ferdinand passed.
If Capello hadn't already made the decision to reinstate Terry as captain when he asked to meet with Ferdinand, it appears as if that made the decision final. Capello is turning back to the man who captained the team for almost four years.
For more on John Terry and Chelsea, visit We Ain't Got No History, SB Nation's Chelsea FC blog.
John Terry As England Captain Isn't An Issue, Claim Players
John Terry's reinstatement as permanent England captain has raised eyebrows around the world. Fabio Capello's decision to end the Chelsea defender's separation from the armband has been derided as yet another distraction for the team, an example of horrible mismanagement after Terry was stripped of the honour following an alleged affair with an ex-teammate's ex-girlfriend*. The players, said the media, would never stand for it. Rio Ferdinand, certainly, has a right to be upset, the former captain losing out only because he has the misfortune to be injured at inconvinient times. But the rest of the squad?
Tottenham Hotspur striker Peter Crouch (via BBC):
Manchester City reservist James Milner (via BBC):
That doesn't exactly sound like a squad in turmoil to me, although as well all know media speculation about a team's fragile psyche is what we should be relying on over potentially coached quotes from players. After all, what matters is the outrage, right?
*The topic of exactly why unverified tabloid speculation had a major impact of the England team is another matter entirely.
Mar 23 12:25p by Graham MacAree - 0 comments