With England boss Fabio Capello preparing to announce the England captain ahead of the friendly against the Czech Republic, new Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has urged the Italian to re-appoint John Terry. Scolari suggests “It would be a fantastic choice if he made John Terry captain. He is captain of Chelsea and I think he must again captain England. He helps the manager and the players by saying the right things on and off the field.”
However, although the preferred choice of former England manager Steve McClaren, JT was to find out during a team dinner before England’s friendly against France in March that the new boss was handing the armband to Rio Ferdinand on that occasion, before briefly handing it back to the Chelsea skipper for a friendly against the United States in May.
Of his short time as England captain Terry says “I’ve been awfully lucky to get the armband in the past and that’s something that will never leave me. I’m sure whoever Mr Capello announces as the captain will have the best day of his life next week, whether it be myself, Rio, Stevie G or Lamps. The main thing is that England as a team move forward and the captain helps drag them together. To have the captaincy for a short period of time meant an awful lot. I want those memories back and want to lead the team out. Of course I want the England captaincy. Maybe I do deserve another chance.”
But does he?
The job of England captain requires a role model both on and off the pitch, a model youngsters across the country can aspire to follow. They must be honourable and their motivational skills of the highest quality. When it comes to playing the game itself, there might well be better centre-backs out there but if there’s one master of the last-ditch tackle or the goal-line clearance, John Terry springs to mind. He thrives on challenge, gives his all as a captain and has an in-built ability to rally and inspire his players.
However, a captain’s leadership quality is expected on an off the pitch, taking charge of the team, calming tempers and correcting errant players. And whilst John Terry might be a popular choice in the dressing room, his off-field antics and lack of discipline have let him down a little too frequently. Be it rumours of a questionable social life, his choice of parking spot or his un-captain like reaction following Ashley Cole’s petulance at White Hart Lane last season, it’s probably not the stuff England captains are made of.
That’s not to say his competitor for the England captaincy, Rio Ferdinand, is above reproach either. Whilst both passionate, committed players, Ferdinand and Terry take losing badly, and allowing these feelings to spill over at times is something they’ve both been guilty of. Even during a campaign where he excelled in Gary Neville’s absence, Ferdinand’s reaction to defeat at Stamford Bridge last season saw him lash out at a wall which he duly missed, kicking a female steward in the process.
Ferdinand’s also been guilty of his fair share of wayward behaviour scandals in the past, a fact that no doubt helped to cloud the FA’s opinion when he was given an eight month ban for a missed drugs test in December 2003. And his hesitation in signing a new contract with Manchester United in the wake of his ban didn’t exactly endear him to his own supporters either.
But, fair play to the man, he turned it around and certainly showed himself to be a worthy captain for his club when sharing the duties with Ryan Giggs last season. No longer the wide-boy, Rio Ferdinand has grown in both stature and popularity and even the opposition have to acknowledge the effect that’s had on his game.
And having given the England captain’s role a road test in the friendly against France in March, Ferdinand feels he is now ready to take up the position on a permanent basis. The 29 year old centre-back says “I’d love to have the job on a permanent basis, definitely. It’s a fantastic honour to be named the captain of your country. If there’s a God up there I hope he can make me last another two World Cups, if not three – but maybe that’s being greedy.”
If we’re looking at attitude then, Ferdinand’s transformation would probably see him come out as a firm favourite with Capello. And whilst he doesn’t come across quite as loud or commanding as JT on the pitch, his composed attention to his own duties and sometimes quieter, although just as controlled style of leadership might also please the Italian. Not that Ferdinand can’t find his voice when he needs it of course, although unlike the increasingly talkative John Terry, the Manchester United captain does seem to save his words for the pitch.
So, with just days to go before Fabio Capello announces the new, permanent England captain, will the differences between the two players last season sway his decision?
Blue is the colour
