John Terry and the England Captaincy

First things first, I am quite ashamed of my lack of motivation in writing these posts in recent weeks and I sincerely apologise to all who are disappointed by my efforts. My deepest apologies go to those who have believed in my ability through and through, such as Luke Marsh, Mark Watson, Jordan Parslow and Alex Dunnage who have constantly raved about my writing ability. However, in the coming days I will live up to all expectations and not disappoint, offering my views on 3 key topics that have dominated the back pages in recent weeks: John Terry, Fabio Capello, and the England manager Vacancy. That out the way, The FA's decision to remove John Terry from the England captaincy in recent weeks have been controversial, and I seem to have very strong views on this matter.

Controversy has revolved around former England captain
John Terry in recent months

I don't care what anyone else says, John Terry is not a racist. Simple as that. I know He was caught on camera racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, but this does not make someone a racist. Similar to the Suarez incident, just because you call someone 'black' in the heat of the moment does not make you racist. It's like someone stating the obvious and calling me German, it's not really offensive what so ever. Yes I do admit John Terry spoke out of turn and clearly did offend Anton Ferdinand, I simply can't see what the fuss is all about. He plays with black players week in week out and there has never been this trouble before. Even some of his best mates in the Chelsea team such as Ashley Cole are black! If The FA handed out A 3 match suspension to Terry that would probably be pushing it a bit far, but choosing to remove him as England captain for a second time is just ludicrous. Absolutely shocking decision.



Steven Gerrard
 The only man fit to replace Terry as captain at present

You want to know why I think this is a shocking decision? I'll tell you why. When you watch an England game, who's usually the only player to belt out the national anthem? Who's the person who shows the most passion without fail in every single game? Who puts in 110% every England game? Your answer to each of these questions of course, is John Terry. But the situation is made worse by fact that there is no other England player that can stand up and be counted. Steven Gerrard would do so, but his injury woes mean he may not be the man to lead England forward. Other than that, the others are either not leaders or too young too wear the armband. Future England stars such as Chris Smalling, Martin Kelly and Phil Jones are all terrific players, but are just too young to hold such weight on their shoulders. I have no doubt that Phil Jones particuarly will fill Terry's boots after his retirement, and I believe in the future He will prove to be a fine England captain.

Since his first cap in 2003, John Terry has established himself as an England regular, and has gone from strength to strength. Now at the age of 31, he may not be a spring chicken, but he is still a terrific defender. He's also been hailed as the most successful Chelsea captain to have ever lived, which is a massive achievement. He's also played 357 games for Chelsea, as well as wearing an England shirt on 72 occasions - scoring 6 goals. He's also been voted best European club defender in 2005, 2008 and 2009, which just adds to the magnificent CV that he possesses. He also was part of the England World Cup sides in 2006 and 2010, his dive against Algeria epitomising what Terry is all about: Pride and passion: two traits needed to wear the England armband.



Terry's famous block against Algeria

What continues to outrage me is the dominance of the journalists in big papers, who seem to slate him day after day, writing negative articles about him continuously. No ones perfect - deal with it. He may be a bit of a mug with the things he's done or said in the past, but his private life has nothing to do with the performance he puts on the pitch. The England captaincy should go to the man who's the most influential player on the pitch and who can lead England forward, picking up their team mates when they are down and leading by example. John Terry is the man that can do this. No one else can. Face facts, if Terry is forced out the England set up completely, than effects will be disastrous. He is still by far the best English defender that we have, and we should be glad to have acquired his services for so long.

In conclusion, No present England player leads by example the same way as Terry does. It is not what happens off the field that counts; it’s what happens on the field. This being said, in my opinion Terry should be immediately reinstated by The English FA as captain. Otherwise, it would be a big mistake. Mark my words: the effects will be disastrous.