Terry - as popular as root canal

This wouldn’t be a site about football if an opinion on the John Terry debacle was not evident. Here’s my two pence

To begin, I’ll caveat this post by admitting up front that I am a Chelsea fan and also that my aim is to keep this reasonably succinct.

I have tried to avoid getting overly involved in this debate, primarily because Terry appears to provoke an intrinsic hatred amongst the majority of football fans, skewing their ability to argue logically somewhat. I’ll also state now that I thoroughly disapprove of Terry’s actions – having an affair when you’re married with young children is clearly deplorable behaviour. Throw in detail that the woman in question, Vanessa Perroncel, is a former girlfriend of a previous teammate, and things don’t improve.

That last point is worth readdressing though – former girlfriend, previous teammate. This doesn’t excuse the original offence of course, but let’s get everything into perspective. Bridge had parted company with Perroncel. Time had been spent in the same social circle. Is it that shocking to believe that an affair amongst two members of a large social group could happen? Yes, Terry’s behaviour was shoddy, but Perroncel herself was a free agent. Bridge has been slighted, of course. But offended and disrespected beyond all recompense – do me a favour. Manchester City players wearing “Team Bridge” shirts – pathetic.

Regarding the England captaincy, I believe this issue has become farcical. We have Daily Mail commentators wading in with horribly ill informed demands, and Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe asking for explanations whilst the bandwagon was gaining momentum, before hurriedly backtracking. Many suggest Wayne Rooney should be appointed captain instead.

I cannot begin to articulate how ludicrous these thoughts are. For a start, Rooney is England’s best player, in the form of his life – why risk affecting this with such a rash appointment? Secondly, are any of the other likely candidates all that righteous themselves – Rooney has previously cheated on his wife (then girlfriend) with a string of prostitutes, Steven Gerrard was recently in court attempting to justify why he lashed out violently at a nightclub DJ (the guy wouldn’t play Phil Collins in case you didn’t know the justification), and Frank Lampard has been subject to rumours of affairs too. I put it to you that, and this is extraordinarily sad, most of the England team are principally unpleasant individuals. Very few are role models for young children. To cite Rooney again, how often do we see him screaming abuse at officials – is this really any better of an example to children than an extramarital affair?

Many will disagree with these views, and I respect the logical argument that continued off-pitch headlines could potentially distract the England side ahead of a World Cup – this is a valid reason for removing the captaincy from Terry. But if it is removed, one would assume Terry will still be available for selection, and will likely be part of the first XI. Away from all the recent scandal, Terry is clearly the best choice for captain in football terms, and the most natural leader in the squad. So taking the armband from Terry will give rise to a situation where Rooney or Gerrard is captaining a side, which Terry is part of. Does that mean Terry can’t encourage his teammates anymore? Can he not direct play from defence? And will Rooney/Gerrard not feel slightly uncomfortable captaining their captain?

To clarify – Terry is not a pleasant man. Nor, at large, is the rest of the England squad. I, like most fans, overlook this on the basis of football ability. And if we’re talking about strengths on the pitch, Terry’s leadership qualities are extremely high. Maybe we should try to remember that, and not get too caught up in a tittle-tattle, of which the primary aim is to make money for Max Clifford and the News of the World. Exposing people’s private lives for monetary gain – I’d say that’s roughly on a moral par with an overindulged footballer cheating on his wife…