Yesterday, I provided 5 reasons why I thought John Terry should not be made England captain. The article was purely my view, of events that had occurred since Terry was stripped of the armband in February of last year. I wasn’t expecting everyone to agree with, and to be fair judging by the comments box, nobody did!
But today brings news that makes one of my reasons sound a lot more credible! Fabio Capello has made a remarkable U-turn on his decision to grant John Terry the captaincy following remarks he made on Monday. Capello had more or less implied that he was ready to forgive John Terry and reward him with the armband once again. However, current England captain Rio Ferdinand was understandably upset that he was being replaced in such a manner.
Comments from amongst the Ferdinand camp have suggested that despite the fact he’ll be injured for the Wales Euro Qualifier, Ferdinand still considers himself the England captain, and fears that Terry is replacing him in the long term.
Capello’s people have today insisted that what Fabio MEANT to say that Terry was only going to captain the side for the Euro Qualifier and for the upcoming friendly with Ghana. They claim that Capello’s comments have been misread and blown out of proportion by the media.
But what does all this mean? What affect will it have on the England team? I believe that this latest PR gaffe has shown 2 worrying things for England.
Capello’s Losing His Bottle – Fabio Capello was hired as England manager becuase he promised to take a no-nonsense approach. When he stripped Terry of the armband, in a tense and brisk meeting last February, it was a show of the kind of mental strength we wanted from an England coach. By telling us his decision was final, Capello made us think that he was completely in control. But by going back on his previous comments in such a haphazard, flusterred and undignified manner shows a weakness in Capello that is worrying.
Ferdinand and Terry’s Relationship with Capello – What sort of relationship will Ferdinand now have with both Terry and Cappello now that he knows he’s out the window as soon as he gets injured? Will Terry be thinking the same thing? Ferdinand probably feels quite disappointed with Capello right now, and quite rightly so.
The Manchester United defender has often spoke of his pride when he represents his country as captain. Steven Gerrard, the England vice-captain is supposedly content with any arrangement. How will Ferdinand feel if he is pushed out of the frame altogether and Terry and Gerrard are made captain and vice-captain?
What England need is consistency, and this kind of backtracking does not help. Capello must sit down and decide who is to be his captain. Terry, Ferdinand and Gerrard….each has admirable qualities that make great captains, but Capello needs to be consistent and up-front with what he wants. Otherwise, how can anyone be expected to lead, especially him?!
Follow Peter Turner on Twitter @petermagpie
