Defiant, unapologetic and emotional: Terry snatches back England armband

Defender concedes he is not a universal first choice but only regrets that criticism of Capello during last year's World Cup became public

John Terry speaks to the press yesterday for the first time since being reappointed England captain

It only ever became uncomfortable when, at the end of his press briefing yesterday, John Terry was asked about the possibility of one day rekindling his friendship with Wayne Bridge and the new England captain answered tersely in the negative without any attempt at charm.

Other than that, the return of Terry to the England captaincy, precisely one year, one month and 19 days since he was sacked by Fabio Capello was another classic performance from one of the most controversial figures in modern English football. Was he about to say sorry? No. Did he have anything to say sorry about? Debatable.

Will he be able to keep his nose clean from now on? Who knows?

Whatever your view on Terry, no one could deny he is one tough customer. The storm that engulfed his life 13 months ago – involving his former friend Bridge, Bridge's ex-fiancée Vanessa Perroncel and an old-fashioned sex scandal – might have destroyed weaker characters but here was Terry, chipper as ever, ready to lead England out as captain against Wales in Saturday's Euro 2012 qualifier, in his third stint in the job.

At various moments yesterday he was self-deprecating, light-hearted and, when the mood took him, even emotional. What he was not was apologetic.

A younger Terry, more eager to please and less sure of himself, might have been talked into admitting to a few faults of his own but those days are long gone. A couple of hours earlier he had stood on the training pitch at Arsenal's training ground and listened while Capello explained to the squad that he had been reinstated as captain and if there were any questions they should be aired there and then.

Unsurprisingly, no one raised a hand. For Terry that is enough to put to bed all those stories about him being an unpopular figure in the dressing room. Fair enough, but these are professional footballers we are talking about. They have plenty to say in private to agents and confidantes but offer them a public forum for their views and they tend to stare at their toes and keep their counsel.

"As we get older, we live and learn. We move on," Terry said. "As a man, as a player, we can see I've moved on, on and off the field. I concentrate on doing the right thing, playing well for Chelsea and for my country. I feel I've done that. I don't want to get into too much detail about 'moving on', but it's a massive thing for me today. The emotion is quite overwhelming. I'm delighted on a personal note."

There was no major peace offering to Capello following his decision to strip Terry of the captaincy last February. He accepted it at the time, Terry said, but that did not mean he agreed with it.

"I didn't agree with the decision [to sack him in February], which I told them face to face, but I said I respected their decision and I'll continue to work hard," Terry said. "I could understand it a little bit, but once they spoke to me – and once again it's difficult for legal reasons to go into detail – I just felt I didn't deserve to lose the armband."

That caveat of "legal reasons" was dropped in more than once by Terry, although he did not expand on what those reasons were, much less what they restricted him from saying. What was not in doubt was that this must be a man so confident he must be sure that there are no skeletons in the cupboard that could embarrass him again.

Although it was just the Perroncel saga and the ensuing media firestorm for which he was sacked by Capello, there was before that an ill-judged email in November 2009 offering to companies the chance to sign an endorsement deal with the England captain. It was an embarrassment.

"I never tried to cash in on anything," Terry said. "There was an issue with the statement [email] that went out initially, that had nothing to do with me. It was a company that didn't represent me. I've never cashed in. I'm not the best looking guy anyway, so people aren't going to want me spread all over the place. But I've never tried to cash in on the England captaincy."

Observing Terry, the thought occurred that this unflappable aspect of his character must be what Capello admires so much to go through the upheaval of reappointing him. Terry may not be, in his own words, "everyone's cup of tea" but he knows that football tends to reward those who do not wilt under the pressure. He could never be accused of that.

He was unrepentant about his outspoken criticism of Capello after the Algeria game during last summer's turgid World Cup although there was one concession that in the future he would not be quite so open. "I just wouldn't come out publicly and say what I said," Terry said. "It would stay in-house. That's what I learnt.

"I didn't want to go home from the World Cup early. I thought we had a real chance with the squad we had. It was our time. People were peaking in their careers. English teams had had a good time in Europe for four or five years and gained a lot of top-level experience. I thought that would bode well for that tournament. I wasn't prepared to sit back and accept that. Looking back, certain things I shouldn't have said, but I can still hold my head up high."
Not even the criticism of him last year from the Wales striker Craig Bellamy – "I know what JT is like and nothing surprises me about it" – affected his composure. Yesterday Terry played the role of England captain well. The challenge now is how long he can keep it like that.

Terry timeline

29 January 2010 A High Court injunction is lifted, leaving media outlets free to report details of John Terry's alleged affair with the ex-girlfriend of former team-mate Wayne Bridge.

5 February Terry is called to a Wembley meeting with Fabio Capello, where he is stripped of the captaincy. Rio Ferdinand replaces him.

27 February Bridge, who retired from international football earlier the same week, refuses to shake Terry's hand as Manchester City visit Chelsea for a league match.

3 March In first England game since losing the captaincy, Terry is booed by sections of Wembley crowd during a 3-1 win over Egypt. Captain's armband is passed around players, with Terry later claiming "they would have given it to one of the stewards ahead of me. It was disrespectful."

20 June Terry speaks of dressing room disharmony following poor start to World Cup. Capello calls outburst "a very big mistake."

19 March 2011 Capello restores the Chelsea defender to the captaincy, claiming "one year's punishment is enough."

 Source : The Independent 23 March 2011

John Terry insists he has backing of England squad

Terry revealed Rio Ferdinand had called him

John Terry admitted today he was "not everyone's cup of tea" after being reinstated as England captain but insisted he had the backing of the whole squad.

England boss Fabio Capello took the controversial decision to reinstate the Chelsea defender last week in place of the injured Ferdinand, just over a year after he was stripped of the armband following allegations of an affair with the ex-girlfriend of then international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

"I'm not going to be everybody's cup of tea, but it is the decision the manager has taken," Terry said.

"Respect for the players around me and the manager has always been there.

"When the manager confronted the team on the training pitch (this morning to tell them of Terry's reinstatement), he asked the players if they had any questions and nobody spoke. Nobody said a world to the manager, nobody said a word to me."

Terry added: "I think as a group of players we're coming here looking forward to playing for our country and looking forward to putting on the shirt."

Terry revealed Ferdinand had called him to wish him well.

"Rio called me which was a very nice touch and goes to show what a great man Rio is," he told a press conference ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in Cardiff this weekend.

"We had a 10-minute conversation and he wished me well. He He cares about England and said the most important thing was to keep winning.

"He was naturally disappointed, but said the most important thing was to keep winning."

He added: "I feel for Rio. Even though I've got the armband back, I can see myself we've got leaders in dressing room.

"The guys have still got a massive input in and around the dressing room."

Terry insisted he was ready to deal with the pressure that would come with his re-appointment, and claimed his passion for playing for his country never left him even when he lost the armband.

"On a personal not I'm very delighted to get the armband back," he added.

"People can see that in me, people can see even when I did not have the armband my passion and drive was still there."

Asked of he was ready for the pressure, he added: "Naturally, I'd expect nothing less.

"I know what is asked of me on the pitch and away from it.

"Maybe the manager looked into that as well, that I had kept my head down and concentrated on playing well for club and country.

"I'm certainly older (now), but wise as well. I'm fully fit as well so I'm very much looking forward to continuing staying fit and playing well."

On having the armband taken away from him, Terry continued: "I met Fabio and (England general manager) Franco (Baldini) on the day and accepted the decision. That doesn't mean I agreed with it but I looked them both in the eye and said 'you'll get nothing less from me in training and on the field'.

"I was disappointed at the time but for me the most important thing was to concentrate on playing football.

"That was the relief for me, to work hard in training every day. I've worked very hard to get where I am today.

"I was disappointed initially but you have to move on. It (the disappointment) will be there for a long time but this shows if you keep working hard and never give up hope there's always a chance."

On Saturday's opponents, the 30-year-old continued: "I think we can expect a very tough game and we must make sure we match them in every department.

"Our players have played at the Millennium Stadium, which will naturally help - but they have a great spine in the side with James Collins, Gareth Bale and Craig Bellamy. They can pose a real threat.

"For me the most important thing is to top the group and make sure we are there (at Euro 2012). I would love to lead the team into that tournament."

Just over a year ago Bellamy was a team-mate of Bridge when Manchester City won at Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League - and the striker was none too complimentary about Terry in a post-match interview.

However, Terry said today: "He is a player I have a lot of respect for in the game - maybe sometimes he's been misrepresented in certain ways...he wants to win, be it at Manchester City or Cardiff.

"But we must win. Wales have had a bad start, conceding a lot of goals and not scoring too many - but they pose a real threat individually. They've got a good young squad."

 Source : The Independent 22 March 2011

TOUCHLINES

MANCHESTER UNITED are set to beat rivals Asenal to the signature or talented Southampton youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is being lined up for a £10m (RM50m) move to Old Trafford.

LIVERPOOL manager Kenny Dalglish is ready to outbid Tottenham for Blackpool skipper Charlie Adam this summer.

TOTTENHAM are hoping to lure Liverpool rightback Glen Johnson to White Hart Lane at the end of the season, with Spurs boss Harry Radknapp willing to spend £12m (RM60m) on the England international.

EVERTON midfielder jack Rodwell and Atletico Madrid forward Sergio Aguero have been linked with Chelsea as Blues owner Roman Abramovich plans another summer spending spree, despite having spent a combined £73m (RM365m) on Fernando Torres and David Luiz in January.

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson has not been put  off by the £25m (RM125m) price tag  Bolton have placed on their centerback Gary Cahill because the Scot wants to increase his defensive options.

CHELSEA defender John Terry says he is “honoured and proud” to reclaim the England captaincy, adding: “Anyone who ever asks me about  Fabio Capello, I ca only say good words about him and that’s the truth, regardless of what people might hear,”

CHELSEA have confirmed they are “looking into” allegations that Manchester City players and referee Chirs Foy were targeted by a fan with a laser pen during yesteday’s Premier league meeting between the two sides at Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea won 2-0.

IN the wake of Manuel Almunia’s weekend calamity – when he gifted West Brom a goal by rushing out of his area – Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has said goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is a long way off being ready to play in the Premier League.

LIVERPOOL  defender Jamie Carragher concedes Liverpool did not deserve their penalty at the Stadium of Light, which gave the Reds an early lead ea route to a 2-0 victory.

REAL MADRID coach Jose Mourinho admits his side are suffering from fatigue as they challenge on three fronts  after his stars laboured to a fortunate 2-1 win over derby rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Source : THE SUN 22 MARCH 2011

TOUCHLINES

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson has renewed his interest in Brazilian midfielder Douglas Costa, a player he originally tried to sign 18 month ago.

BARCELONA right-back Dani Alves has been offered to Manchester City after failing to agree a new contract with the Spanish giants.

LIVERPOOL’S Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina has dropped his biggest hint yet he will quit Anfield this summer.

THE Anfield club will make an audacious £10m (RM50m) bid to sign leftback Leighton Baines from city rival Everton.

ARSENAL are considering letting captain Cesc Fabregas rejoin Barcelona this summer, but the Gunners would want around £45m for the World Cup-winning midfielder.

ASTON VILLA’S Ashley Young could be on his way to Liverpool with Kenny Dalglish keen to sign wide players to make the most striker Andy Carroll – Matt Jarvis of Wolves is also on the wanted list.

REAL MADRID coach Jose Mourinho is wanted by Manchester City and is the club’s No 1 target to replace Roberto  Mancini, although the former Chelsea boss still want to manage Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson’s eventual departure.

MANCINI fears that the on and off-field behaviour of striker Mario Bolatelli could get him sack.

MANCHESTER UNITED striker Dimitiar Berbatov is desperate to sign a new contract to keep him at Old Trafford for the rest of his career. Talk between the 30-year-old striker’s agent and United have hit problems over the length of the deal, with the club offering only the two years  extension on a deal that expires in 2012.

NEWCASTLE boss Alan Pardew has promised an investigation after nightclub photos or three player – striker Leon Best on-loan midfielder Stephen Ireland and reserve team player Stephan Folan – were posted on the Internet.

TOTTENHAM boss Harry Redknapp says he want Spurs to win the league next season, but his concern this year is top four finish.

SUNDERLAND owner Ellis Short will reaffirm his commitment to the club in an address to the Black Cats supporters today.

Source : THE SUN 21 MARCH 2011

Funny Computer

Funny Eggs

Late win lifts Chelsea into third spot

Chelsea 2 Manchester City 0

Another virtuoso display from David Luiz helped keep Chelsea's faint Barclays Premier League title hopes alive and kill off Manchester City's in today's clash at Stamford Bridge.

Defender Luiz put a clutch of the world's most expensive strikers to shame by breaking the deadlock late on before Ramires wrapped up the points in stoppage-time.

The win lifted Chelsea above City into third place and back within nine points of Manchester United with a game in hand, while City are now 10 adrift having played the same number of matches.

Carlos Tevez's groin injury was a huge blow for the visitors and an even bigger boost for their opponents ahead of kick-off.

The Argentina striker had been the scourge of Chelsea since leaving Manchester United, scoring four times in three successive victories against them.

Mario Balotelli missed out for very different reasons, despite apologising for the moment of madness that saw him sent off against Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Reports of a bust-up with boss Roberto Mancini may not have helped the striker's cause.

One man who had served his time was Chelsea skipper John Terry, who entered the field to chants of, "There's only one England captain!", with Fabio Capello sat in the stands.

The reinstated defender was a bit slow to close down Yaya Toure in the sixth minute, the midfielder given enough space to fire a low 20-yard drive saved well by Petr Cech.

City were on top but Chelsea looked dangerous on the break, wasting a great chance to take a 12th-minute lead when the recalled Salomon Kalou fell over team-mate Ramires as both tried to finish from 12 yards.

That was the cue for the home side to take a grip and they were denied what appeared a clear penalty in the 20th minute when Joleon Lescott handled Kalou's cross.

James Milner, starting for the first time since last month's Manchester derby, earned the game's first yellow card five minutes later after felling Florent Malouda in full flight.

Apart from the early Cech save, neither goalkeeper was being tested, hardly a surprise considering both sides' central strikers had yet to score a Premier League goal for their clubs.

Torres' drought for Chelsea was approaching eight hours and he had not had a sniff on what was his 27th birthday.

That changed in the 34th minute when Kalou presented him with a chance on his left foot from 10 yards, but the Spaniard's lack of confidence was palpable as Nigel de Jong slid in to intercept.

Vincent Kompany then put his body in the way of Frank Lampard's close-range finish.

Kalou almost broke the deadlock three minutes before the break when he brilliantly controlled Malouda's low cross before turning and shooting straight at Joe Hart.

The second half did not start promisingly but when City gifted the ball to Torres in the 51st minute, the striker set up a wonderful, flowing move that Malouda should have finished with a goal instead of sidefooting straight at Hart.

There was concern soon after when Terry stayed down after falling awkwardly.

The reinstated England captain appeared in agony as Capello looked on stony-faced but, following brief treatment, Terry was able to continue.

City came back into the game before De Jong was cautioned for a blatant body check on Essien.

Branislav Ivanovic was unlucky not to give Chelsea a 62nd-minute lead when his point-blank bullet header from Lampard's cross hit Kompany.

Edin Dzeko back-headed Milner's free-kick wide before Ramires was booked for clattering into Aleksander Kolarov.

With 20 minutes, remaining, Torres and Malouda were withdrawn for Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.

Dzeko was booked for a foul on Luiz before Chelsea brought on Yury Zhirkov for Kalou.

A goal immediately followed as Luiz earned a 77th-minute free-kick wide on the left, Drogba whipped the ball in and the Brazilian glanced a header through the fingertips of Hart.

City sent on Adam Johnson for Milner before Barry saw yellow for a foul on Ramires.

Luiz went close to converting another free-kick from Drogba, who became the latest victim of a bookable offence when brought down by Kolarov.

City threw men forward but they were killed off in the second minute of stoppage time when Ramires danced through their defence before clipping beyond Hart.

There was still time for Luiz to blot his copybook with a late caution but the points were already secure.

Source : The Independent 21 March 2011

We're still in the fight, says Ivanovic

Chelsea's versatile defender believes victory over Manchester City can revive title hopes

'You can buy the players but not the points,' says Branislav Ivanovic. 'I hope we are back in the right way'

Chelsea must lay a bogey if they are to move above Manchester City in the Premier League by defeating them at Stamford Bridge this afternoon, and one of their key protagonists will be a player who cost £9m but took nine months to be allowed a game.

Branislav Ivanovic arrived in January 2008 from the Moscow club Lokomotiv, prompting immediate gossip that he was one of those signings Roman Abramovich was keener on than the manager at the time, Avram Grant. Grant used a lack of fitness because of the Russian close season as an excuse for playing the big defender in only an occasional reserve match and it was not until the following September, under Luiz Felipe Scolari, that he surfaced in the first team.

Every transfer window brought new speculation about a move, whether permanent or temporary, before a single match confirmed him as a new hero: playing at right-back at Anfield in the Champions' League quarter-final of 2009, Ivanovic single-handedly eclipsed Fernando Torres's early goal for Liverpool by heading two from corners.

By last season, he was starting more games than any defender other than John Terry and being chosen by his peers at full-back in the PFA team of the year. In the current campaign, with Ricardo Carvalho off to Madrid and Alex injured, he has again been a consistent performer, this time in the centre alongside Terry, of whom he says: "He's a great captain. For Chelsea he is great, a great leader on the pitch, he shows he's a great leader. It's a pleasure to play with John because you can just do your job and know there is always someone behind you to cover you, putting his head where [other] people put their legs."

Terry has just as much reason to be grateful to the powerful Serb, whose value is no longer questioned – he has been rewarded with a contract extending to 2016.

He could move to right-back again today to accommodate David Luiz against a City team who produced a stunning performance at the Bridge last February, coming from 1-0 down to win 4-2, inflicting Chelsea's first home defeat for 15 months and what could have been fatal damage to their championship aspirations.

A year on, those aspirations appear hopeless, despite having played two games fewer than Manchester United and one fewer than Arsenal. But he says "This is a most important game against City because it can make our season different and can change the whole situation. We are still in the fight for the title and can make up ground on United and Arsenal."

As he points out, City have won the past three meetings between the clubs, succeeding by 2-1 and 1-0 in the most recent games at Eastlands. There will always be an added dimension to those games while they are seen as the respective fiefdoms of the two richest men in the Premier League's fields of gold.

Ivanovic was speaking about City but must admit the same applies to Chelsea when he said: "You can buy the players but not the points, you have to deserve it on the pitch. For sure you have to be a team. Football is a collective sport. I hope we are back in the right way now."

To that end Abramovich changed tack in spending not so much a small fortune as a large one on Torres and David Luiz. That pair, Ivanovic says, have "refreshed the squad" and what he sees of Torres in training as well as in matches encourages him to think goals will come: "He just needs goals, because every striker needs goals for their confidence. For everyone, not just Fernando Torres, it is difficult to be new in the team. You need time. This is the only problem."

The Spaniard himself is predictably bullish, even though he knows that 25 minutes as a substitute in the dull draw against Copenhagen was a useful opportunity to have broken his duck. "It's coming soon," he said of the first goal. "Sunday! There is no pressure. As long as the team is winning, things are going to be easier and that's what matters."

City arrive in London – without the immature Mario Balotelli – on the back of a tame exit from European competition, which has damaged their chances of a trophy this season but will at least allow some breathing space in a programme that had seen them play nine games more than Chelsea so far.

"Maybe a reduced schedule will help us," their manager Roberto Mancini said. "If we have a couple of weeks off we can get players back from injury and prepare very well for the [FA Cup] semi-final."



Source : The Independent 20 March 2011

Enough punishment for a 'big personality'

Terry returns like prodigal son leaving injured Ferdinand licking his wounds

'Even when he played without the armband John Terry was every time leader on the pitch and leader of the dressing-room,' says Capello

The 25 players named in England's extended squad for forthcoming matches against Wales and Ghana will be called together at their hotel tomorrow and told precisely why John Terry is being reinstated as their captain on a permanent basis. The reason in a nutshell, Fabio Capello says of his controversial decision, is: "One year of punishment was enough."

Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard, who revert to being numbers two and three in the pecking order, are both injured and will not be there to hear the manager list Terry's leadership qualities, which by implication have proved superior to their own, even during the year he was demoted. Capello, by his own standards, was positively gushing in reeling them off at Wembley on Friday.

"The game against Wales will be a really tough game and we need a captain with big personality, a leader," he said. "John even when he played without the armband was every time leader on the pitch and leader of the dressing-room, where he was really good every time. He is the biggest personality, absolutely. We need a leader on the pitch."

There were suggestions that when Terry became too outspoken as the World Cup campaign disintegrated last summer, he damaged his standing with the manager as well as some of the players. Capello still maintains he went too far – "even the leader can make mistakes" – but does not believe there will be any resentment in the squad about his return: "I think they'll be happy. They respect John Terry as a leader, absolutely."

Though there is no longer a strong Manchester United faction in the squad, that may depend to an extent on how Ferdinand plays things. He has already let it be known he is "upset" and appeared to go out of his way – literally – to avoid meeting Capello and his assistant Franco Baldini when they went to United's game with Marseille on Tuesday.

They expected to come across him either in the directors' box or hospitality suite but Capello said: "I tried to meet him. He preferred not to meet us, I think. I don't know, it's a question for him. I was ready, I want to meet with him personally and not by phone and explain my decision. He is one of the most important players for experience and value as a player."

If relations become strained, it is even possible that Ferdinand could decide to retire from international football next season, concentrating – as his United team-mates Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have done – on prolonging their club careers.

A series of injuries have cost him a substantial number of games for club and country in the past three years and also meant Nemanja Vidic took the United captaincy from him last summer. When he strained a calf warming up for the game at Wolves on 5 February, Sir Alex Ferguson's prediction was that it would be a "couple of weeks" absence. Now his main aim is to return by the end of the season, which in England's case stretchesas far as 4 June and the European Championship qualifier at home to Switzerland. Gerrard has told Capello that he too hopes to be fit for that match, and also that he has "no problem" with the captaincy decision.

Injuries permitting this weekend, Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Tottenham's Michael Dawson should again be the beneficiaries of those absences, as they were when starting the last match in Denmark. Capello's praise was fulsome for Wilshere, of whom he said: "After the game against Barcelona, he's arrived. Out of young players I think he's at the top, not only in England but in Europe." A first-choice in midfield? "Yes, yes. He plays without fear, with confidence and, although so young, is a leader. It's incredible. I never saw such a young player be a leader on the pitch."

A starting place would mean Frank Lampard or, more probably, Gareth Barry missing out. Andy Carroll is likely to be in the squad but not the starting XI as he lacks match fitness and Darren Bent had his best England game last time out. Adam Johnson, who returned as a substitute for Manchester City last Thursday, could squeeze into the 25 with Aaron Lennon ahead of him as replacement for the injured Theo Walcott.

Having been held to a goalless draw at home to Montenegro, England have ground to make up amid what will undoubtedly be a testing atmosphere in Cardiff on Saturday. Wales's results have been disappointing but they ought to have a better team than in the last meeting in 2005, when Sven Goran Eriksson's side won only 1-0.

Squad (probable): Hart (Manchester City), Green (West Ham), Stockdale (Fulham); G Johnson (Liverpool), Dawson (Tottenham), Terry (Chelsea), Cahill (Bolton), Lescott (Manchester City), A Cole (Chelsea), Baines (Everton); Lampard (Chelsea), Wilshere (Arsenal), Barry (Manchester City), Parker (West Ham); Lennon (Tottenham), Milner (Manchester City), Downing (Aston Villa), A Young (Aston Villa), A Johnson (Manchester City); Rooney (Manchester Utd), Bent (Aston Villa), Crouch (Tottenham), Carroll (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham), Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) or C Cole (West Ham).

How Fabio avoided the Scots

Saturday's game in Cardiff will be Fabio Capello's first British "derby" but he has revealed that his very first game in charge of England could have been against Scotland. Instead it was decided to have a rather more low-key game against Switzerland, which England won 2-1. They have still not played the Scots since the play-off for the 2000 European Championships, when they lost 1-0 at Wembley after winning 2-0 in Glasgow.

 Source : The Independent 20 March 2011