England Captaincy

I know this has been written about by many before me, and this is certainly not the last we’ll hear about it. But the England captaincy issue is such an interesting one, that it’s bound to get everyone talking, cause, certainly, everyone has an opinion.

The issue is not that John Terry is a bad captain. I don’t think anyone can dispute that. He has lead Chelsea admirably for many seasons now. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he plays with maximum effort, regardless of whether it be for club or country. It is undisputed he has leadership qualities, and that, with no other issues around, he’d be a logical first choice.

Its not that Rio Ferdinand should rightfully be captain. Rio has been a regular England player for many seasons, and like Terry, has led United and England with all the attributes you’d wish of a captain. But he’s had so many injury concerns of recent, and even Sir Alex Ferguson at United has chosen to take the armband off him at club level. It would be a little silly if a player was capable of captaining his country, but not his club. In the 10 games he could’ve captained for England, he has played only 4. It’s just not enough to satisfy such a post.

But the simple fact that so many people call this a controversial decision by Fabio Capello is surely indicative enough that it was a wrong decision. Terry’s actions, whether you disagree or support them in any way, meant that there was at least one player who left the squad, simply due to him being in the side, and many others who may have felt angered or annoyed at Terry. This means that the squad, at the time, was weakened, and perhaps a little divided, all due to one player. If that’s captaincy material, then England are slightly delusional.

The problem with England at the moment though, is that there are few contenders for the spot. Not since David Beckham has England had a player that they could reliably pick for each game, except in the case of injury, and would be seen by the public as a ‘likeable’ choice. Terry is hardly Mr Role Model, and Ferdinand is always injured. Of the other players who would be regular starters (at least for now), Frank Lampard has had injury problems as well, and doesn’t always start for England, with his competition with Gerrard and Barry meaning he misses out on occasion. Wayne Rooney is too temperamental to be given such a big burden. And Ashley Cole would be an even worse ‘likeable’ decision than Terry.

All that leaves is Steven Gerrard, and to honest, I feel sorry that the Liverpool captain was overlooked for this role. He’s carried the Scouse almost single-handedly at times, and whilst he’s suffered the injury bug as well of recent, no doubt, he’s a classy leader. He’s had his trouble with the law, involved in a bar-room fight a few seasons ago, but he wasn’t charged, and given Ferdinand’s drug test failure and Terry’s indescretions, off-field antics appear not to hold much sway anymore, especially if he was proven innocent. It would be fair to say Gerrard should be the leading choice. Plus, he was really the only player who stood up for England in South Africa.

Capello once said he’d never pick John Terry as captain again. This is a backdown, and it undermines his position as manager. As I said, I’m sure Terry is a great captain and will lead England with all his heart. Only question is, does he deserve to?