In the wake of John Terry's record pay deal, David Miller rates him against the greats.Stopper, sweeper, terrier, thinker? There are so many categories of central defender, one of the core elements of any successful team, along with goalkeeper and clean sheets as was defined by Brian Clough.The apotheosis in the valuation of central defenders, as oppose to goal scorers - and a regrettable reflection on the contemporary game - has been reached with John Terry's wage of £130,000 per week with Chelsea: an Aladdin's lamp world grossly initiated by immigrant owner Roman Abramovich.
If Terry's ability is essentially to keep his own penalty area clear, then my chimney sweeper must comparably be worth at least per year what Terry absurdly trousers on a Saturday. And by this scale, what price Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves, or Gary Lineker? Or Michael Owen?
Terry is of that stopper-brand, they-shall-not-pass, occupied by Billy Wright, Maurice Norman, Jack Charlton, Brian Labone, Norman Hunter and Dave Watson. Though not unskilled, and a formidable header of the ball in the opposition's penalty area, Terry lacks, in my opinion, the all-round ability to place him in the top 10.
A handful of stoppers narrowly miss my top 20, including Peter Swann (Sheffield Wednesday), curtailed by a bribery scandal in the early Sixties, Martin Keown (Arsenal) and Gary Pallister (Middlesbrough and Manchester United) and several all-rounders such as David Sadler (Manchester United), Colin Todd (Derby), Gary Mabbutt and Ledley King (both of Spurs), the latter yet to mature.