Terry retains England captaincy
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Fabio Capello has named his England squad before Wednesday’s friendly against the Czech Republic. He named Michael Carrick for the first time, however, there is one notable absentee.
The England squad in full:
GK David James (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Blackburn), Joe Hart (Manchester City)
DF Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham), Matthew Upson (West Ham)
MF Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), David Bentley (Tottenham),
FW Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth), Emile Heskey (Wigan) -
bo say who captain?
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michael owen? and why dun wan put crouch? he is an advantage.
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why need crouch when u got heskey?
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pretty thin on the striker dept.. even if his intention is to play with a lone striker with 2 attacking winger it would have harm if he get himself another backup striker...
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Terry retains England captaincy
Fabio Capello has confirmed that John Terry will captain England again for the team's forthcoming 2010 World Cup qualification campaign.
Terry was in competition with Rio Ferdinand for the armband but Capello revealed it was the Chelsea defender's 'big personality' that saw him pip his rival who becomes England's new vice-captain instead.
After the disappointment of failing to qualify for Euro 2008 under Steve McClaren, Capello auditioned a number of candidates for the role previously filled by Terry but the 27-year-old has been given the final nod to retain the captaincy.
Capello told an England press conference: "The team captain will be John Terry and the vice-captain will be Rio Ferdinand.
"I remember when Rio was captain he played very well and it was not easy for me to choose the captain.
"I think the big personality was the reason why I chose John. The captain is very important because he drives the team."
Terry, capped 44 times by England, will lead the national team out for the 15th time for Wednesday's friendly international with Czech Republic at Wembley.
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SONG BOOO!!!!!
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woah!
see how he perform liao
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hope he slips and cries
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he deserves it but in my view steven gerrard is better choice.
at least not any drug addicter or someone who worn wife's undie.
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ya.. just like your posts, they just sucks as much...
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Unease at FA over Fabio Capello’s decision to make John Terry England captain
Fabio Capello’s controversial decision to cold-shoulder Rio Ferdinand as England captain in favour of John Terry was met with sighs of frustration in significant corners of the Football Association.
Although Ferdinand is hardly a choirboy, members of the FA hierarchy worry more about Terry as a role model and had hoped Ferdinand would have been appointed to unite the dressing room.
Capello, who seems bemused by the passionate debate aroused by an armband, will not be troubled by his employers’ private reservations nor the level of criticism his choice provoked among some England fans. Capello appears to have given Terry the armband because he shouts a lot, because the coach is keen to get his message through to nervous players, and because the Italian’s good friend, Luiz Felipe Scolari, rates his Chelsea leader highly.
England’s coach explained his selection with a brief “we need one captain with a big personality in every moment’’, an observation unlikely to lift the spirits of a devastated Ferdinand. “It’s not an easy choice because Rio Ferdinand is a very important player and I like him as a captain,’’ added Capello, seeking (if failing) to soften the blow.
Such was the disputed nature of Capello’s judgment call that the FA rushed through the second shortest press conference in recent memory, eclipsed only by a panic-stricken Steve McClaren’s “Gentlemen, you write what you want’’ outburst in Barcelona.
Traditionally celebratory moments, the announcement about the captaincy resembled an inquest, with verdicts ranging from “mistaken identity’’ to “death by misadventure’’. Capello looked unconcerned, Terry was ill at ease, and such was the confusion over the manager’s cursory pronouncement on Terry’s virtues that he was forced to issue a clarification.
Asked whether Terry was now “undroppable’’, Capello replied: “No. The vice-captain is Rio Ferdinand. He [Terry] will play if he will be fit. For me, he’s an important captain but he is not sure to play. If he’s not fit, he will not play.’’
Terry, otherwise downbeat, momentarily smiled when mention was made of his being “untouchable’’, leading to Capello’s elucidation that “no one is untouchable’’. He added: “The captain cannot play if he is limping. But no one is untouchable. The fact someone is captain does not make him undroppable.’’
Good. Terry must be picked on form. Yet Capello must harbour some doubts over the Chelsea player otherwise he would not have made discreet inquiries to Jamie Carragher to see whether the Liverpool centre-half would end his international exile and partner Ferdinand, now widely recognised as one of the most accomplished defenders in the world.
If the Czech Republic’s Milan Baros leads Terry a merry dance at Wembley this evening then Capello will come under even greater scrutiny, strengthening the belief that he is building his defence around the wrong centre-half. Terry also knows that his off-field behaviour, let alone his on-field attitude towards officials, will be closely watched.
When the friendly kicks off, Terry will have captained England as many times as Jimmy Armfield (15) but will never equal the Blackpool legend as a role model. Also on 15 in the post-war list are Peter Shilton and Tony Adams; by the end of the season, form and fitness permitting, Terry should have passed Gary Lineker, David Platt, Johnny Haynes and Emlyn Hughes.
By the time of the 2010 World Cup, if England qualify, Terry should have passed Kevin Keegan (33) and Alan Shearer (34), though the top four of David Beckham (59), Bryan Robson (65) and Billy Wright and Bobby Moore (both 90) are over the horizon.
By continuing with McClaren’s choice as captain, Capello has failed to make a break with the past. Terry as captain and Beckham on the right hardly amounts to a revolution. Capello’s claim yesterday that England have taken a “forward step’’ in every one of his four games was met with raised eyebrows.
England beat Switzerland, were outplayed by France, and defeated the United States and Trinidad & Tobago. Signs of tactical development are few, though Capello cannot be properly judged until Sept 10 when England go to Zagreb for a World Cup qualifier they dare not lose.
England’s players need to respond enthusiastically to Capello’s choice and deliver a cohesive performance in front of 70,000 at Wembley (a turnout described by the FA as “excellent for this time of year’’).
Steven Gerrard, granted a licence to roam and create during training this week, must show he can dominate midfield against significant international opposition. Wayne Rooney has been partnering a range of strikers in practice at London Colney and is sure to work with Emile Heskey at some point.
Aware that his players lose their club belief when donning England shirts, Capello craves one thing: “I want to see England play like a team, with spirit and without fear – with big personality.’’
He will also want to see positive body language between Ferdinand and Terry.
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THAT it took Fabio Capello six months to arrive at the same conclusion that Steve McClaren reached in a matter of weeks should, on the surface of it, be mildly worrying for England’s future prospects.
But the decision to retain John Terry as captain is where any similarities between the two must end.
Capello’s bold new England may be beginning to appear suspiciously like the bad old one, yet he remains adamant that his tactical outlook is where the difference with past regimes will be most keenly felt.
Capello has never understood the hullabaloo that had built up in anticipation of Terry’s announcement as skipper ahead of Rio Ferdinand yesterday and looked disinterested as a press conference at England’s HQ lingered on the subject.
The lengthy auditions for the role have seen Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Gareth Barry and now Ferdinand overlooked and the latter, in particular, will have been left dejected when Capello confirmed his choice as training ended at London Colney.
Not that Capello will waste any time worrying about bruised egos after he maintained the selection process had been worthwhile.
“It is very important to know a lot of players as captain,” said Capello. “After I know the players, I choose, because one player may not be good and another may be. I had to know the players.”
If Ferdinand is disappointed, then he can at least seek comfort in the fact that it is clear that Capello sees the captain’s task as little more than tossing the coin and swapping pennants with the opposition.
That much was made clear when he was asked if he would be discussing team matters with his skipper in the future. Given that he had not even informed his inner sanctum of Terry’s appointment, his answer was hardly a surprise.
“No,” he said with a pause, as if incredulous at the suggestion. “Sometimes in my career I have spoken with the captain. But usually I decide.