Tony Cascarino column: John Terry showed why he is the England captain

Match report: Germany 1 England 2 | Capello's 24-carat gold reserves | How England rated | Debate: what is England's best XI now? | Agbonlahor merits inclusion in long-term plans | Rise and rise of Captain Responsible | Wenger eyes Walcott compensation | Giles Smith: was it meaningful enough to put I'm a Celebrity on hold for a night? | Debate: were Carson and Bent the only losers in Berlin?

I recall meeting John Terry on the golf course not long after he had missed the penalty that cost Chelsea the Champions League final against Manchester United in Moscow last season. He was still down, talking about how badly it had affected him - the personal recriminations, the sleepless nights. It was haunting him.

I've been there. Perhaps not to such a degree, not at such a definitive moment, but when something happens, when you make the mother of all errors and you can't get it out of your mind. No matter what anyone says to you, however much they sympathise, it's there, nagging, gnawing away, refusing to go.

For John, though - and I said this to him - his spot-kick horror should be used not as a stick to beat himself with but as a source of inspiration, a motivational tool for when he gets low again. One day, he will win the bigger prize; one day, redemption will be at hand. And I believe that day could be with England.

Just look at his display in the 2-1 win in Germany on Wednesday. OK, it was a friendly match and in a weakened side. Yet from start to finish, he led the way, as if it were a World Cup qualifying eliminator, as if it were his last chance to impress Fabio Capello, the hard-to-please England manager.

“Captain Cock-up” he could have been labelled after his error in communication with Scott Carson that enabled Germany to equalise, but who was it who was sticking their head in - where it could possibly have hurt - to nod in England's winner? John Terry.

And his beaming smile at the end, in contrast to the misery in Moscow, said it all. A year or so ago, when the debate raged as to who should wear the England armband, I sided with Terry. Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard have their qualities, but, for me, John is the man to bring out that extra 10 or 15 per cent in his team-mates, a bit like Roy Keane did when he and I played together for Ireland.

Perhaps John is not the quickest and not the best technically. But - and this might sound a bit strange - he is the best England defender at defending. He commands the pitch, rarely gets caught out, breaks up opponents' offensive play brilliantly, inspires those around him and his clearances, whether with the head or foot, more often than not find a colleague. And he is always a threat at set-pieces.

What more could you want from your leader? And Capello, to his credit, got it exactly right with his choice. John is from the Terry Butcher and Bryan Robson mould, but better, much better. He will never get ten out of ten, but he will get a lot of nines, even after all the injuries he has had to endure.

May 21, 2008, was a bad day in the Terry household. The scars will never fade. But he can consign it to history by leading England to a greater glory. Spot of bother, John? Forget it.

Comments

[Rodney]

JT and Lampard are Amazing individuals. Forget football. Their character is amazing. Chelsea will never be able to replace these two. NEVER! I draw inspiration from this colossal pair.

[Jonathan da Silva]

"Perhaps John is not the quickest and not the best technically. But - and this might sound a bit strange - he is the best England defender at defending."

Really?

I love John Terry but he relies a lot on the largesse of referees in this country. He is also a liability to a 442 team as he lacks the ability to defend 1 on 1 and isolated or dragged wide is a pigeon. In a 433 ala Chelsea at their best he is terrific but as England frequently play with at most 1 holding player what happened against Man City when he was deservedly sent off will happen too often (honestly no attempt at anything to do with football or the rules and yet endorsed by the chief referee by demoting Halsey - I thought we wanted people who break the rules (cheating as I call it) thrown out of the game).

In the right system he may be our best defender but his weaknesses are obvious and transparent and were exposed against Germany only for SWP to foul someone who had made a fool of Terry - not to mention his failure to deal with the goal.

[Paul McGoochan]

The Captain,or leader of any team,doesn't have to be the most gifted or talented.But he must possess the ability to be in control,to see things,and delegate.
The best leaders know when to take charge,and when to step back and let others do the work,for the sake of the team.
Not run round un-leashed,putting others out of their stride(Gerrard)or doing someone elses job(Rio)and getting caught out of position.

[mick]

john terry simply proved, yet again, that he no right to be in the england squad, what match were you watching??

[Luca S.]

haha AJ that joke was the bomb.
rio would not have made that error? there is no central defender on that level who has been caught out of position and lacking conenctration resulting in goals against his team than Rio Ferdinand.
The most recent ocassions were the last three meetings with Portsmouth and the Everton away game.

[Michaelsculpt]

Most defenders have made the mistake that Terry made but the thing that makes him special is that after the match he took all the blame on him self and exonerated the goalkeeper. Also if you ever watch him lead out Chelsea or England he always pays attention to the child with him whereas most captains almost look embarrasseds to have to do it.

[mike]

Good article. Good journalist. Tells it like it is. How refreshing.
Being a United fan, I'm glad Terry got it. I think Rio and Gerrard would have the captaincy weigh on them with England. They just haven't really been at the top of their game when wearing the band. Trying too hard as it were. Terry being captain allows the two to get on with their game.

[Barrie Collins]

Dear, oh dear, AJ! Still babbling on about His Stevieness. Watch a few games with an UNBIASED eye for a change, and you might learn something about the game.

Terry is very, very rarely caught out of position, whereas Stevie is very, very rarely caught IN position. He's always wandering around the pitch looking for "glory moments". This might work for Liverpool where he plays and trains with the same players all the time, but it is disruptive for England where he sees his teammates only occasionally, and they don't have time to adapt to his wanderlust. Gerrard is too undisciplined to set an example to the team as England's captain.

Terry is the ideal captain. His teammates know where he is at all times. They know what he stands for, and they find out in a hurry what he will NOT stand for. Capello got it absolutely right!

[clayton]

You're right AJ, Rio is famous for being a perfect example of concentration and flawless performance. Seriously, Rio has made so many of this type of mistake, the most recent against Everton when his dreadlful back past almost cost united the game when Yakubu hit the post. You're talking nonsense. And as for Gerrard being captain, the way he has played the last few years, and seeing Englands performances without him, he is fighting for his place in the team, so how could you make him captain? Three of the greatest managers of the modern era - Mourinho, Scolari and Capello have made John Terry their captain. I know who I'd defer to on this one....

[Mark R]

"John is from the Terry Butcher and Bryan Robson mould, but better, much better."

Better than Robbo - you must be joking! Much more inspirational and a far, far better player.

[AJ]

He is a fool. Rio wouldn't have made that error. Terry is often out of position. And if you're justifying the cataincy on being able to drive the team on to a winner, who better than Gerrard. Let Terry do his shouting, let others do the talking with their feet.