English Football's Black Mamba?
Blood! Frogs! Slaying of the first choice?? A great many plagues have befallen the heretofore high-flying England 2010 set-up.
Is bondage to blame? Well, I suppose that’s between Mr. Terry and Ms. Perroncel. Tabloids will do as they do with regard to this prurient little tale, and one can safely expect lives will be horribly pocked, especially the childrens.’ Oh dear, think of the children.
But after considering those poor, very wealthy young buggers, consider more the fantastic test the Terry Abortion will prove to be for the Three Lions and their manager. For now, there are three questions, each demanding a different kind of answer.
In no particular order:
1) What will Capello do about the make-up of his squad? Will he keep just Terry, just Bridge, or both? Your prediction here
2) What should Capello do about the make-up of his squad? Here now for your opinion
3) How and when should Capello and the England PR set-up reveal their decision? Do so immediately and calm the ship… or, like any other decision over who’s on the plane, wait a few months? You’re a fan again for this last one. State the savviest plan of attack. What, that is, will get you to move on with your footballing concerns?
Here’s my test booklet.
1) This I’m finding most difficult. Wayne Bridge is undoubtedly England’s best, most established and most experienced international second-choice left back. If Capello takes a more narrow view, that is, to only consider the relationship between Bridge and Terry, he could very well within reason have a sit-down with the men and leave with a handshake and promise for good behavior. Terry would of course oblige. Bridge, wounded soul and all, is still a footballer and will not tear up his ticket to South Africa in Don Capello’s face. This seems to be the likeliest course. Terry will give up the captaincy, but otherwise, time goes by, passions cool, and after some privately-held but publicly-flaunted mediation, both men will be part of England 2010.
And you thought Beckham would be his biggest headache
2) This is more fun. My feeling is simple. John Terry, the married father who carried on a months-long affair with his best man’s girlfriend, mother to his best man’s young child, must keep his place on the England team. No room for debate, no cause for discussion. Terry must be England’s first-choice center back on June 12 in Rustenburg against the USMNT. Wayne Bridge on the other hand… Wayne Bridge must be left home to watch.
Cruel, no doubt, but Fabio Capello is not in the business of meting out social justice. His job is to put out the strongest XI, and to back up that first group with competent professionals.
The first rule for an injury replacement in the World Cup cauldron must be “do no harm.” For me, Bridge’s presence will glass in the team’s boots. It’s not that anyone thinks he’ll be sitting in the dugout, whispering, conspiring to turn his teammates against the still-captain Terry. On the contrary, I believe he’d be on his best behavior and encourage the others to ignore the issue, both in public and private. And I even think he’ll mean it. Again, this is a professional athlete. Wayne Bridge’s desire to compete and win on the grand stage (or at least be well-paid to watch others do it) has been the driving force of his life.
The problem for the team is that, in the quiet times, should Bridge be in their company, there will be a terrible tension. In sight is in mind. How would you like to give Terry a slap on the bum in training knowing Wayne Bridge is there watching? And might you feel awkward talking to Terry privately about football matters, concerned perhaps that Bridge or some of the other lads might get wind of it, believing you’ve joined Team Terry? Shit, might there actually be a Team Terry?
Kobe did OK
What’s best for England is the new, super-intense, raw and focused John Terry at center back. See his face after he nodded home the game winner this weekend? Off-the-field controversy and stress has a way of focusing individual professional athletes. See: Kobe during the Colorado mess. I think Terry will be a beast now and throughout England’s World Cup run. And without Bridge there as a constant, visceral reminder of what’s happened, the rest of the team will be able to just play. (To any player who finds himself taken by the incident and the resulting injustices, for any player too sensitive to bear it all, well, you probably don’t belong on the biggest sporting stage on earth.)
3) Whatever the Capello mob decides, they’d be smart to use their two greatest PR assets. First—the language barrier. Don’t say too much. Shouldn’t be tough, considering the Italian’s impressive, but still limited vocabulary. The boilerplate, which is basically what they’ve gone with to now, works just fine. We need to talk to the players. We will talk to all of the players, then make our decision based on that and the performance of the players in our remaining games. And that’s what he should do, along with handing over the armband to Rio or whomever (soon, thus sating the tabloid bloodlust, then rotating the thing around right up until the actual tournament, when Terry will “earn it back.”)
So Capello waits, then as the season winds down, he simply decides on the merits (undisclosed) that Baines or Shorey, whomever, is better suited to than Bridge to whatever particular tactics England plan to employ. And what makes this route possible? Simple, really: England have won during his rule. They’ve looked strong, are locked in as a Vegas favorite, and at least until that first game ends in South Africa, there is no one brave enough, no one important enough, to question the decisions, strategy, or morality of a man who wins.
Remember: whatever The Sun or Daily Mail or News of the World stamp on their heads, winning is all that matters. England have their best chance of winning with John Terry in the team and Wayne Bridge out. This isn’t gym class.
If there’s ever a Peter Hook biopic, John Terry needs to be cast in the 25-35 year-old era.
/only New Order fan on UF…
Not so much about Bridge going as how the rest of the players react to Terry. If they don’t want to be around gim the chesmistry will be destroyed and thats the most imnportant thing here.
So what you’re saying is, if Jonny Evans ups his raping game, Northern Ireland can go ahead and book their tickets to Brazil 2014?
Most of you Americans know this (maybe not Ned and JT), but a pretty similar thing happened to the US in 1998. John Harkes fooled around with Eric Wynalda’s wife — it had been rumor all these years until Wynalda did everything but confirm it last night on Fox Football Fone-in. Sampson stripped Harkes of the captaincy and left him home, the first of many disastrous decision (3-6-1, really?).
Anyway, Wynalda said something interesting last night. Sampson asked him what he wanted to do — he said that he told Sampson to bring Harkes. Between the lines, it didn’t make a difference and the US needed him.
In this case, England needs Terry. Ask Terry to resign the captaincy and give it to Gerrard — do this immediately. Tell Bridge it’s up to him if he wants on the team — do this as quietly as possible. Secretly pray that Bridge stays injured and can’t go (which is a pretty good bet).
Problem mitigated.
No. The most important thing here is that England have their ready-made excuse for WC failure no matter what Capello chooses to do.
@Corky. As long as the players want Terry around.
This happened in Norwich two. Rumors that Francis Tery’d McKenzies womman, or other way around, can’t remember. But McKenzie was moved on.
@u75
We don’t make excuses, we just suck at penalties.
Isn’t this also apparently why David Trezeguet could never get a game for France while Raymond “Madame Cleo” Domenech is in charge?
Simple…Bridge should just be given a weekend with MRS TERRY. Even Steven… everyones happy and if were luck we will have another England in 18 years 9 months…
Damien Francis banged Leon McKenzie’s wife. McKenzie chose to leave the team. This is troubling, as when we went to the Norwich nightclubs, there were tons of women who would do pretty much anyone. Surprising Francis couldn’t find anyone else. We even found a mother/daughter out “on the pull” together. Ah Norwich!
Experience or not, Wayne Bridge has looked the weakest part of Manchester City’s team all season. For footballing reasons alone he doesn’t belong on that plane.
I think it’s telling that SWP and Barry were not among those wearing “Team Bridge” shirts at the weekend. They know Terry is a lock for the World Cup and they aren’t going to do anything to jeopardize their places in South Africa. If Bridge’s own teammates aren’t going to make waves with Terry over this, I really can’t see anyone else in the team having a problem with him.
My question is: Is Terry really that good? Is he worth the aggravation?
Disclaimer: I ask because I have not played the game in many years and was no world-beater when I did. That said, Terry strikes me as competent (maybe highly competent), but not spectacular, not Cup-winning-mandatory-inclusion-sunk-without-him.
My premise is that Chelsea’s “system” under Maureen made Terry better than his natural skill level and that this reputation persists. For those of you that follow hockey, think of the NJ Devils under Lemaire (version 1.0), where the whole was greater than the sum of the parts (talented players undoubtedly, but better together and adherence to the system vaulted them to champions).
Obviously, countering this theory is that subsequent CFC managers (and Capello) pick him in different setups.
Not a wind-up – I’m genuinely curious and could be missing his “excellence.”
excellent or not, terry’s their best and most reliable (health-wise) option. if someone else surpasses him then great, you get to leave the whole business back in England. but as long as he gives you best chance to win, he’s gotta play.
@Kopper
Yeah, couldn’t remember who did the diddling.
@Likely. Even so, it will effect the performance of the whole team if they wont play with him and thats a big factor more than one player missing out. Winning a WC is a team effort or else we’ll just send John Terry and the Wolves youth team.
@Likely: My question is whether Terry actually is the best or has had his reputation “artificially” enhanced by his team. You’ve stated it as a given, which in the absence of contradiction, answers my question.
Your response seems to imply that someone (King?) is more talented, but, given his perma-crocked state is not a viable option. That’s more where I was heading: is Terry really the best or is the NT a center-half wasteland and Terry wins by reputation?
@Wedel: As much as Terry is a douchebag, he’s really earning his 170k pounds/wk. He’s very, very good and the other options aren’t at his level. And it’s not that there’s a center back wasteland out there, it’s just that there aren’t really alternatives with the big game and international experience that even comes close to Terry. It’s too late to try out the Gary Cahills of the world and hope they can anchor the back four at the World Cup. Terry is known and proven quantity. Whether the alternatives can hack it at this level remains to be seen.
@LE: Thanks for the input – that’s what I was wondering, especially coming from someone outside the Chelsea camp. Given that, I think the Harkes-Wynalda thing that Corky mentioned is instructive. If EBJT gives them the best chance, then surely the only debate is media-generated.
I only remember one game in the first half of the year that I came away from thinking, “Gee, that Wayne Bridge is a good player” . He’s been mediocre at best this year, I really don’t think there will be much of a drop off in quality if he’s left off the squad. Capello also has a bit of a built in excuse with the injury that Bridge is recovering from, at least as an excuse to exclude him in March.
As for the armband, I think that should be down to the players, if they don’t care, let it be.
No one… except for the Fire-Bob-Now crowd. Oops!
I think its pretty clear that Terry is Englands best center back and on-field captain; I don’t see how him sleeping with some bird has magically made it obvious that he’s not the best option or is overrated at the back for the NT as well as Chelsea; the comments seem to suddenly question what has long been decided
What about Milner as left back cover?
@UKhanDolt
Not that he isn’t the best option, he is. But if his team mates are so disgusted by what he did they may not want him around. Not just any bird, its their mates woman. Thats a no no. Team chemistry more important than one player for me. He’s good but as Capello has shown time and tome again, he can get players playing well. If his England team mates are ok with it them he goes. I don’t know how many of those guys are friendly with Bridge. These are all questions Capello is asking.
@Ned
Without a doubt chemistry trumps the individual, but they still need talent and experience and I don’t know if Capello can inspire a good enough performance from a JT-less backline considering his options.
that is when they come up against a higher quality opponent; they can make it out of group but I don’t think they will survive against the big boys w/o JT
@Ned his teammates might be disgusted personally, but no one is going to let it affect their play on the field. you think any of them care so much that they’d crap out on a world cup match?? not likely. in the absence of a full-on insurrection, led by gerrard, rooney, or lampard, terry will be there. he’s the most reliable (in every sense) and even if he’s been helped in league form by a great club (a la martin brodeur), it’s not like he’s failed on the international stage. no, as always with england, it will be about scoring goals (in the first 120 mins, cos you know they aint scorin after that)
@Likely Lad. It will be affected whether they try not to let it. Training and preps affected. An incident on the pitch could lead to arguing. Its all related. Maybe no one will care? Either way, I think Capello has to find out how his players feel about it before making a decision.