Captain, Leader, Legend

[Gem]

What is says on the tin.

After Wednesday night, the media are starting to remember things they previously forgot - John Terry is England's leader. He is the only one who sings the National Anthem (and I mean sing, not mumble like Gerrard/Ferdinand or just stand there like Rooney) with full blooded pride and shows his commitment on the pitch every single match. I'm not saying singing the National Anthem makes you any less committed, but sing it FFS.

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Lionheart Terry is a true leader

Steven Howard

The Sun - Click

ENGLAND staged their own long walk to freedom here on Nelson Mandela Bay.

The Get Out Of Jail card was provided by Jermain Defoe as Fabio Capello's team successfully completed the purpose of their visit to the Windy City.

After an old-fashioned, all-round team performance - more a half Nelson than a full-blooded one - it might seem invidious to single out one player.

But after the corrosive few days John Terry endured in the build-up to this pivotal match, the Chelsea skipper is entitled to take a huge, magisterial bow.

There's no reason for him to apologise about anything now.

Identified in some quarters as the leader of a failed coup to undermine his own boss, Terry has been unnecessarily vilified this week.

It only just stopped short of frenzied calls to have him banged up in the Tower, followed by an appointment with the executioner's axe on the morrow.

Personally, I find it difficult to identify Terry as some sinister Machiavellian schemer.

But all we need to know is that yesterday he rose head and shoulders above the speculation and innuendo like the true leader he is.

Those worried all the bad publicity might impact on his own performance do not know the man.

As Frank Lampard said on the eve of the game: "John is very tough. When there have been negative things in his life, he has always reacted well."

Yet Terry did not just react well, he reacted in inspirational, Bryan Robson-style fashion.

Capello had long maintained that the removal of the captain's armband - ripped off in an excruciating 12-minute dressing-down at Wembley following his off-field philandering - would in no way affect his displays for his country.

That Terry would continue to bring his enormous leadership qualities to the team.

The manager never needed him more than he did yesterday.

The injury crisis that had seen both Rio Ferdinand and Ledley King removed from the selection process was compounded by the two bookings that also ruled Jamie Carragher out of the equation.

Now we were down to Matthew Upson. And, for long spells yesterday, the West Ham defender was England's weakest link.

So there was even more pressure on Terry.

But he coped with it magnificently with a display that knitted together the holes - when they appeared - in the England defence.

His finest moment came shortly after Slovenia had somehow managed to survive a huge onslaught at the start of the second half when England went in search of the killer second goal.

But this being England it never came. Which meant that sooner or later Slovenia would get their chance to pull the game out of the fire and launch all the customary wailing and gnashing of teeth.

That came in the 68th minute when Milivoje Novakovic had the ball at his feet with only David James to beat from a dozen yards.

But as he struck his shot, Terry launched himself at the ball with a goal-defying block.

Taking inspiration from this, Glen Johnson then repeated the feat as he got in the way of Zlatko Dedic's follow-up.

It was the defining moment of the match, the few seconds that screamed out 'One for all and all for one'. And, full credit to Upson, the defender responded to those earlier heroics by getting his own body between ball and James as Dedic again had the chance to send England back home in a box in the 90th minute.

To add to an enormous afternoon's work, Terry twice went close to scoring with headers from corners - the second only just shovelled round the post by Samir Handanovic.

If this seems like an OTT glorification of one player, I apologise.

Especially to Steven Gerrard who ran himself into the ground in pursuit of the three points that ensured England would take their place in the last 16.

This was one of his finest hours in an England shirt. It was almost as if the all-red kit drew from him the sort of performance he has been rolling out for years for his beloved Liverpool.

Other key displays came from Johnson, his best for England, and James Milner. The Aston Villa winger was hauled off after just half an hour against the USA and seemed to be heading in the same direction following a shocking opening 15 minutes.

But he dug in, gritted his teeth and proceeded to deliver a series of deadly balls into the box, one of which enabled Defoe to produce what would prove to be the winner.

And a rare pat on the back, too, for Ashley Cole whose spirited singing of the national anthem was matched by his subsequent display.

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Titan Terry puts his body on the line as England book Germany showdown

Martin Samuel

Daily Mail - Click

As Slovenia's substitute, Zlatko Dedic, prepared to pull the trigger, there was only one thought in the mind of John Terry. It was to get his body, any part of his body, in front of the goal.

If he took one, so be it, if it hurt, he would shrug it off, as he always does. So Terry climbed to his feet and threw himself, full length, in front of Dedic like a Secret Service agent shielding bullets from the presidential motorcade.

There are certain images that are made for the slow motion replay, that reveal, frame by frame, the measure of a sportsman. The montage of unencumbered determination displayed in front of England's goal after 68 minutes yesterday was one such sequence.

When Dedic made to shoot, Terry entered the picture from the left, his arms at first outstretched and then pulled to his side to better propel him towards the target. Now diving, he literally clawed at the air to arrive even a fraction of a second quicker and then, as the ball was released, he thrust his head forward and down, as if breasting a tape, every sinew in his neck stretched in a doomed attempt to deflect the ball from its trajectory.

Glen Johnson, behind him, made the block anyway, but Johnson sensibly covered his privates as he did so. There was no such consideration for Terry, who landed on his right shoulder, his right arm twisted behind his back, his prone figure a tableau of total abandon. He hit the ground with all the grace of a felled telegraph pole.

And in that instant, unless Fabio Capello has iced water in his veins, he would have murmured a silent thanks for Terry, the extraordinary footballer.

He has made his judgments on the man and it would seem he is not alone in his disapproval. Yet any condemnation of Terry, any disparagement of his human failings or the clumsiness of his machinations, should always be tempered by an acknowledgement of his worth to the team.

This is why Capello chastised him for some ill-considered opinions expressed this week, but stopped short of the ultimate act act of disciplinary action . Send Terry home and England would surely have followed; maybe today.

There are plenty of good defenders at this World Cup, but Terry has a uniquely uninhibited approach, which is why he is consistently selected by Europe's finest coaches as a member of the Champions League team of the season.

He may have ultimately fallen out with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea - for much the same reason that he has earned Capello's displeasure this week - but the tenets of that regime remain fixed in his mind.

When Terry hurls himself at the ball as if it is a grenade to be smothered, he is revealed as the outstanding graduate of the Mourinho school of resistance at any cost.

It is no coincidence that some of the greatest central defenders in the world right now - Terry, Lucio, Walter Samuel - have a club manager in common. Inter Milan's back line defend as Chelsea used to, but Terry is alone in hearing the barked imperatives of the Special One echoing in his head long after Mourinho has moved on.

Capello is the lucky beneficiary. Seconds before diving at Dedic, Terry had thrown himself - successfully this time - at a shot by Milivoje Novakovic. This is what he does. This is why, although captain no longer, he is still in so many ways the leader of this team......

......Nobody will be happy to play England now, because against Slovenia, the big five - Terry, Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard - turned up. All had strong games, supported by excellent displays from David James, Johnson, James Milner and Jermain Defoe in particular.

Suddenly, England hit the high level of tempo and performance that Capello had been used to seeing in qualification. Bigger games, greater tests lie ahead, of course, but England played really well yesterday.

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John Terry back at the heart of England's hopes

Dominic Fifield

The Guardian - Click

John Terry won back his leadership spurs if not the captaincy with an imperious display against Slovenia

It was John Terry who, upon the final whistle here, summoned England's victorious players into a celebratory huddle. Fabio Capello might have been too busy punching the air and high-fiving David Beckham to notice or, after the events of the last few days, perhaps he had expected nothing else. Once a leader, always a leader.

England knew what they would get from Terry here. The deposed captain can be his own worst enemy at times and his wounds this week had all been self-inflicted, with ill-advised talk of clear-the-air meetings fuelling whisperings of mutiny from within the squad, but he does nothing better than immediate recovery. This was a display so impressively uncompromising as to reduce the intent of opposing forwards to rubble.

The Chelsea defender draws the focus at moments like this. The ball tends to follow him, any striker attempting to wriggle through on goal drifting inexorably into the zone Terry marshals. There are invitations aplenty for him to leap into eye-catching and bone-shuddering challenges. Milivoje Novakovic and Zlatan Ljubijankic had been on a hiding to nothing from the start. The suffocating block mustered to deny the latter midway through the first half set the tone. Terry had his script and was not going to veer from it.

The only thing lacking was the goal to have the flashbulbs popping, to match that summoned against the USA at Wembley in May 2008, just days after he had fluffed a penalty in the shoot-out and Chelsea's best opportunity to date to grasp the European Cup. From tears to cheers. Or the winner eight minutes from time at Burnley in January, while the world was still salivating over the Vanessa Perroncel affair. That controversy was prolonged, his form dipping as the intrigue deepened, but there had been an immediate show of strength at Turf Moor to admire.

The nearest he came here was a thumping header from Gareth Barry's corner which the excellent Samir Handanovic did well to paw round a post as he tumbled back into his net. Rather, this was an afternoon to revel in Terry's prowess. This team had needed his strong-arm authority as they thrust together their third central-defensive partnership of the tournament. England have appeared vulnerable too often under Capello and have kept only nine clean sheets in his 27 games. Robert Green's handling error aside, they would not have shipped at all in Group C.

Slovenia, of course, did not scintillate often as an attacking force but when they did threaten, Terry made an impression. It was the chance denied just after the hour that sapped the conviction from them. England had struggled to recover Barry's concession of the ball in midfield and Andraz Kirm expected to convert only for Terry to fling himself into the challenge and stifle the shot at source.

Even so, the substitute Zlatko Dedic might have converted from the rebound only for Terry, again, to tumble into a block – his head almost scraping the turf as he attempted to use everything he had as a shield – with the striker distracted and Glen Johnson, just as adeptly, conjuring his own interception. "Everyone was great at the back but John made some terrific blocks," said Frank Lampard. "They all worked their socks off."

Those around the centre-half appeared just as inspired by his presence. Matthew Upson, initially jittery on his return to the side, took heart in his colleague's barked instruction. His interception to deny Tim Matavz in stoppage time at the end was just as jaw-dropping and preserved victory. "We went about like it was a Saturday afternoon in the Premier League," said Upson. "That was the key for us. Especially at the end, they were hitting long balls, knocking it down and it was getting a bit scrappy. We're more than used to dealing with that type of football and did well to see it through."

Terry revels in such contests. Accepting this week that he does not dominate the England dressing room as he does back at Chelsea must have been traumatic. Players will not necessarily follow him into confrontation with the management. The apparent ability his club squad have of exorcising their frustrations in argument and, at times, heated discussion only to emerge united and all the stronger for it does not transpose itself easily under Capello and his international set-up. The defender learned that the hard way on Sunday, when team-mates withdrew what he had deemed to be their backing and he was left horribly exposed.

The others may have been unimpressed but the 29-year-old was neverutterly ostracised. His contrite attitude on Monday was welcome, his apologies accepted. Regardless, this was a performance to thrust him back into the heart of everything England are attempting to achieve in South Africa. Terry, on this form, offers Capello nothing but value.

"He's a leader," said the Italian. "I have no problems with any of my players. I respect them and they respect me. John Terry's performance today was really important. He was like a leader on the pitch." If not as the captain, then like a leader. That much will have to do from now on in and as Terry celebrated with his team-mates at the end, he looked like he will accept his lot.

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Just wanted to share.

[Barry Bridges]

I never want to hear someone in the media bang on about bandwagoners again.........They are the worst of the lot!

[Bez]

It really is brilliant isn't it? less than 24 hours before they were calling for his head. Proves again why we have the worst media in the world.

[mad_mac]

Englands loss in taking the captaincy away from him, but I'm so glad he's ours. Definite Chelsea Legend!

[Maksimov]

They're just building him up so they can tear him down when England loses.

[SydneyChelsea]

They're just building him up so they can tear him down when England loses.

Abso-f**king-lutely.

It is hard to believe your press are football fans. I have noticed something very different between the English media and the Australian media- they are opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their interpretations of reality.

The English press are bandwagoning. They love to jump on success stories but focus mainly on the negative, seeking out gossip and sowing the seeds of hatred. They love to put down and humble the English team and sportspeople in general, taking the moral highground against the supposedly amoral footballer.

The Australian media is the equally disgusting opposite. In their eyes, the Australian sportsperson can do no wrong. In the midst of terrible scandals of sexual abuse, domestic abuse and racism- and not just mere gossip, but even in cases of actual criminal conviction or admitted wrongdoing- the Australian press systematically remove any sort of criticism, always holding up their sportspeople as some sort of paragons of virtue. Any aberration is just that- the idea "she'll be right mate" extends into the consciousness of the Australian media, and anyone pointing out otherwise is roundly criticised for being contrarian or "taking the focus away from the field".

[TheWestwayWonder]

First and foremost, ba da ba ba bahhhhhh, im loving it. They probably are building him up to slaughter him if there is a mistake, but he's been slaughtered before and he's just kept right on going.

Right now I love that everyone who rushed to judge him for speaking his mind is nowhere to be found. Mark my words, he will score before this tournament is over. And hopefully its a winner

Abso-f**king-lutely.

It is hard to believe your press are football fans. I have noticed something very different between the English media and the Australian media- they are opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their interpretations of reality.

The English press are bandwagoning. They love to jump on success stories but focus mainly on the negative, seeking out gossip and sowing the seeds of hatred. They love to put down and humble the English team and sportspeople in general, taking the moral highground against the supposedly amoral footballer.

The Australian media is the equally disgusting opposite. In their eyes, the Australian sportsperson can do no wrong. In the midst of terrible scandals of sexual abuse, domestic abuse and racism- and not just mere gossip, but even in cases of actual criminal conviction or admitted wrongdoing- the Australian press systematically remove any sort of criticism, always holding up their sportspeople as some sort of paragons of virtue. Any aberration is just that- the idea "she'll be right mate" extends into the consciousness of the Australian media, and anyone pointing out otherwise is roundly criticised for being contrarian or "taking the focus away from the field".

Neither are attractive options, for sure, but i'd have to say building a team up to do well, and then giving an almighty "oh well" and patting them on the back afterward has gotta be better than the sabotage and then the scrambling for a scapegoat.

Then again, I dont know the specific instances youre talking about SC, it sounds like the media down there ignore some pretty terrible things

Edited June 25, 2010 by TheWestwayWonder

[charierre]

england v slovenia in lego

JT's diving header immortalised in lego

[dkw]

Thats class, Lego Terry is awesome.

[geezer]

This one moment captured so brilliantly in that picture made me experience something I though I would never ever see amongst Liverpool and Manure fans. I was watching the game at my local sports club (I was the only Chelsea fan BTW). When this particular moment happened - even though JT didn't get to the ball - each and every one of them to a man stood and applauded his commitment. It was absolutely astonishing to witness but also absolute proof that no matter what people think of JT as a person - as a footballer he is truly a leader, not only of those on the pitch but also those who follow the team he plays for. The atmosphere rose to a crescendo following this.

The moment will live with me forever.

[Alan]

Inevitably a Facebook group has sprung up. Some of the pictures are genius.

[Peckham Blue]

Glen Johnson cares more about his bollocks.

[stevo]

Glen Johnson cares more about his bollocks.

[dkw]

Glen Johnson cares more about his bollocks.

Is that in general or just that one time? ;)

[PloKoon13]

This one moment captured so brilliantly in that picture made me experience something I though I would never ever see amongst Liverpool and Manure fans. I was watching the game at my local sports club (I was the only Chelsea fan BTW). When this particular moment happened - even though JT didn't get to the ball - each and every one of them to a man stood and applauded his commitment. It was absolutely astonishing to witness but also absolute proof that no matter what people think of JT as a person - as a footballer he is truly a leader, not only of those on the pitch but also those who follow the team he plays for. The atmosphere rose to a crescendo following this.

The moment will live with me forever.

I had a similar experience, but with a Charlton fan and a Leeds fan, both of whom wouldn't give JT the time of day previously. I felt almost an intrinsic connection with that Paul McGrath moment against Italy in 1994, which made it even more magical as I have a huge amount of respect for Paul McGrath as a footballer.

[Spiller86]

Is that in general or just that one time? ;)

Most of the time probably. Funny how he is England right-back, but I have never once heard anyone on here say we shouldn't have let him go. Honestly he would (still) be third choice if he hadn't have been sold.

[TheWestwayWonder]

Haha, that facebook group is awesome.

This one moment captured so brilliantly in that picture made me experience something I though I would never ever see amongst Liverpool and Manure fans. I was watching the game at my local sports club (I was the only Chelsea fan BTW). When this particular moment happened - even though JT didn't get to the ball - each and every one of them to a man stood and applauded his commitment. It was absolutely astonishing to witness but also absolute proof that no matter what people think of JT as a person - as a footballer he is truly a leader, not only of those on the pitch but also those who follow the team he plays for. The atmosphere rose to a crescendo following this.

The moment will live with me forever.

That is awesome to hear. Its a simple truth in modern society that one moment can make or break a public figure (and the media plays their role in that) but it makes me so happy to hear that most of England looked at that moment and saw him for what he is to us.

[shed1972]

As a member of England fans, which is the official England supporters club. There are a few on there, one west ham fan in particular, who continues to slate JT and blames him for the defeat to Germany. As a Chelsea supporter I have defended him on there. To be fair there are quite a few on the England fans forum that have stuck up for JT but others, mainly West Ham, who have used Englands poor performance in SA as an excuse to criticise John Terry. Jelousy in most cases. I am still more than happy to have him as our captain.

Edited July 3, 2010 by Mod
Removed web address on 1st post.

[geezer]

As a member of England fans, which is the official England supporters club. There are a few on there, one west ham fan in particular, who continues to slate JT and blames him for the defeat to Germany. As a Chelsea supporter I have defended him on there. To be fair there are quite a few on the England fans forum that have stuck up for JT but others, mainly West Ham, who have used Englands poor performance in SA as an excuse to criticise John Terry. Jelousy in most cases. I am still more than happy to have him as our captain.

Maybe those same West Ham fans should look a bit closer to home at Matthew Upson.

[CFCCAN]

Will Cadbury's be making a chocolate figure of the 'dive'?

[mike009]

Ah john terry the biggest scum bag in the game.

Shags everything in sight and has a stupid hair cut.

what a twat.

[blizeH]

Ah steven gerrard, the biggest scum bag in the game.

Shags everything in sight and has a stupid (and very unfortunate) fringe.

what a twat.

+1

[RegRabid]

Ah john terry the biggest scum bag in the game.

Shags everything in sight and has a stupid hair cut.

what a twat.

I would have thought you have around 3 weeks before you are using Photo Shop to paste some new heads on your profile picture.

[mike009]

I would have thought you have around 3 weeks before you are using Photo Shop to paste some new heads on your profile picture.

Whats wrong hard to hear the truth?

Hes the biggest c**t in football.

Vile person.

[moi]

Whats wrong hard to hear the truth?

Hes the biggest c**t in football.

Vile person.

Has he beaten someone up, then?