Capello is a man of going back on his word. Think David Beckham when the two were at Real Madrid. Golden Balls had signed a pre-contract agreement with the LA Galaxy. Capello stated that he would never play him because he had another club on his mind. That theory quickly decomposed and Beckham became an integral part of the title winning run-in that season. He has now done the same with John Terry. It took 12 minutes to dismiss Terry as captain in February 2010 due to the alleged infidelities involving a particular Miss Peroncel. It has taken approximately (!) 12 different captains since for Capello to hand the armband back. It has been passed back with a certain level of sympathy too, "Terry saw the armband passed around in Copenhagen and that was enough, punishment over". Indeed the armband went from Lampard to Barry to Ashley Cole in this year's 2-1 friendly win against Denmark.
It can be suggested that Rio Ferdinand was too injury-prone in this stage of his career (4 internationals since his appointment) and that he has rightly been dethroned. However, what impact will this treatment have on the squad? This is the same treatment that David Beckham suffered when he found out via an ITV interview with Capello, that he would never play for England again! This ruthless nature that Capello has is harsh, the wrong procedure of doing things and unfair on great servants such as Rio and David. Ferdinand is a popular member of the squad as one who the younger players look up to - players like Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill. His Twitter account is well followed too which would suggest a popularity amongst the fans as well as his fellow professionals. The England changing room is already a fragile place after the World Cup. Will this make it even more fragile?
I believe the decision to reinstate Terry is wrong. After the World Cup, there were big calls for Capello to start from scratch and rebuild the side. He has managed to start doing this with the introduction of Jack Wilshere, Kieron Gibbs, Jordan Henderson and Chris Smalling to the set up, to name a few. Reinstating Terry takes the team back to the old days when they won nothing and were a bunch of prima-donnas living on the reputation of their club careers. In my opinion, if you start from scratch, you actually do that, to pick a new captain to make an example of the changes. Then build you team around that captain.
With that in mind, my choice would have been Phil Jagielka or Joe Hart. Stop!...I can you screaming at this article but let me put my case forward. Jagielka has been outstanding when he has played for England and proved that he can handle international football. He has been extremely effective in both Terry and Ferdinand's absences in the past twelve months. This would suggest that with Ferdinand's deteriorating fitness, he may well have an extended run in the team. He is also a player that puts hi body on the line, wear's his heart on his sleeve and is always 100% committed. The perfect character to build a team around. Of course, what goes against his favour is his relative international experience and the fact that he doesn't play in big European games.
Joe Hart, my other candidate, is an England mainstay for years to come. He has the confidence to shine at this level and the voice and presence to shout orders from right at the back. With a carefully selected spine of the team, orders can quickly reach the front. I'm thinking (over the next ten years), Hart - Jagielka/Smalling - Wilshere - Rooney, is the spine.
The England team, as we all know, is in a transitional period, and there are some great talents coming through as mentioned...Wilshere, McEachran, Gibbs, Ravel Morrison, Oxlade- Chamberlain etc etc...is it right that these talents look up to John Terry - a man who, as is led to believe, had an affair with a team mates girlfriend. A man whose mother is a shoplifter and whose dad is a drug dealer. Not forgetting his elder brother who also slept with a team mates partner. That team mate then committed suicide. There is no doubt that Terry is a good player and a good leader for his club, but the England captain has to be so much more. He has to be an ambassador for English football, an icon off the field and someone who will leave some sort of legacy behind, like Bobby Moore, Bryan Robson and David Beckham. Does Terry have any of these aspects? I very much doubt it.
Anyway, whoever is captain is only keeping it warm for the eventual appointment of Jack Wilshere.
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