Teflon Terry Worst of Bad Bunch

We all make mistakes – of that there can be no doubt. The problem is, however, that some mistakes are worse than others. Revelations about John Terry’s private life and extra-marital affairs are nothing new; England’s ‘captain marvel’ has played away from home more than most. The missus is at home pregnant with his kids; not a problem for Terry who hasn’t thought twice about jumping into the bed of another. This time, however, he’s taken things one step beyond.

People have affairs all the time. It’s one of those things. It’s difficult to judge Terry’s actions as it’s impossible to know what has driven him to do this. A fling here, a fling there, it’s old hat. Bedding one of your team mates, let alone best friends, partners, however, is beyond the pale. It brings your personal shenanigans into the dressing room and destroys working relationships.

Terry and Wayne Bridge were close allies during their time at Chelsea. They were part of a very successful Chelsea back four and have also played together a number of times for England. Away from the pitch they remained close, too. They lived near by one another and socialised in the same circles. So for Terry to betray a team mate and friend in such a way is abhorrent.

During the World Cup in South Africa this summer, the England camp will need to be completely united in the task ahead under the leadership of their captain. It is crucial that the captain is a man who can lead by example to inspire his troops and be a trustworthy individual. In sleeping with the mother of Bridge’s child, Terry has surely broken the trust between himself and his England colleagues.

Were Fabio Capello to replace Terry as skipper, however, who should he turn to? Steven ‘punch the DJ’ Gerrard? Wayne ‘the granny hooker hunter’ Rooney? Frank ‘spread the love’ Lampard? Rio ‘orgy in room 318’ Ferdinand? Ashley ‘vomit on you’ Cole?

The point is that all have had their infidelities; not one of them is perfect. You wouldn’t really look upon any of them as a good role-model. Whilst they are totemic figures for club and country on the pitch, they are vulnerable to the excesses of their wages and fame off it. The media jump on their movement and it is nigh on impossible for these players to keep their private life private.

Whilst a player’s sexual deviances make for cracking gossip column reading, they also offer us as fans an insight into what these men are like. Their attitudes towards women often come across as deplorable but many footballers are hunted down by young women due to their fame and status. It is handed to them on a plate. Not many would say no to that.

It’s not even as though footballers are not akin to sleeping with the same women. Danielle Lloyd, for example, seems to have slept with most of the Tottenham team. Many players have ‘shared’ women in their hotel rooms in infamous ‘roasting’ sessions. Yet what Terry has done is different.

He has gone behind his wife’s back and he has gone behind a friend’s back. Vanessa Perroncel is the mother of his friend’s child. Bridge is obviously very upset about the revelations and is considering his future in the England set-up. As England’s second choice left-back he has a role to play in Capello’s England team. Should Ashley Cole suffer an injury that rules him out of the World Cup and Bridge feels that he can no longer be in the same set-up as Terry, then who will England turn to? It will then be Terry’s fault.

Capello must surely have been having reservations about his captain this season anyway. His pace is going and at times he has seemed unsure of himself. In his bid to regain lost yards at set-pieces he has been dropping further and further into the space of his Chelsea goal-keeper Petr Cech which has been causing havoc and confusion in the Chelsea penalty area. When he is outwitted by quicker and more skilful opponents Terry is not afraid to use the professional foul, either. England’s premier centre-back pairing of Terry and Ferdinand doesn’t look too strong right now.

The choice of England captain should remain based upon football decisions and, as things stand from that point of view, Terry would almost certainly lead out the three lions in South Africa. It is decisions based on purely football reasons that have enabled all of his previous misdemeanours to escape censor, too. Urinating on nightclub floors, taunting US tourists at Heathrow in the aftermath of 9/11, ranting at referees, cheating on his wife (before, during and after her pregnancy), seeking to profit from the England captaincy through increased personal endorsements, parking in disabled parking spaces, taking back handers of £10,000 for ‘behind the scenes’ tours of Chelsea’s Cobham training ground: they have all slid off Terry.

He has surely crossed the line this time though. His latest actions have brought direct consequences upon the England team and, as a result, he is not fit to captain his country. Whilst he cannot be blamed for his shop-lifting mother and cocaine-selling father, it is clear where Terry has come from. A fine footballer he undoubtedly is, a fine human being he undoubtedly is not. As far as the England captaincy goes all players are imperfect; some, however, are more imperfect than others.

Miles Reucroft