It’s behind the Times paywall, but if you can find it by some other means, Rory Smith’s excellent piece on John Terry today is worth the effort.
Smith makes the argument that Terry embodied English football’s addiction to demonstrative heroism, that great players are seen and not unseen. He uses Sir Alex Ferguson’s rejection of Japp Stam for not tackling enough as an example:
What the statistics did not tell Ferguson was why Stam was making fewer tackles. He was making fewer tackles because he did not need to make as many, because experience and age had improved his positioning so much. He was doing what Paolo Maldini made his calling card: defending without defending. He was not curing because he was preventing.
England does not appreciate this. This is a Roy of the Rovers nation, one in which passing was widely regarded as suspicious in football’s early years because it was not as manly as charging directly at your opposite number. This is a country where heroes put their bodies on the line, where they hurl themselves at the feet of their foe, where games are there to be taken by the scruff of the neck.
This is perhaps best demonstrated by John Terry’s two signature moments from the 2010 World Cup: his diving header against Slovenia, and his woeful positioning (alongside Matthew Upside) as Germany turned England on the counterattack.
In the former instance, John Terry makes a desperate lunge to stop a shot from Slovenia’s Zlatko Dedic. While the clearance was made off Glen Johnson’s shin, the lunge is remembered to this day as evidence of the Chelsea defender’s dedication to England.
In the latter instance, Terry has no pace, and allows Germany to stroll in the area.
No one can criticize Terry’s tenacity as a defender, his discipline as the last man. Yet his intelligence off the ball—a trait that, paradoxically, underlines the best defenders even as it removes them from our attention—was inconsistent. Not that anyone would have appreciated it anyway…
Game efforts in the colors, sure. But lets not cry for a guy who by most accounts is one of the most objectionable human beings in the premiership. From his well published degradations of referees to indiscretions with teammates, to the Ferdinand race row… the fact this man got to wear the captaincy for so long was unforgivable and part of the reason the FA sacked Capello, His resignation was long overdue.
Thanks for the effort, but you’re a jerk.
Ok I think we all know Terry isnt going to win a Human of the year award. However what i dont get is this …
If Terry is charged by the FA over this , using the evidence of what was said in a court of law I have no issue. However Ferdinand should be up on the same charge for what he said.
Given Rio got a slap on the wrists for calling Ashley Cole a “choc Ice ” which is CLEARLY a race insult, it will be interesting to see Terrys punishment….
And lets be fair if Terry caused Capelo to be fired he did ht FA a favour they sorely needed !!!
Loz… in fact it was Capello re-awarding Terry the captaincy against the wishes of the FA that did him in. But yes, Capello was no big loss.
More properly, it’s time for the english squad to cull the old guard and bad blood engendered most by Terry. Rebuild. So Terry stepping aside, regardless of pretense, is a good thing ultimately.
Xabi Alonso had a fantastic quote (think I saw it on the BBC website) where he took a swipe at England’s idea of tackling as a “skill”, where it’s really just a last resort move usually based on positional disadvantage.
Cracking read! But I think Rory Smith is the author of the piece though.
Right you are! Fixed.