Another backward step by Capello as Terry gets the armband again

Losing his grip?

It was with surprise and sadness that I read the news that Fabio Capello is about to hand the England captaincy back to John Terry. Quite how this can be regarded as a positive move by anyone is completely beyond my comprehension. Don’t get me wrong, Terry has been a fine player and leader for Chelsea, less so for England, but he should never be handed back the national armband.

Sorry

Apparently Capello’s change of heart came after he felt sorry for Terry in England’s recent friendly win over Denmark. In the absence of captain Rio Ferdinand and deputy Steve Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and Ashley Cole all took the role ahead of Terry. That was quite right as Terry had been stripped of the captaincy and told publicly by Capello that whilst he was manager, that would never change.

Wasn’t that what we all liked about Capello in the first place? He was single minded, decisive and demanded discipline and standards. Apparently not any more. Speaking about the Denmark game Capello said,

“Seeing that happen made me think about Terry. I thought it was hard for him. He was a player and a good leader, for England and Chelsea, and he is still good. So it is part of my job to make these decisions.”

Same

This is the same John Terry who spoke out about the regime under Capello at the World Cup and publicly told the manager he was picking the wrong team? This is the leader who had absolutely no support from any of the players after he spoke out? This is the same John Terry about whom Capello said he had made a