The Soccer Blog: Redux

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Monday, 14 March 2011

JT Redux - Part Deux

JT Redux – Part Deux - The Offside - Chelsea blog

« Poll: Will The Special One return to the Blues? | Home | JT Redux – Part DeuxBy: Devin | March 13th, 2011
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Yeah, we’re kinda psychic I guess.

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I need a favor, broseph..

We did this. Or so I’m convinced.

True or not, it’s rather vindicating to see the latest rumors put Capello in yet another bind with regards to his captain issues, or lack thereof. It seems he’s run out of second-string leaders to masquerade as top dog, so he’s decided to finally give it back to England’s Brave ahead of next weekend’s vital fixture with Wales.

JT 1 – Capello/FA 0.

Almost a year after he was rightfully stripped of his position, the FA apparently are on the verge of a handing the armband back to John after a string of excellent performances, coupled with Capello’s realization that Gareth Barry, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Michael Dawson, and countless others are not fit to lead the charge. Took him long enough.

JT 2 – Capello/FA 0

There’s plenty of mea culpa’s and hypocrisy going around. Martin Samuel has changed his tune from a year ago, taking to his op-ed to instruct Carlo to appoint the “only natural leader the team currently has in it’s ranks.” You’ll recall, Samuel is one of the chorus of writers that took to their iPads in fury to criticize, condone, and insist on the execution of all things John Terry last year. Piers Morgan wrote how it was “all over” for John at the time, and how Capello needed to turn his hopes to Wayne Rooney, a player that was “as saintly off the pitch these days as he is devilish on it.” Cue the laughter.

But I digress. The implications this would have on John’s Chelsea responsibilities are non-existant, so nary you worry about how this will impact the squad heading into the end of the season. If anything, it might give EBJT a further injection of life and passion, which could stoke the fires at home and lead to a revitalization of sorts? Wishful thinking perhaps, but I can’t really find a downside to any of this. For almost a year, we’ve been laid bare in the press about how our meandering, philandering, womanizing players were the worst of the lot. So you’ll forgive me if I find it fun watching them eat shit, so to speak.

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Can’t fight the numbers.

Having Terry return to the throne of captaincy can only do good for Chelsea both on and off the pitch. Surely, it’ll impact the quality of his performances going forward, but you also have to consider the aspect of Chelsea as an exported product internationally. Having the captain of the English national team among our ranks will further our domestic and international marketing appeal, which is no doubt an important part of our future financial viability. Remember, we still have some work to do if we’re planning to get ‘in shape’ before FFP kicks in. Therefore, every dollar counts, and every opportunity to expand the Chelsea brand will have to be considered and explored.

Does it fill my heart with joy that Don Fabiola has been outed for his poor handling of this entire situation? Certainly. I’ll save the criticisms for when they truly matter, but it does warm my soul to watch him wriggle in agony as he realizes that he might just have managed to screw this up more than anyone would have imagined possible. Seriously, for the amount he gets paid, you would assume he has the wherewithal and subsequent intellect to make a decision on the captaincy without turning it into a fucking reality television show-type train wreck. But alas, he does not.

For EBJT, this is his redemption song. Anyone that’s been paying attention since he lost the captaincy will tell you that he’s played like a man on a mission. His shifts in the back, regardless of who Capello has paired him with, have been both inspired and strong. He’s playing with absolute purpose and has done well to slowly rebuild his reputation in the eyes of the general public, who mind you, are fickle. In my estimation, he’s gone about this in the most appropriate of fashions. He hasn’t sulked, hasn’t publicly blasted his teammates for their poor performances as captains, respectively. He’s, for the most part, kept his opinions in check, barring two instances where stories leaked suggesting his dissatisfaction with the England set-up. Otherwise, he’s been by most accounts a model citizen for almost a year running.

That last sentence is more than I can say for more than 75% of that squad. Shall we run the list? Peter Crouch, banging prostitutes during a bachelor party in Spain. Wayne Rooney, banging prostitutes in a bar whilst his teammates are upstairs gettin’ their swerve on. Gerrard, throwing up the V whenever possible. Ashley’s off shooting people in the ass, Frank’s gone reckless behind the wheel a few times, about half the squad’s been caught out and about with their red-eye on. But we’re not supposed to notice this. No no no, we’re supposed to just ignore all these mistakes and focus JT’s indiscretions, or so the FA would have you believe.

Is JT, by proxy, the next Michael Vick? Think about it, both players were marred by controversy, but when given a second chance, Vick behaved, got his head on straight and began performing to the peak of his physical abilities. Could EBJT be next in line to continue the tradition of rebirth? It’s not entirely out of the question. Discuss..

Some Related Chelsea Posts:JT ReduxRumor Mill: Bosingwa, Malouda, Yuri To Leave?Backing out: Terry to miss Montenegro game, returns to ChelseaPoll: Can Lampard get back into the England frame?Roller coaster: The Ramires timeline

Category: Analysis, Blues on International Duty, Humor, Opinion, Papers, Player News

Tags: Analysis, Ashley Cole, Blues on International Duty, England, Fabio Capello, Humor, John Terry, Opinion, Papers, Player News, Wayne Rooney
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EditJackJust throwing this out there, but: Who's to say Terry even wants to captain England anymore? I very much doubt that is the case - the man is Beckham-like in his commitment to the nation - but it would quite the gas if he were to kindly turn down the opportunity.blog comments powered by Disqus

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Friday, 11 February 2011

JT Redux

By: Devin | February 10th, 2011
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So, the Inter-webs is rife with conversation about what went down in Copenhagen last night. England won, sure, though it wasn’t a particularly impressive performance. Rather, the talk at the moment seems to center on what went on during the second half of the match, in particular, the curious game of passing along the Captain’s armband to anyone not named John Terry.

Where’s the love?

The Daily Mail’s Matt Barlow has done an extensive article detailing the finer points of what really transpired on the pitch, including why this particular punishment may not bode well in the long run for both England or Terry’s respective futures. I’m obviously biased in my admiration for JT as a footballer, but before I go any further I want to make it clear that I in no way condone his behavior off the pitch, or the alleged reports of his infidelities with Wayne Bridge’s former fiancee.

Now look, Fabio made the right decision last year. It was obvious that the situation was destined to flare-up into something far more sinister if he stood pat, and JT needed to be replaced before the World Cup. If nothing else, Fabio had to do something to assert his command over the squad, and axing John was the easiest tonic to swallow for all parties involved. The press got their villain, Fabio looked like a man in charge, and John had to withstand the vitriol. Problem, apparently, solved.

Or so it seems that may not be entirely true. With Rio Ferdinand bordering on the verge of becoming a perma-crock and ickle Stevie Gevie rendered out for the fixture, Fabio handed the captaincy to Frankie Lamps on Wednesday, who did a fine job of leading the side. But in the second half, after Lamps had gone off and handed the armband to Ashley Cole, things got a bit ugly. Essentially, Cole was subbed for Baines, who in turn took the armband and, confusingly, stumbled around trying to find a senior-enough member of the squad to take the reigns. All the while, he and everyone else on the England touch-line looked through John as if he wasn’t present. Sheepishly, Gareth Barry took the captaincy, but the subtext was quite clear: John is no longer in contention for the captaincy, period.

But does this strategy of ‘freezing-out’ JT make long term sense? Barlow’s article dives into detail about last year’s England fixture with Egypt, almost a month after Terry lost the captaincy, including some poignant quotes from the man himself about conversations with Don Fabio about how to move forward. Most notably, JT remarked:

“The armband got passed around between five or six players. I just felt, ‘OK, I’ve been stripped of the captaincy but don’t take the p*** out of me.’ Fabio had told me at the meeting I was still a big voice in the dressing room and wanted that to continue but on the night it felt the opposite.”

I can understand punishing a player that’s serving as a distraction to the team, or dropping them for underperforming. But, to his credit, John has been putting in solid shifts in an England shirt since losing the captaincy. On Wednesday he played a full 90 minutes and was as composed as ever. I don’t anticipate Fabio doing a complete 180 and handing the reigns back to JT on a permanent basis, but, I don’t think it’s out of the question to consider using John as a ’stand-in’ captain rather than to add insult to injury.

Face it, the guy has been leading the Blue Revolution for years now, is a natural leader on the pitch, is very vocal, and most importantly, he has the respect of his peers. Infidelities notwithstanding, if you’re evaluating a player on merit alone, John has to be considered for a part-time position as a captain for England. Whether or not Fabio realizes this truism remains to be seen. I think all of us Blues fans would relish seeing John get the armband back, but even if he didn’t, I don’t think we’d mind as long as he continues to lead the charge for us everytime the famous CFC take the pitch!

KTBFFH!

Some Related Chelsea Posts:Backing out: Terry to miss Montenegro game, returns to ChelseaPoll: Can Lampard get back into the England frame?Video: Portugal 0-1 England (Under-21s)Foot injury to derail Terry’s World Cup dream? (updated)

Category: Blues on International Duty, Opinion, Player News

Tags: Ashley Cole, Blues on International Duty, England, Fabio Capello, John Terry, Opinion, Player News
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Monday, 14 March 2011

JT Redux - Part Deux

Friday, 11 February 2011

JT Redux