Röster om kapten Terry
Chelseas lagkapten John Terry är nu också Englands lagkapten. Här är ett axplock av röster om beslutet.
Steve McClaren, förbundskapten, England:
"Choosing a captain is one of the most important decisions a coach has to make. I'm certain I've got the right man in John Terry. I'm convinced he will prove to be one of the best captains England has ever had. John has all the attributes an international captain needs: leadership, authority, courage, ability, tactical awareness and a total refusal to accept second-best. He has been an inspiration for Chelsea and is at his best in adversity.”
John Terry, lagkapten – dubbelt upp:
"It is the ultimate honour to be the captain of your country and I am very proud to be given this great opportunity. It is an incredible challenge and one I am looking forward to very much."
Jose Mourinho, tränare, Chelsea:
"I was always waiting with confidence for Steve McClaren's decision because I knew Steve was inside and from the inside he could not think twice but to choose JT. JT deserves it. England deserves a captain like him. He loves to work, loves to win, loves to make people happy and confident. He is a captain. I am really happy and on this occasion I also want to wish Steve success in the England job and tell him that at Chelsea we are here to help him."
Steven Gerrard, lagkapten, Liverpool och vice lagkapten, England:
"I would like to congratulate John on being appointed England captain. I'm sure he'll do a great job. He's a tremendous leader for Chelsea and has all the qualities required to do the role.
Shaun Wright-Phillips, lagkamrat, Chelsea:
“His qualities are quite indescribable. What he does for the team shows his maturity as a player. If you are around someone like JT you know why people vote for him. It’s the way he looks after all the young lads and the staff as well.”
Bryan Robson, tränare, WBA och tidigare landslagskapten:
“John will make a great England captain. He possesses all the leadership qualities needed to be a skipper He leads by example and both organises and demands from the players around him. He is the ideal man to lead England’s Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.”
David Platt, tidigare landslagskapten:
“John’s an intelligent player and has grown as a person in the last few years. I think he’ll step into the role quite easily but whoever wears the armband, other players don’t change the game. International players all have big egos and whoever has the armband needs to have immediate respect, and also has to be brave enough to take people’s opinions on board. When I was captain I had club captains playing with me - people like Tony Adams, Stuart Pearce and Alan Shearer - they were vociferous and all had opinions. It makes the job easier knowing you are surrounded by leaders and he will find a very useful ally in Steven Gerrard.”
Kevin Ratcliffe, tidigare lagkapten, Everton:
“I think Terry would be my ideal captain. He has led Chelsea to two titles so he has obviously got something about him. His performances over the last two years have been so consistent - he is certainly been the most consistent player I have seen in that position - and he just seems to be getting better and better.
Graham Taylor, fotbollsexpert och tidigare förbundskapten:
"I don't suppose it was the most difficult decision for Steve McClaren to choose John Terry as England captain. Terry has shown such consistency in his performances for club and country that we are all surprised when he has a bad game. When you combine that with his ability to make decisions and cajole players, you cannot go too far wrong. There is no better player at blocking shots and getting his tackles in than Terry, and it is clear he will be far removed from David Beckham in his captaincy. Where Beckham often seemed undemonstrative, Terry is prepared to be verbal. (...) One reason I was happy that Terry won the captaincy ahead of Steven Gerrard is that I feared the extra responsibility might adversely affect Gerrard. I know some people will disagree with me, but Gerrard always wants to perform so well that, as captain, he might well look to do everything. He is also, by nature, a much quieter character than Terry. McClaren must now make sure he takes care of Gerrard. But Terry, with his influence, is one player who needs no looking after."
Martin Samuel, årets sportjournalist i England 2005 och 2006:
“On July 2, when David Beckham made his unilateral decision to stand down as England captain, Terry was the obvious choice to succeed him. His reputation, a captain in the traditional mould and a strong dressing-room presence, made him the archetypal candidate. Just as, on occasions, Venables let Adams have the floor before big matches, so José Mourinho and Sven-Göran Eriksson are said to have handed over to Terry, allowing him to be the last voice the players heard before taking the field. The case for him is exhaustive: his expert marshalling of Chelsea’s title-winners, his role as conduit for Mourinho’s ideas, his physical bravery, the way this courage intimidates opponents, his guaranteed place in the team, his ability to influence a match from an unlikely position (the winning goal against Barcelona two seasons ago is the finest example of this).”
George Caulkin, krönikör, The Times:
"You can see Terry in the dressing room geeing the other players up, shouting when he needs to - something Beckham wouldn't have done. Half of Beckham's job as captain was to sell merchandise and the other half was to lead by example on the pitch. We saw him do that many times but over the last couple of years it hasn't really been there. Terry will also lead by example but he offers more than that. You would compare him to the Terry Butcher-type character, all bloodied and bruised yet never giving in. This is a return to basic captaincy values. Terry has proved that he has the skill and tactical awareness and although he is occassionally lost for pace on the international scene, he is not a one-dimensional player. Let's not forget he has been captain at Chelsea for many years and performed admirably. That is the richest club in the world and loaded with sophisticated players but they all look up to him."
Paul Terry, spelare, Yeovil och Johns bror:
"I am so proud of him and happy for him. It's a great honour and the whole family are delighted. We all want to be there for him and see him lead out the team for his first match.”
