John Terry must develop as Captain
Posted by Stewart Robson in Chelsea, England, Jose Mourinho, Steve McClaren, World Cup | 14 September 2006
Following the appointment of Terry as England captain I wrote an article in The Sunday Telegraph about his appointment.Below is part of that article.
To the pleasure of the majority of fans, media and analysts, Steve McClaren unveiled John Terry as the new England Captain. He did so because he is an excellent motivator , has the passion that fans demand and is respected by his peers. All of these attributes made him the obvious candidate for the role, presumably leading the team into the 2010 South African World Cup.
Yet, there are a couple of ingredients which McClaren failed to mention about Terry. Nowhere did he say that he is a student of the game whose tactical understanding will allow him to make important calls on the pitch. Nor was it said that his calmness and intelligence will enable him to keep the team focussed and disciplined when things are going wrong. Is that because Terry doesn’t possess these qualities or because McClaren thinks they are unimportant? If he doesn’t possess them, as is probably the case, it is due largely to the poor development and education of our players which deters players from being thoughtful and questioning. Had Johann Cruyff been English he would have been regarded as an arrogant trouble maker who undermined the coach rather than being the innovator that he was. This shows why our football has been unsuccessful, not due to lack of passion or desire, but more to do with technical and tactical deficiencies.
If John Terry is to be a World Cup winning captain it is important for him to develop these missing ingredients. Looking back at the captains of World Cup winning teams highlights that most were deep thinking footballers. Bobby Moore, Carlos Alberto, Franz Beckenbaur, Danielle Passerella, Dino Zoff, Lothar Matteus, Dunga, Lauren Blanc, Cafu and Fabio Cannarvaro were all extremely knowledgeable about the game which enabled them to impart their tactical acumen onto their team. Only Maradona in 1986 does not fall into this category, but at the time he was by far and away the best player in the world and an inspiration to his team mates. Many of these World Cup winners also went on to successfully manage and coach at the highest level, further demonstrating their tactical capabilities.
Terry’s role as captain doesn’t carry the same importance as captains in Cricket or Rugby where they are an integral part of team selection and team tactics. Michael Vaughan and Martin Johnson, our two most recently successful national captains, were part of the team management and were vital in developing team strategies. Managers and Coaches in England see the Football captain as someone who rallies the troops, reiterates the Managers philosophies and presents himself correctly with the media without impacting on key strategic tactical planning.
Now would be an ideal opportunity to change this and allow Terry to become part of the England Management team because he would be able to learn from two of the best coaches in the world. At Chelsea he is working with a brilliant tactician and student of the game in Jose Mourinho, whilst the appointment of Terry Venables as McClaren`s adviser should expose Terry to more imaginative tactics. If he wants to be a top captain he should interrogate these two in order to expand his knowledge.
As captain he must realise that pushing your chest out, clenching your fist and demanding excellence from others by continually shouting will only be successful if matched by the clarity, and quality of the information. Having played under captains and Managers who try to motivate by continually ranting and raving , I know that respect quickly evaporates if the content is mindless. These characters are usually only doing it for effect and self promotion, whilst conning the public and their employers at the same time. Unfortunately, in England we put passion, motivation and desire before technical and tactical expertise instead of combining the two. McClaren and Venables need to develop Terry as a captain to ensure he can dictate affairs once the game starts.