England captaincy one Bridge too far?

As England boss Fabio Capello prepares for emergency talks with England and Chelsea captain John Terry, I can gauge a nation on tenterhooks as to the outcome. Regardless of what is announced come Friday evening, there will be serious implications for the England football team, John Terry himself and perhaps equally as worrying, the extent to which sportsmen can push their luck and live their frivolous lifestyle.

With today’s meeting, we will learn alot about both John Terry’s moral integrity and the extent of Fabio Capello’s no tolerance regime. It has to be considered that Capello is a man who has been married to his childhood sweetheart for the past 40years. It also has to be considered that in his very first press conference, he said “no one player is untouchable”. Yet you have to wonder what speaks greater volumes; Capello’s morals, or his burning desire to win the World Cup.

As the story behind the affair has grown momentum it has almost ascertained the persona of a footballing trial. With Capello as the judge, Terry the offender, Bridge the victim and an entire nation making up the world’s largest hypothetical courtroom. However, with any old Tom, Dick or Harry ready to give his 2 cents worth (and rightly they should) – they should first ask themselves if they care more about Terry having it off with Wayne Bridge’s missus, or if they should let it be resigned to the privacy of closed doors and instead focus their energy’s supporting their nations build up to the most winnable World Cup since 66’.

Albeit, the incident itself is a terrible one, and any compassionate person will sympathise dearly with Wayne Bridge. But this is no ordinary affair, with no ordinary people and just on the brink of football’s elite competition. And so it is with that, that we can divide the two types of people who will read what’s been said;

1) Those people who look at the front of the newspaper first

2) Those people who head straight for the back pages

Those falling under the first category will undoubtedly take the moral high ground and say he should be stripped of his captaincy, wages and his man-hood. He should be taken in a group with himself, Tiger Woods and any other promiscuous male to have ever lived, and be condemned to a life of pain and suffering.

Yet it is not these people I now wish to appeal to.

The later of you, those who enjoy nothing more than the back pages headlines, with a strong cup of tea and a bit of Sky Sports News to start the day, will have a more subjective approach. We will understand Terry’s wrongdoings, but would concede not just him retaining the armband, but also our right leg, in order to finally win the world cup. We realise that the continued condemnation of his actions will only harm our World Cup hopes. We understand regardless of his footballing ability, that this is a man who is straight out of the Stuart Pearce factory of hard nuts. This is a man who would walk through the Terry Butcher blooded head-bandage every game if it meant victory. This is a man who’s first (and now only) priority is rectifying himself to all with his performances on the field.

Can you honestly say with 4months to go, that Stevie Gerrard, Wayne Rooney or Rio Ferdinand could step up to the plate in time to lead us to victory? I’d be very dubious...

As Ian Wright said earlier in the week, you can slate a person/teammate as much as you want off the field, but when you cross the white line, victory is the one and only objective. And if that means being led by someone you don’t like, or relying on him to do his job on the field, then that’s the way it has to be. And it is on this basis, that I hold the supreme hope (and belief) that today, for the first time, Mr.Capello will roll up his sleeves, bite his moral tongue and tell Terry that he is going to lead us to World Cup glory.

Because, you can bet your life, captain or otherwise, a 90th minute World Cup Final winning goal from John Terry come July 11th and all will be forgiven...

Side-note: Quote of the day by an absolute mile: Portsmouth Boss and ‘exotic massage’ enthusiast Avram Grant’s wife saying – “My man needs his massage. He works so hard each day that he deserves his massage from two women, not one.”

How JT wishes his wife was so understanding...