John Terry, a man you may know from Bridgegate and Tour-for-moneygate, is now back in the limelight in the latest episode of England Captaingate.
England manager Fabio Capello has reinstated his former captain as England’s new temporary-permanent captain, replacing the injured Rio Ferdinand in what can only be described as a Capello-esque manner. The decision, like all of Capello’s now trademark decisions, has been everything but straight-forward and has sparked heated debates about the merits of Terry’s reappointment as captain. But does it matter who sports the elastic armband for England? Probably not.
Injuries aside, players who have captained Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all suit up for England. Add to the mix, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, and you can hardly say that England is a team devoid of leaders. Devoid of role models, maybe, but certainly not devoid of people with experience exchanging flowers and pennants before games, shaking hands, leading other highly-paid, grown men on walks out of tunnels, smiling at dignitaries, indiscriminately cursing at referees, and speaking at press conferences.
Yet from the media coverage surrounding the England captaincy, you might think that England’s deficiencies on the field are down to a lack of leadership. It’s a puzzling framing of England’s problems that doesn’t quite match up with reality. (more…)
