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Bruce’s new man in vow to win over Villa faithful
JOHN TERRY can still hear Aston Villa fans chanting ‘Let him die’ as he was carried off the pitch at Villa Park.
Now the former Chelsea and England captain is out to show them there is life in the old dog yet. Centre-back Terry, 36, completed his free transfer to Steve Bruce’s side yesterday and then admitted to a previous love-hate relationship with the Villa faithful. But the Stamford Bridge legend says he will win their respect by leading their challenge for promotion back to the Premier League. Terry left the Villa Park pitch on a stretcher in 2013 as Chelsea won 2-1 in the Premier League, with Frank Lampard netting twice to become their all-time leading scorer. “I think the quote was ‘Let him die’,” said Terry, with a laugh. He turned down clubs in the Premier League, America and China to sign for Villa on a one-year deal. “It’s always been quite hostile and I’ve been on the receiving end but they are going to play a big part,” he said. “I always thrived on that coming here. I knew I was going to get some stick from the fans and not everyone was going to like me.” But Terry claimed his age is no barrier to his promotion ambitions with Villa. “As soon as you have a bad game once you hit 34, 35, people say, ‘He’s past it’, ‘He’s finished’, ‘Time to move on’,” said Terry. “But my generation and the next generation are going to be so much better physically at the age of 36, 37, 38. Every single day in Portugal in the summer I was out running and in the gym in the afternoons.”
Terry admitted that crowds across the country have given him stick but respect from supporters is more important to him than love.
“I’ve run out many times and given as good as I’ve got and wound people up and I understand that,” he said.
“But when I walk down the street, whether it be a Tottenham supporter or an Arsenal supporter, they will say, ‘I don’t particularly like you but you’re a good footballer and I appreciate what you’ve done in the game’.
Professional
“When you spend time and have photos with people’s kids they say, ‘You’re actually a nice guy’.
“People see you in a certain way and put you in a bracket of, ‘Right, he’s an a***hole’.
“That’s not me. You grow up over the years and you live and learn as a human being and as a professional and a player.
“I’ve given as good as I’ve got over the years from supporters all over the country and when I retire, if they turn around and say, ‘He was a decent player’, that will do me.”
Terry will become the highest-paid player in the Championship at Villa on a deal that could earn him £5m this season, including bonuses if the club are promoted.
He was a target for Harry Redknapp’s Birmingham as well as top-flight trio West Brom, Bournemouth and Swansea.
But he insisted he did not choose Villa for the money and turned down Premier League clubs, adding: “Playing against Chelsea just doesn’t sit right with me, to be honest.”