John Terry. the manager...
Chelsea legend will ROBERT J WILSON says the in the future… have to adapt if he becomes a boss
ONCE his playing days draw to a conclusion, John Terry is likely to become a manager – and admits it would be ‘incredible’ to manage Chelsea.
The 36-year-old – who has joined Championship outfit Aston Villa on a one-year deal – is understandably worshipped by Chelsea supporters having served the club for 19 seasons, playing more than 700 first-team matches (over 500 of them as captain) and collecting 15 major honours along the way - but nestled amongst all the adulation and glory is the uglier side of the former England captain.
No-one can deny that Terry is right up there as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players and he is undoubtedly one of the finest centre-halves in Premier League history.
Following the end of his career at Stamford Bridge, there has already been a petition created to pressurise the London club to construct a statue of the man outside the stadium.
Perhaps he deserves one because his onpitch achievements are most impressive.
Terry also played 78 times for England, appearing at four major tournaments. That was no mean feat when you consider the plethora of talented centre-halves the country had to compete for caps, but his dubious conduct saw him stripped of the captaincy twice before his eventual retirement from International football in 2012.
Terry’s indiscretions throughout his career mean that he is not particularly popular outside SW6 and if he does one day become a manager, then it will be intriguing to see how he handles players who step out of line.
Terry is a strong leader and has always set the example with his work ethic, resilience and never-say-die attitude, but to the average fan peering in, he does appear arrogant, selfish and self-indulgent.
His full list of transgressions have been made public over the years and have harmed his reputation.
From parking his Bentley in a disabled bay, to granting tours of Chelsea’s training ground at Cobham without the club’s knowledge, to sleeping with the former partner of one of his team-mates, Terry has often attracted the wrong type of headlines.
Sadly, his club, their managers and teammates were often too quick to overlook his misdemeanours. It was wrong to turn a blind eye and continue to attempt to defend his actions because of his talent on the pitch.
Most alarmingly, Terry was found guilty of racially abusing the Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand by an FA tribunal in 2012.
He received a fine of £220,000 and was handed a four-match suspension after video footage exposed his insulting words to an opponent.
Terry had earlier been cleared by the courts of racially abusing Ferdinand, whilst the latter’s family received vile death threats after Terry was suspended.
The ensuing feud certainly contributed to Rio Ferdinand being left out of the England squad for the European Championships in 2012. Terry was selected to travel to Poland and Ukraine and played every minute of England’s four games.
As a manager, you have to take responsibility, protect your players from outside influences and not create a blame culture to hide your own failings. In other words, properly lead a group of players and staff.
Arguably, Terry has never been one to front up, apologise for his actions nor take responsibility.
Due to his privileged position at Chelsea and his strong personality, Terry has been overly protected and acclaimed by most, but management will be a totally different environment for him.
There will be no hiding place for him and a true leader is more about integrity and honesty than demonstrating a level of grit and determination when defending a goalmouth.
If and when Terry becomes a manager, and he may well become a successful one, he may find it difficult to lecture his own players on standards and professionalism.
If one of his players urinates into a pint in a nightclub, or is embroiled in a sex scandal, what can he say?
He will have to demonstrate a different style of leadership and a level of human qualities that we haven’t quite been privileged to see too often as Terry, the captain, leader, legend.