Englands Brave John Terry
John Terry has received as much criticism for his personal life over the last few weeks as he has received praise for his professional life over the last decade.
He was Captain Perfect, Captain Courageous and even the next World Cup-winning Captain if you share that eternal optimism so beloved of your average St George’s flag-waving fan.
Captain Scum, Captain Traitor and Captain Chav may be a better indictment of Terry’s true persona. A horrible inner city yob blessed with the talent to have been transformed from a would-be street corner ‘yoof’ and layabout into defensive lynchpin and a role model, its highly ironic that his fall from grace and the subsequent unravelling of his carefully honed public image comes amid the peak of his professional and personal life.
As Craig Bellamy hinted in his now infamous interview, many people have always been aware of the darkness lurking beneath the publicity friendly and grinning face of ‘JT’; stories about him drunk in an airport offending grief-stricken American citizens after 9/11, urinating on a nightclub dancefloor and selling club tours for cash have all been exposed by the media at various points during his distinguished career. Such stories were quickly forgotten and swept under the FA’s plush carpet the second that sacred armband rested snugly on his upper left arm for the first time as the Chosen Man.
Copulating with his best-friend’s partner has been one despicable deed too many for his crack team of image consultants however, an action catapulted to the forefront of the nation’s mind as his dirty goings-on have potentially dealt a fatal blow to England’s World Cup hopes. A vicious consequence of his actions has meant his victim, a valuable squad member in Wayne Bridge, has gone into self-imposed exile and will miss out on every player’s dream of participating on the globe’s top stage, something that is inevitably going to cause anger in the Bridge camp.
In all probability, the scandal will be forgotten as soon as England’s opening group game gets under way; Terry the defensive rock (excusing his recent form), Bridge back in his role as capable but not world class left back and the nation’s fans as fickle as ever. It’s a shame that the villain may get the chance to become a hero again whilst the victim is left with a lifetime of empty memories and regrets. If there is any small mercy, it’s that John Terry’s role model and upstanding citizen image has finally been consigned to the dustbin.