After a roller-coaster-year and a whole lot of media speculation, it is Chelsea skipper John Terry who has been given the double edged sword in being the man to captain England through the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and beyond.
It may, to some, have seemed like a logical choice for Fabio Capello.
After all the 27-year-old Chelsea man had some experience. He was given the captaincy when David Beckham stood down during what is now coming to be known as the Steve McClaren shambles, and while Terry showed glimmers of what he had to offer during the short thirteen-match spell, fortunately McClaren did not.
In taking on a side that had been tagged the 'golden generation' during the 2006 World Cup, but who had once again failed to live up to their beyond capable but much hyped tag, capped off with the gut wrenching feat of failing to qualify for Euro 2008, Capello wanted to make sure he had the right man.
When Capello took over he set about this task by rotating the armband between Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and former captain David Beckham in order to see who was the most capable of taking on the high pressure role.
Most of the media speculation, football pundits, bookies and chat down the pub would have you believing that Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, would be the one to receive the 'honour' - me on the other hand, knew it would be Terry.
Ferdinand, although he is a key figure in the United set up, and has shown growth as a player and person, playing an instrumental role at the back during their Champions League and Premier League wins last season, he plays for Manchester United, enough said.
As a born and bred Liverpool supporter it would be logical to think I would want very our own talismanic captain fantastic Steve Gerrard to take on the role, and even though you only have to look at the Miracle of Istanbul to see Gerrard's capability of lifting a team with one powerful kick, I would hate to see the South-biased newspaper headlines that would ensue if England once again failed to live-up to their much hyped expectations - I'd rather our Stevie just got on with doing what he does best for Liverpool.
And as a passionate supporter of the beautiful game I can appreciated what Terry does on the field, but that fact that he is Chelsea player, and given our current history, it is my duty as a Red to despise the very pitch he walks upon, but for England, and only England, I'll make an exception.
John Terry is a little bit of rough, a little bit of tough and a lot of what England as a nation and a side embodies - Like many English Premier League players John Terry has had a somewhat tainted past, but it is past he has shook off and moved on from to become the most prolific captain Chelsea has ever had.
When I think of England, I think of a father-figure-like John Terry rounding up the troops as if they were his own, shouting at them and getting them in line.
He doesn't shy away from the big guns, he stands up and fights for his team, he respects his team mates, they respect him, he doesn't fall down and he doesn't give up - one only needs to look at the 2008 Champions League final to see proof of that.
After a dismal trophyless year that included; losing the
Premiership to Manchester United, the Carling Cup to Tottenham, and
being the one to miss the final penalty that would have seen the
London side become European Champions for first time in the clubs
history, Terry picked himself up from the defeat to captain
England, even scoring his fourth goal for the national side in
their 2-0 victory over USA.
And it is for this very reason that Capello has named Terry as
England captain.
For now JT's main objection is get England past the 2010 World Cup qualifying minefield that begins in September, but his long-term ambition, as is every England captain, is to become the first one to steer the national side to World Cup victory since Bobby Robson in 1966.
I'm not sure that Terry is the man with the three lions on his
shirt, who can end the 34-years of hurt, because to be honest,
although every two years I get on the 'England can actually
win bandwagon', I am not sure that England, for how good
they are individually, will ever lift that bloody World Cup
again, but what I am sure of is that John Terry will wear his
England shirt with pride is most definitely the right man, in the
right job, right now.
