Name: John Terry
Birthday:7th December 1980, London
Height: 6ft 2”
Position: Centre Back
Squad Number: 26
Clubs
Senrab (1989-1991, trainee)
West Ham United (1991-1995, trainee)
Chelsea FC (1995-To Date, 457 games at end 2009/10)
• LOAN – Nottingham Forest (1999-2000, 6 games)
Honours
FA Premier League Winner: 2005, 2006, 2010
FA Cup Winner: 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010
League Cup Winner: 2005, 2007
Community Shield Winner: 2005, 2010
PFA Player of the Year: 2005
Chelsea Player of the Year: 2001, 2006
FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Background
John Terry. The most successful Captain Chelsea has ever had. Leader on the pitch and off, and very much a product of the clubs own youth/reserve system.
Terry like so many talented young London-based footballers started out life at youth development club Senrab (see link above) where his initial development saw him operating more as a box-to-box midfielder – the remnants of this past are still to be seen today with his explorative striding runs from his own penalty area to the edge of the oppositions with the ball at his feet.
As seems to be the pattern, the promising youngster was soon picked up by the scouts of West Ham and enrolled in their academy program. Again, the early JT was used in a midfield role until his eventual return to his senses and move to Chelsea aged 14. It was with the Blues, filling in as a centre-half due to injuries, that his development into one of the world best centre-backs was started.
Steady development and the strong presence of players such as Marcel Desailly, Frank Le Boeuf and Didier Deschamps saw the 17yr-old Terry walk onto the pitch for his first appearance for the club in a League Cup tie against Aston Villa.
This exposure was enough to eventually secure an experience building loan period at Nottingham Forest in the 2000-2001 season, having been part of the larger squad for the FA Cup win over Aston Villa under Gianluca Vialli earlier in 2000.
Whilst playing for ‘Forest the young defender was spotted by ex-Manchester United defender Steve Bruce, then managing Huddersfield Town. An offer of £750,000 was made, which Chelsea accepted, but it was JT’s own decision to remain with the Blues and learn his trade that kept him at the club. A lucky escape.
Back with Chelsea and committed to building his future with the club, JT’s mind slipped off the ball a little – being involved in a widely publicised assault/affray incident along with fellow teammate Jody Morris. JT was eventually cleared and his temporary ban from England duty lifted, but the stain on his reputation would take some time to repair.
Terry’s gradual introduction into first team affairs moved on apace under the management of Claudio Ranieri. The affable Italian saw in Terry a similar character to Desailly and encouraged the connection between the two.
By the heat of the 2001-2002 season Terry could be seen partnering Desailly or William Gallas at the heart of Chelsea’s defence and making real strides forward in ability and reputation.
Again this progress was to be undermined by off-field activities, with Terry being part of a contingent of Chelsea players who’s drunken banter and behaviour offended American tourists returning home in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Fined for his misconduct the issue was put to bed.
2002-2003. Some would argue this was the most important season in the history of the club, and it is difficult to argue with it. For those who remember, it is the season in which Chelsea arrived in 4th place in the Premier League and thus qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 4 years. The subtext to the achievement was that the original Chelsea squad that had participated in 1999 had been allowed to grow too old and decrease in value. The club had to spend to replace these players, and bring others through – on the eve of the massive final day clash against Liverpool the Chelsea players were told if they did not win, did not qualify for the Champions League, the very existence of the club was at stake as a result of the debt incurred and some questionable business choices.
A 2-1 win courtesy of goals from JT’s defensive partner and then Captain Marcel Desailly, and erratic winger Jesper Gronkjaer saw the Blues qualify and secure their future.
The importance of this passage is that there are many who know that, if Chelsea had failed to secure elite European football and the revenues involved, Terry was very high on the target list of Arsenal – with a bid actually being discussed between the two clubs at that point.
2003-2004. This was the season in which an ageing Desailly eventually gave way to injury and the years to the youthful and increasingly assured partnership of Terry and Gallas. Participation in the Champions League and caretaker ownership of the captains armband on the occasions Desailly did not play saw Terry’s development move on to a new level – introducing himself onto the real European stage in memorable matches against the likes of Lazio, somewhat of a step up from Hapoel Tel Aviv. Runners up in the Premier League to unbeaten Arsenal and Champions League semi-finalists, Chelsea and Terry’s fortunes were about to get very, very strong.
2004-2005 We all remember 2004-2005. Jose Mourinho joined the club, bringing with him the defensive additions of Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira fresh from his Champions League winning Porto side and replacing the outgoing Desailly and Mario Melchiot. One of Mourinho’s first decisions in pre-season was to make Terry the new Chelsea full time captain, deputised by Frank Lampard. Whilst this was no real surprise, to be made Captain full time was a massive honour for a player with ten years at the club under his belt.
Terry’s performances in that season, scoring the winner versus Barcelona in what has to be one of the all-time best Champions League games at Stamford Bridge and being part of the rock solid and water tight defence that set all sorts of records tumbling, cemented his place as one of the recognised worlds best.
The ultimate honour, having lifted the League Cup at the Millenium Stadium earlier in the season, was to receive the Premier League Champions trophy – the first for the club in 50 years – after victory away at Bolton on that glorious day. Terry became only the second man to captain the club to a top flight title win, entering into the chapters of the clubs history in bold text forever.
2005-2006 Can almost be seen as a continuation of the previous season, with Terry’s form consistently excellent and a dash of bad luck robbing the club of more silverwear than their final haul of another league title, and a full-house of league appearances for JT due to injury in the final week.
2006-2007. The season that saw an horrific head injury to Petr Cech also saw Terry suffer a recurring back problem needing surgery, and one of many miraculous returns to fitness well ahead of schedule. It was the season in which, challenging with his head to score against Arsenal in the League Cup Final, Terry was knocked out cold and removed from the pitch on a stretcher.
In what was his toughest season until then Terry overcame injury and battled through to claim an FA Cup and a League Cup. The season itself was seen as one in which Chelsea had been hamstrung by injury, but the quality still shone through at times for both Terry and his teammates.
2007 – 2008. What you believe about Terry’s involvement in the departure of Jose Mourinho is entirely up to you, and is likely based on whatever conjecture you have read. As the facts aren’t known, there’s no point in speculating.
Avram Grant stepped in to replace the outgoing Portuguese and retained Terry as his club captain. Injury once again played it’s part in the season that followed, yet Terry was fit and able enough to lead his team to both the League Cup and Champions League finals. Both defeats. The manner in which defeat was suffered in Moscow is still too sore to write about. You remember it, I remember it – let’s leave it at that.
2008 – 2009. That summer saw Chelsea replace the sacked Grant with Luiz Filipe Scolari – World Cup winning coach and big personality in the game. Again, Terry was retained as captain and again a combination of managerial ineptitude, off-pitch upheaval and general poor play saw Scolari sacked and JT struggle. The steady hand of Guus Hiddink eventually steered Chelsea to yet another FA Cup Final which saw JT end what was nearly a two year wait to lift any kind of silverwear – the previous title being the self same trophy.
2009 – 2010. Reporting for pre-season in the July of 2009, JT was greeted by yet another new manager at Cobham – AC Milan legend Carlo Ancelotti. Whilst most people would expect a new manager to steal the headlines upon arriving at one of Europe’s biggest clubs – Ancelotti was greeted with repeat questions about the current Chelsea Captain.
The extremely bolshie, arrogant and unprofessional Manchester City set up headed by the soon to be sacked Mark Hughes had targeted Terry as the leader and defensive lynchpin to catapult their cartoonish comparisons with Chelsea into the Champions League. Far from publically breaking his holiday and saying “No”, Terry unfortunately let this situation fester for a series of weeks.
The eventual outcome was an ‘Exclusive’ statement from the club captain in which he assured the fans he was Chelsea through and through and, once he had been assured of the clubs ambitions, had no intention of leaving. Again with Terry the truth is whatever you believe.
The season that followed under Carlo, having just taken place at the time of writing, is strong in the memories of all. The Double, notching up a third league title for JT was definitely the high point. Exposes on off the record cash in hand tours of Cobham, selling of tickets for players boxes at Wembley and a largely fabricated affair with ex-teammate and serial idiot Wayne Bridge were definitely the low points.
JT’s character on the pitch shone throughout, as strongly in how he responded to his own eventual dip in form, as to his initial response to public flaying and wrongly being stripped of the England armband.
He lifted the Double, and will continue to captain the club for a long period yet.
Player Valuation: Priceless (or £50million according to the News Of The World summer 2009.)