Is Manchester United Lion Wayne Rooney Ready to Take England Captain Role?
by Thomas Maher on December 8th, 2009 6 commentsHas Terry lost his edge as leader of the national team?
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Several years ago ago i watched Chelsea’s relentless march to the title driven, no spurred on, by a captain invincible in the strong frame of John Terry. Four seasons ago Chelsea were immense, John Terry was immense, outstanding by far the best defender in the league and possibly the most inspirational footballer at that time.
this was all pre england captaincy. you could just sense from his sheer presence at that time that it was his destiny , no his ambition to be england captain and i ask you now where has that inspiration figure gone to. is being england captain the summit of his ambition or is there something left in the tank for terry some burning desire to achieve something no englishman has achieved since 1966 in holding aloft jules rimmet proudly and triumphantly.
Now here I am in a debate with myself , the John Terry of four years ago is not the same man as he is today, perhaps family aspects have changed and mellowed him, altered his priorities, whatever the case may be the John Terry of four years ago the beast of a man that would have worn the three lions on his chest with pride is a far cry from the John Terry of today. For seasons he has been carried by Carvalho and his presence not missed when Alex has stepped in for him while injured. I will grant you he still makes telling interceptions and he is astill a top name defender, but i question is that fire still there in his belly or is it time to hand over the reigns of captaincy to englands new man of passion and heart in Wayne Rooney.
For me the answer is simple if anyone is to lead england to world cup glory then the man should be wayne rooney, no one else shows such a desire to win as the Manchester Utd player. His thirst and hunger for the game are a joy to behold and while he is still young he shows maturity well beynd his years for both manchester utd and england. he has been the driving force of the current qualifying campaign and while this world cup may have come just too soon for him to lead england to world cup glory, i also feel it has come just too late for John Terry.
So england are left a team in between two captains, one young and growing into the role that will be his and the other a fading star, whose legs are going and looks extremely vulnerable to the pace he will be exposed to at the World Cup. i am hoping, even as an irishman, an irishman that follows english football week in and week out that John Terry can rise to the big occasion and prove me wrong and rediscover his best form in time for the World Cup, especially considering a certain mr ferdinand has definately lost his.
An England with a rejuvenated gerrard combining closely with a devastastingly powerrful rooney is surely England s best chance of winning this World Cup, but a towering series of performances from John Terry would do england a world of good. I sincerely hope his form for Chelsea of several years ago and a timely return to his invincible self come in time for this World Cup
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anonymous - December 8th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
i just dont know why rooney gets the hype and attention. he is very overated. ok he scores penalties and comes up with the odd few goals against portsmouth and west ham but when he comes up against proper defences he never produces nowadays. you could not have said that about him 2 or 3 years ago but i just think he isnt the same player anymore. i dont know how the author can say that he is mature?? at the end of the day he is a scouser and a mad one too. he has calmed down slightly but you see him insulting refs and still comes up with the odd stamp. you must be a man utd fan to post this article as there are at least 3 players i would make captain before rooney. to say terry is past his best is qiute childish. he is still a good defender and 100% englands best. yes shrek has been englands best player in the qualifiers but who the fuck have they played? kazakstan ffs. teams like spain have torres and villa and holland have van persie. rooney will again struggle when it matters for englan in south africa.
anonymous - December 8th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Dear Mr. Maher,
Your impeccably ignorant article on the captaincy of England disgusts me. Your analysis of both John Terry and the role of captain of England are wildly off the mark. First, this article was nothing more than a Terry spotlight. You barely even mention Rooney while going on and on about Terry. Not only do you lift up Terry to be some sort of former god, you mention nothing of his successes as England’s captain and only remark on his time at Chelsea. Please don’t reel us in by name dropping Rooney and only talk about Terry. It only makes you look like a jerk. Which brings me to my main point. You believe the captaincy of England should go to the person with the most passion. That is ludicrous. Its not how badly you want to win, it is the ability to lead your team to victory. Everyone is looking at Wayne Rooney, but no one is looking at him in a captain’s role. There is no way Terry is not going to be captain for the World Cup and the fact that you even slightly think that not only will he not be, but Rooney might be shows just how oblivious to the game you are, which isn’t that much of a surprise since you are most likely a Chelsea fan considering the articles’ astronomically pro-Chelsea flavor. You are a professional idiot.
P.S. Saying Rio Ferdinand has “definitely lost his” form only proves what I’ve previously stated. Please keep your personal opinions out of your articles. They only make you look like a fool.
P.P.S. Glory Glory Man United! 18 times and that’s a fact.
kermit - December 8th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
the man with the most passion and desire to win is the man to lead men
kermit - December 8th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
and i didnt write the title, my title was about jt, and at one point he was close to invincibility as you utd fans are well aware
Retryboy - December 8th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
How can a so called liverpool fan ignore gerrard. There is nothing wrong with terry’s captaincy for england at all in the first place and if there was stevie g would be the man to take over. If rooney needs calming down during a game which he often does is he gonna have a chat with himself?
anonymous - December 26th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
african cup of nations is conducted in a time where the clubs match is at its top so it is inconvienent both for the players as well as for the clubs so ,it needs again thinking for arrangement .
thank u