Terry vs Gerrard – Vote For The Next England Captain
Steve McClaren will officially announce his squad for the friendly against Greece on August 16 in a press conference on Friday.
One of his first acts will be to name a new captain – one that will lead England to Euro 2008 and hopefully, to the 2010 World Cup as well.
Stevo has two main choices for naming the England captain – Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, or Chelsea captain John Terry.
Both are ideal candidates with impeccable credentials:
- The age factor – at 25, both Gerrard and Terry can expect to be in their prime come Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010. Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand, two other options, do not offer England that sort of long-term planning.
- Experience – both are captains of their clubs and have been responsible for the stunning form Liverpool and Chelsea have shown in the last two years.
- Reliability – John Terry and Steven Gerrard are two of England’s most reliable players (that cannot be said for Michael Owen, another candidate for captaincy).
Liverpool and Chelsea players and managers have been pimiping their own captains in the media for the last few weeks, but what it will come down to is McClaren’s vision for England’s future.
As sure as I am that Beckham won’t be appointed captain, I feel that we can easily discard the possibility of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney from being captains. Gary is too injury prone, Lampard may not even stay in the squad, Owen will be AWOL for quite some time, Rooney is too young and Rio – well, let’s just say that my man Ferdinand is under-appreciated 
But as we wait for McClaren to choose between Chelsea’s Terry and Liverpool’s Gerrard, please vote for who you think should be named as captain on Friday.
Update: Voting is now over. Here are the stats:
Total Votes: 743
Steven Gerrard: 54.24%
John Terry: 45.76%
Verdict? Too close to call, I’m afraid. There are good arguments for and against both players. Gut feeling says that Gerrard is a better captain. We’ll know on Friday for sure.
Thank you to everyone who voted
Topics: Chelsea, England, Liverpool, Steven Gerrard
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There is only one Steven Gerrard and there can only be one England Captain so the choice is simple put the best of the best to lead England to a new exciting era
August 9th, 2006 @ 12:37If Gerrard where captain the whole team would be built around him like it is at liverpool. There would be too much emphasis placed on one player, Gerrard, which will retract from the rest of the team. If McClaren wants to make a team unit without the focus on one player then he has to choose Terry, who will do a fantastic job as he has proven.
August 9th, 2006 @ 13:30Nigel Tabone, that is an excellent argument. Phote for Gerrard because errr… He’s Steven Gerrard. What absolute twaddle! Both Terry and Gerrard are great leaders and players. I say vote for Terry because he’s a centre back and has a clearer view of how the game is unfolding. That is why all the greatest captains have always been centre backs and goalkeepers.
August 9th, 2006 @ 14:31Tom – fair point, but I don’t think Gerrard’s appointment will have that bad an impact. Liverpool’s team is built around Alonso, Gerrard, Carragher and Crouch (or at least it was last season). In England, we’ll have Terry, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Rooney, Joe Cole and one other midfielder being the spine of the squad.
Mark – that’s an old debate. Vieira, Keane, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona…all modern-day examples of great captains coming from the midfield. Great captains can be anywhere, and don’t necessarily have to play at centre-back.
However, I personally feel that a box-to-box midfielder like Gerrard is the ideal captain because he sees all aspects of the game. Still, Gerrard may not have the right temperament, although he certainly wants the captaincy.
August 9th, 2006 @ 14:50What is it all about? John Terry is the best.
August 9th, 2006 @ 15:04John will always lead his team to VICTORY. Definitely our choice is John!
IMHO, Steven Gerrard is the best person for England’s captaincy. Do you remember Istanbul-2005 or Cardiff-2006? He led his team-mates and they made fantastic comebacks. Do you remember France-98 (Argentina), J&SK-02 (Brazil), Portugal-04 (Portugal) and Germany-06 (Portugal again)? There were no real captains of England national team on the field in those crucial moments. The main task for McClaren is to choose a leader, a knight (an ancient champion, if you want to) who can force the lads to put a dent in the opposition’s hopes to win.
August 9th, 2006 @ 15:46No fighter – no title again and again.
Of course, I’m biased being a life-long Red supporter but Gerrard has proved again and again that he is a worthy captain of any side. Yes, Terry is the skipper of the reigning Premiership title-holders but this shouldn’t be the determining factor: Gerrad’s heroics in winning games single-handedly while, simultaneously, lifting the team’s spirit are unprecedented. Strange also how after claiming for the past two years that LFC is a ‘one-man team’ other clubs’ fans suddenly fail to appreciate Gerrard as the leader capable of bringing back the glory of 1966.
August 9th, 2006 @ 17:38It just has to be John Terry.
August 9th, 2006 @ 20:22This should not even be a matter for debate, its as clear as it could be, there is only one person in the team who should be the clear choice, and that is liverpool skipper, Steven Gerrard,no question abt that. He is the future of English football. He’s the clear choice without much thought.
August 9th, 2006 @ 21:24Deroo – how much thought have you given to this?
August 9th, 2006 @ 21:28Gerrard,Gerard and Gerrard!nobody else
August 9th, 2006 @ 21:30John Terry is the only choice, a real captain and a real leader. And at least he speaks English rather than Scouse whine.
August 9th, 2006 @ 23:32Steven Gerrard is the best candidate. Why? Because he’s got a charisma, a strong will and an ability to encourage his teammates and he proved it many times. We all remember CL 04/05 final and FA Cup ’06 final when S.Gerrard was the main player who brought Liverpool those outstanding comebacks. His colossal experience in captaincy in his own club must help him to lead England national team to massive victories. But it must be confessed that John Terry deserves the captain’s armband as well.
August 10th, 2006 @ 11:49terry is da only choice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 20th, 2006 @ 20:03i am very much satisfied with what aziza has written
October 21st, 2006 @ 14:31Let ask yourself about those questions:
- Who plays football with his highest:
team contribution, spirit, devotion, effectiveness.
- Without Gerrard, it does’nt Eng will lose.
Without Terry, it’s a disaster to Mc. Laren and England.
Without Gerrard, Mc.Laren still has some other quality midfield.
Without Terry, ask Mc.Laren and Endland if they’re still confident?
When Gerrad performance is poor, it does’nt mean England will lose.
When Terry performance is poor, it’s a disaster!
So it’s very simple to go for Terry, the ultimate football player!
March 20th, 2007 @ 11:52i want john terry to be the captain
March 20th, 2007 @ 14:47because i love john terry when he pley for chelsea
and i like the way he leeds chelsea
and he is a good captain and a gud shooter
but gerrard is more powerpull than him
but am gonna pick john terry
I believe Steven Gerrard should be England’s captain, not John Terry. Why are England currently in a bit of a rut? Terry fails to inspire his players. It’s all up to Gerrard to take this role, leading by example.
April 20th, 2007 @ 18:27