Source: Daily_Mail
England boss Fabio Capello: I had to axe John Terry as captain
Fabio Capello was bemused and dismissive on arriving in England when people told him that being manager of the national team was the impossible job. Now he knows better. [LNB]The turmoil of the past month will go some way to defining how he is judged and, after an arduous week in which Wayne Bridge quit the national team, new captain Rio Ferdinand suffered a recurrence of his back injury and Owen Hargreaves informed him that he will not be at the World Cup, the Italian has been forced into another raft of decisions.[LNB] Lost cause: John Terry with the captain's armband[LNB] Capello is adamant that John Terry will not captain England again under his management; he hopes that Bridge may still play in South Africa, though sources close to the player think it unlikely; he has all but ruled out Joe Cole from his final World Cup squad, though Theo Walcott and David Beckham are now close to confirming their places; and Steven Gerrard will captain the side against Egypt on Wednesday.[LNB] With three months to go before the World Cup, Capello is finalising his plans but he concedes that the issues he has dealt with recently, principally Terry's extra-marital affair with the former fianc?of Bridge, and also Ashley Cole's marriage break-up from pop star Cheryl Tweedy, have astounded even him. [LNB]'Here you read more things about this than other countries,' said Capello. 'But it's not normal what happened between Terry and Bridge. I have never experienced it. [LNB]'I've never, never had this problem in Spain or Italy. I remember once in Italy a long time ago, when I was young, when I was in the youth academy. But that was a long time ago.'[LNB] Capello, though, has clarified exactly why he felt Terry was no longer suitable to be captain of his team. He insists it was not because of his past misdemeanours, which included touting for money on the back of being England captain, or helping to organise tours of Chelsea's training ground for cash, which Terry says went to charity. It was solely his behaviour towards Bridge which, in Capello's eyes, made him unfit to be captain.[LNB] Order of the boot: Fabio Capello is adamant that John Terry will not captain England again under his management[LNB] 'It was only for this reason, the problem with Bridge,' said Capello.[LNB] 'It was not good because I asked always that the captain is an example for the young, the children, for the fans. It was not good. This is the reason, and I told him this. When I spoke with John Terry I was happy because he understood everything.'[LNB] Capello hopes team spirit, the building of which has been his biggest achievement, will not be undermined by Terry's behaviour.[LNB] 'The group will be the same,' said Capello. 'Sometimes when I was a player or a manager in Italy, the captain was not so good but he was the captain because he was older or had the most caps. Other leaders in the team were more important than the captain. And Terry is a leader, and will be a leader without the armband.' However, if Terry hoped he might regain it, he knows now that will not happen under Capello.[LNB] 'I don't think John Terry will be the captain in the World Cup. And after that, if I am the England manager, I don't think so,' said the Italian. Capello hopes Bridge might change his mind and join the World Cup squad, for he is mindful that an innocent party is losing out, while the guilty man plays on.[LNB] 'I understand that but I did not decide that Wayne Bridge is out, he decided,' added Capello, confirming that he never had considered leaving out Terry to make life easier for Bridge. 'I think he (Bridge) can stay in the squad without problem; the problems of life stay out of the team when you are training.[LNB] [LNB] Ryan Shawcross in England squad: Stoke defender joins Theo Walcott, Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock Child's play for Carlos Tevez as he puts personal nightmare behind him in Manchester City win Terry blasted by Bellamy as Man City firebrand says: 'I know what JT is like'Chelsea 2 Manchester City 4: John Terry shunned by Wayne Bridge as Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy humble nine men 'He decided not to stay with us and I respect the decision. But we have three months, hopefully, to change the decision.'[LNB] Capello will ask his assistant Franco Baldini to speak to Bridge closer to the time. 'He will not have to come to me,' said Capello, indicating his staff would remain in regular contact with Bridge. 'We have tried to convince a lot of players in the past to change their minds. We spoke with Jamie Carragher about this, and other players.'[LNB] To make up for Bridge's departure and Ashley Cole's injury absence, Capello has brought Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock into the squad, though they have one cap between them.[LNB] Beckham and Walcott, who might have been considered marginal candidates, are looking good for South Africa; Joe Cole, who showed glimpses of a return to form for Chelsea despite yesterday's defeat, not so. 'Joe didn't play against Inter Milan,' said Capello. 'He's not in a good moment because he (Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti) prefers (Daniel) Sturridge when he changes players. Every game that Joe plays we have watched either on TV or in the stadium.[LNB] 'But there are some problems for him. He's not back like the player I remember. We have to wait. Possibly in two months he will improve a lot.' Capello, though, can do nothing about his lack of starts at Chelsea and unless Ancelotti radically changes his view of Joe Cole's worth, he will not be going to South Africa. For Beckham and Walcott the prognosis is rosier. 'I read what journalists wrote about David after the (AC Milan) game against Manchester United. But for me he is playing well.[LNB] 'He is playing in another position, like a midfielder in Milan's 4-3-3. They changed the style during the game and for this reason he didn't play all the game. But he's dangerous when he plays wide, because every cross he can do is dangerous for the defenders of the kick.'[LNB] Walcott's display last weekend against Sunderland, where he showed some of his pace and verve after an injury-ravaged season, may have saved him.[LNB] 'Theo played 72 minutes and played well. He's not in a fantastic moment as he needs to recover confidence but I think he's getting better every time.' All that remains is to decide on a captain for Wednesday's clash against African champions Egypt. With Terry sacked and Ferdinand injured, the job is beginning to looked cursed.[LNB] 'It's not a good moment to be England captain,' said Capello, at least seeing some levity in the calamities of the situation.[LNB] Liverpool skipper Gerrard will be his choice, though Capello felt the need to add: 'If he is fit...' [LNB] [LNB]
