Friends reunited? England boss Fabio Capello
(right) wants to reinstate John Terry (left) as his
skipper
Fabio Capello is considering giving the England
captaincy back to John Terry for this month's Euro 2012 qualifier
against Wales - and beyond.
Discussions have already taken place within the FA over
what is certain to be a hotly-debated issue. But the England
management have been assured by chairman David Bernstein that the
choice of England captain is entirely Capello's call and he will be
supported in whatever he decides.
The Italian is now poised to make the most controversial
decision of his England career by bringing
the Chelsea
captain back in from the cold.
Steven Gerrard was ruled out of the match at the
Millennium Stadium on March 26 following hernia surgery this week
and Rio Ferdinand has played only one game since January
16.
Yet Capello does not see Terry as merely a short-term
appointment and is said to be increasingly of the view that he
remains the team's natural leader. The feeling is Terry might not
be a stop-gap but a permanent choice, going through to Euro
2012.
Wearing the armband: but Rio Ferdinand has only
captained England on four occasions since replacing Terry due to
his persistent injury problems
Capello stripped Terry of the captaincy last
February, upset by a series of controversial incidents involving
the player.
Yet he has been encouraged by the way Terry has conducted
himself since and thinks losing the captaincy of his country for a
year is punishment enough.
The manager is also taking into account the serious nature
of the match in Cardiff, a game England cannot afford to lose after
the home draw with Montenegro.
It shows the depth of Capello's concern on the issue that
he would be prepared to make this U-turn, having all but ruled out
Terry as a captain while he remained as manager.
Interviewed on February 27 last year, the Italian said:
'Until the World Cup, Terry will not be captain again. After the
World Cup, if I remain as manager, I think not.'
Since then, Terry has been very publicly snubbed. Speaking
earlier this season, he complained that he felt humiliated as the
armband was passed around several team members in a friendly with
Egypt last March.
'I felt, "OK, I've been stripped of the captaincy, but
don't take the p*** out of me",' said Terry. 'I think they would
have given it to one of the stewards ahead of me.'
Even in last month's friendly victory over Denmark, Terry
continued to be overlooked when substitutions saw the armband
journey from Frank Lampard to Gareth Barry.
Out of action: Steven Gerrard (left) skippered England
in the World Cup last summer, but will miss the Euro 2012 qualifier
against Wales on March 26 through injury and Capello is still
unsure about his leadership skills
Yet it would appear Capello has been agonising over the
captaincy issue for some time and is leaning to a return to his
original choice.
Since succeeding Terry as captain, Ferdinand has been
available to play for England only four times. Although Gerrard
captained England in the World Cup, Capello has never been wholly
convinced of his leadership qualities.