The race to become England football captain appeared to be
wide open last night as it emerged that Fabio Capello had offered
no guarantees to John Terry, the incumbent, during their impromptu
meeting at Goodison Park on Wednesday night. If Sir Alex Ferguson
had his way, Terry would also face competition from Rio
Ferdinand.
Capello is determined to keep his cards close to his chest before
the announcement of his first squad next weekend for the match
against Switzerland on February 6 and may defer the decision until
later in the year, when he has got to know his players better.
David Beckham is an obvious candidate to stand in at Wembley next
month if, as expected, the England manager hands the former captain
his 100th cap.
Terry remains favourite to get the job in the long term as he has
proved an outstanding leader at club level with Chelsea, but he
could take little encouragement from his first meeting with Capello
during Chelseas Carling Cup semi-final win against Everton. It is
understood that the pair had a brief conversation in the directors
box at half-time during the second leg, when the Italian inquired
about the condition of Terrys broken foot and asked about his
likely return date, without giving any indication as to whether he
would retain him as captain.
Capello has spent his first few weeks in the job acquainting
himself with the Barclays Premier League, but, unlike Steve
McClaren, his predecessor, has not made an early effort to build
close relationships with his players. Terry knows better than to
take Capellos insistence on maintaining formalities personally,
but is not certain that he will retain the armband. He was
convinced that he would miss out to Steven Gerrard when appointed
18 months ago and fears he may pay for Englands failure to qualify
for the European Championship finals, particularly as he is
unlikely to be fit for the match against Switzerland.
As the vice-captain under McClaren, Gerrard is another strong
candidate, but Ferguson believes that Ferdinand should be
considered. The Manchester United defender is known to covet a role
he has filled for his club and has risked antagonising Terry by
expressing a firm desire to take on the responsibility. Rio
wouldnt have captained my side if he wasnt capable of captaining
England, Ferguson said. I think experience is important in that
role. Rio has more than 60 caps now, so hes got that
experience.
There are different types of captains. Rio is different in nature
than a Schmeichel, Bruce, Robson or Keane. Hell lead more by
example than encouragement, whereas the others were assertive. John
Terry has got the position, so I dont think Rio will look upon it
as the be-all and end-all, but if it happens, I think he will be
happy.
Given his capacity for controversy, Ferdinand would be a
controversial choice. He was suspended for eight months by the
Football Association for missing a drugs test in 2003 and, 18
months later, branded a poor role model after being banned from
driving for a fourth time. More recently he was responsible for
organising the United teams Christmas party that ended with one
player, Jonny Evans, being arrested over an alleged rape.
As well as backing Ferdinand, Ferguson also hopes that Beckham will
fulfil his dream of making a century of England appearances. I
think he will get his 100th cap, the United manager said. In
fact, I dont think there is any doubt about that. To deny him
would not be right and I think Capello has made up his mind about
that.
