It’s not been the greatest week in John Terry’s life, which is saying something considering the amount of bad weeks he’s already had in the past.
History is littered with people who ‘retire’ only to return a short while later- James Calvert
It started with him retiring from international football saying the Football Association’s decision to charge him with racism, despite being found innocent of the same charge in court, made it impossible for him to continue representing his country.
And he ended the week with a four-match ban and a £220,000 (€275,000) fine after the FA found him guilty of said charge.
I’m not going to focus too much on the FA’s verdict because, frankly, I think the whole thing is an 11-month exercise in futility based on politically correct nonsense.
I will, however, focus on his international retirement because that has left me with some seriously mixed feelings.
On the one hand, he is a rock solid defender who has rarely let England down on the pitch. His fearless ability to put his head in where it hurts has got the team out of many a pickle. He is a natural leader, a good organiser and a player who can inspire his team to raise their game by his commitment and dedication to the cause.
On the other hand, however, the baggage that comes with Terry has become intolerable: cheating on his partner, drunken idiocy in nightclubs, affairs with colleagues’ girlfriends and now the racism case.
Obviously only he really knows the full truth behind those incidents but the very fact that he has been associated with that type of allegation gives you a good indication of the life he has chosen to lead.
The sadness is that it could have all been so different. Had he chosen a more sensible lifestyle, he had enough talent to have become a truly great footballer. Few people would cast doubt over his utter commitment to both club and country.
Put simply, no matter what you may think of him as a person, England will miss him as a player. With Rio Ferdinand past his play-by date and Terry now in self-imposed exile, the Three Lions have lost their only world-class centre-backs.
At 31 he couldn’t have gone on for too much longer, true, but he certainly had one more World Cup in him at the very least.
The funny thing is, I still think there is probably one more twist left in the mind-boggling saga that is Terry: I think he will be persuaded out of retirement in time for Brazil 2014.
History is littered with people who have ‘retired’ only to make a stunning return a short while later. If England find themselves desperately short of good defenders, do you really think he wouldn’t want to come riding back like a knight in shining armour? He and his not inconsiderable ego would love it.
Then again, even if he sticks by his decision, we may still see him in an England kit one last time.
If the team somehow manages to win the tournament, look out for Terry down on the pitch, in full kit, celebrating with the rest of the boys…
Clubs should ban the Twitter morons
When it comes to supporting your football club there is a fine line between being passionate and being an idiot. And some fans simply don’t know how not to cross it.
After last weekend’s home defeat to Manchester United, a couple of Liverpool fans took to Twitter to vent their anger at what they saw as poor refereeing decisions by Mark Halsey.
That’s fair enough, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and Twitter, for good or for bad, is the perfect way of airing them.
However, these fans went too far, one suggesting it would have been better if Halsey lost his battle with throat cancer a couple of years ago and the other saying he hoped the cancer comes back.
There is no place in society for individuals as sick and heartless as those. They deserve every punishment the law can throw at them. (In fact, considering the law hasn’t yet properly come to terms with the concept of Twitter, they probably deserve more than the law can throw at them).
We’ve all watched games where referees get things wrong, often to the detriment of our own teams. And we’ve all sworn at the television and called the referees a variety of names.
But, as I said earlier, there is a line. And these people clearly crossed it.
I hope Liverpool back-up whatever punishment the courts dish out by banning them from Anfield for life. No football club needs that type of supporter.
‘Weather’ you like it or not
The more disillusioned I become with modern football, the more I find myself enjoying cricket.
Sure, it’s got some egotistical and annoying players. And the influx of TV money has started to have some of the same negative effects it did on football.
But for the most part it is a much more gentlemanly, relaxed and ethical sport, and one I am increasingly drawn towards.
However, it does have its own unique problem – the way it panders to the weather.
I understand it is not a game that can be played in monsoon conditions with a waterlogged pitch and gale force winds blowing through. But the umpires only have to see a drop of rain before they usher everyone off the pitch.
If I have followed 20 cricket matches over the past few months I would say three-quarters of them have been affected in some way by the weather. And that is frustrating and annoying in equal measure.
At the moment the Twenty 20 World Cup is taking place in Sri Lanka and it has been pretty entertaining.
However, several matches have been rain affected, none more so than the game between Ireland and the West Indies. Ireland needed to win the match to get through the opening group stage of the tournament.
However, after they completed their innings the rain came down, the West Indies were unable to bat and the game was declared a no result. So essentially, Ireland were knocked out without having the opportunity to finish the match.
Questions have been raised about how sensible it was to hold a tournament like this in the monsoon season. And that’s a valid point.
But I am more concerned about the overall way cricket allows the weather to dictate its results.
The Twenty 20 version of the game, which is shorter and more intense than other versions, was created to make the game more popular and mainstream. But I can’t help feel this dependence on dry weather is counterproductive.
At the very least they should look at playing abandoned games the following day so we don’t get ridiculous ‘no result’ outcomes. I want to love cricket, I really do. But it needs to get itself out of the weather Dark Ages before I can totally commit.
Dad’s double delight
Watching your son make his professional football debut must be one of the proudest moments of any father’s life. I know it would be for me if mine were to choose that particular path.
But for one father in particular, there was even more cause for celebration as his son played his first senior match for Manchester United last week: he won £10,000 (€12,500) in the process.
When Ryan Tunnicliffe was just nine years old, his father Mick put a £100 (€125) bet on Ryan one day playing for United. And on Wednesday night Ryan did just that, coming on in the 77th minute in their League Cup tie against Newcastle.
I’m sure Mick was over the moon on both counts, although he is probably wishing he had upped the stakes all those years ago. Remortaged the house maybe. Or sold a kidney.
Having said that, if Ryan goes on to fulfill the potential he has shown so far in his young career, £10,000 will look like peanuts in the greater scheme of things.
The lad could well go on to play at the very highest level and I’m sure he will take care of his old man if he does.
Well, that’s what I keep telling myself as I spend hours kicking a ball up and down the corridor with my own little lad…
sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade