Why would I wish that? Bates was trigger happy with managers and an absolute cnut to boot. It wasn't the land of milk and honey from an ownership perspective before Abramovich turned up.
Benitez to Chelsea Discussion & Sack watch
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Why would I wish that? Bates was trigger happy with managers and an absolute cnut to boot. It wasn't the land of milk and honey from an ownership perspective before Abramovich turned up.
Yes, no doubt he has been preparing to say this, to everyone listening. Possibly had wanted to say it after the City game, but wanted to do it after winning rather than losing.
It does qualify as a 'rant' though - if someone decides to say something completely unprompted by a question, that goes on for a decent amount of time, that is quite angry, and that is really stupid to say (even if not stupid as such), I think the media are quite justified in calling it a rant. And it's not for the first time.
It does qualify as a 'rant' though - if someone decides to say something completely unprompted by a question, that goes on for a decent amount of time, that is quite angry, and that is really stupid to say (even if not stupid as such), I think the media are quite justified in calling it a rant. And it's not for the first time.
No one held a gun to Rafa's head and told him to take the job.
He must have known this would happen, and the only way he would win the fans around would be with results - a bit like Pardew at Newcastle who was hated from day one, but turned it around with good results.
He's utterly failed to do that. The team have gone backwards, he's increased the gap to the top and they have no clear direction or leadership under him.
The fans have acted poorly, and Chelsea is a joke club, but he took that on knowingly, he happily took the cash, and now it just seems like he's deflecting blame and trying to protect his reputation.
Joke manager, joke club. You reap what you sow.
He must have known this would happen, and the only way he would win the fans around would be with results - a bit like Pardew at Newcastle who was hated from day one, but turned it around with good results.
He's utterly failed to do that. The team have gone backwards, he's increased the gap to the top and they have no clear direction or leadership under him.
The fans have acted poorly, and Chelsea is a joke club, but he took that on knowingly, he happily took the cash, and now it just seems like he's deflecting blame and trying to protect his reputation.
Joke manager, joke club. You reap what you sow.
Fair play to Benitez I say, the Chelsea fans treatment of him has been terrible, fair enough they didn't want him there but it was always a stop-gap appointment. He shouldn't have to put up with their shit every week, and he was right to suggest they should be supporting the team rather than attacking the manager.
There was rumours in the weeks leading up to the takeover that we were sniffing around. Chelsea were on the verge of going bust and would have had to offload Terry & Gallas.
Imagine...what a terrifying thought.
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...jose-mourinho-back-in-the-summer-8514741.html
Evening Standard reckon Grant is in on standby with Jose Mourinho back in the summer.
Evening Standard reckon Grant is in on standby with Jose Mourinho back in the summer.
Which is a bit of a pointless exercise in the first place as he hasn't had a managerial job since he was sacked by Inter, despite positions at multiple top flight clubs across Europe becoming available. I'd say that his reputation as a good manager is long since gone.
Grant had a watching brief at a Chelsea game the other week...which must have cheered ol' Rafa up no end.
Ah, so Terry might have won the Championship title then.
Like so many have said, I can't entirely disagree with what's Rafa is saying, but on the other hand he must have known this when he was offered the job so it shouldnt come as a surprise. No one forced him into the job.
Theres more to it than that.
His reputation with the scouse needed solidifying again, asnd hes done that very well.
Remember, in those years of unemployment, it was the scouse who bought his book, paid money to listen to him read his book, subbed to his website and fed his ego. Then he signed up with Chelsea.
he needs a group to hero worship him in his pending enforced retirement, he just got it.
He doesn't think that though. He obviously still thinks pretty highly of himself.
He strikes me as someone who is very proud, and a little arrogant.
How often do you hear him bringing up his past achievements? More than any other manager I know of.
It must be every other week he mentions the La Liga titles and the CL (both won with other manager's squads incidentally). He's written books about them, had ticketed talks about them, made blogs about them, and generally never misses an opportunity to bring them up.
In 25 years, I'm struggling to think of a time Fergie has mentioned past achievements. When have you ever heard him come out with nonsense about all the titles he's won. If anything, he thinks he should have done better.
It's fecking cringe constantly bringing up a handful of trophies you won with other managers' teams.
He's got an over-inflated sense of his own self-worth, a trait which led him to take this job in the first place. Now he's failing, no one should cry any tears for him.
As someone tweeted, Rafa called Chelsea fans shit when he was Liverpool manager. Now he's called them shit as Chelsea manager. That alone deserves kudos. 
Now to slip them out of CL contention entirely and my smile will be painted on permanently.
Now to slip them out of CL contention entirely and my smile will be painted on permanently.
And that, my friend,, sums up why the fat cnut is perfectly suited to manage Liverpool.
All the while those achievements (impressive though they undoubtedly are) are getting older and older - the Champions League was 8 years ago now, and the league titles even older. Even if you consider reaching the final and losing in 2007 an achievement, that's still 6 years ago.
I genuinely can't see who in English football would take him next (including Liverpool if last summer is any indicator) - he's probably done here, unless another sugar daddy cnut picks up a random club and decides he's the biggest name they can get hold of quickly.
Spot on. Rafa pisses me off - he knew what he was getting into and he's happy to collect his hundreds of grand a month for doing it.
These outbursts are embarrasing. he's never lived down the rant at United and Fergie when at Liverpool and this is the same. Clubs will look at him and for all his success, will see a loose cannon who blows up at the first sign of pressure.
As someone tweeted, Rafa called Chelsea fans shit when he was Liverpool manager. Now he's called them shit as Chelsea manager. That alone deserves kudos.
Now to slip them out of CL contention entirely and my smile will be painted on permanently.
And then you remember... oh wait, Liverpool.
Bollocks, I was looking forward to his return to Old Trafford and Anfield.
Roman, please don't ruin it for us, it's an entertainment business you bought into after all and everyone will pay top dollar.
(Ra)fat chance he will make it.
Oh well.
Roman, please don't ruin it for us, it's an entertainment business you bought into after all and everyone will pay top dollar.
(Ra)fat chance he will make it.
Oh well.
You would have loved Terry as a United player. He plays with commitment and passion which is something that no fan can fail to appreciate. He is the kind of player that you love if he is on your team but hate if he is an opponent.
Ferguson would have reigned in any player power stuff, although I think that that has been talked up in recent years (his power has been on the wane at Chelsea for some time). His leadership qualities (when harnessed properly) can actually be some of the most impressive parts of his game.
Gary Neville for instance has since spoken very highly of him as a leader and as a pro.
Great post that, I agree with every word.
I have little or no time for Chelsea fans but they are spot on with Benitez.
At least they have kept this up from the day the fat cnut bounced into that shit stain of a club. So, they get my grudging respect for making him feel about as welcome as a pork chop at a Bar Mitzvah.
At least they have kept this up from the day the fat cnut bounced into that shit stain of a club. So, they get my grudging respect for making him feel about as welcome as a pork chop at a Bar Mitzvah.
Sort of agree, but there have been United players down the years that I've disliked personally, but tolerated because of what they offer on the pitch. Loved? I'm not so sure. I think of Carragher more in the way you describe. A scouse version of Gary Neville. I think John Terry is a completely different story. Fine line between bully and leader.
Anyway, he wouldn't have got the chance to prove himself to be the c**t that he is if he were at United - Ferguson would have sent him in the same direction as Ince after 1 incidence of some of the several misdemeanours he's got up to at Chelsea.
Or Keane, who was a player of comparable influence to Terry, and is still bitter at how he was shipped off unceremoniously for becoming a disruptive influence.
Fergie would've never stood for it. But I agree we would've loved him as a player had he been here. Giggs' marital discretions have done nothing to our admiration of him, and they were far, far worse than Terry's in the love rat stakes.
Fergie would've never stood for it. But I agree we would've loved him as a player had he been here. Giggs' marital discretions have done nothing to our admiration of him, and they were far, far worse than Terry's in the love rat stakes.
But out of my (long) list of reasons to dislike John Terry, his marital discretions are very low down, barely registered, in fact. Which speaks volumes...
Terry would've formed an immense partnership with Ferdinand. We did alright with that Serbian lad in the end though.
Newsthump getting some jibes in:
Benitez installed as favourite for BBC Sports Split Personality of the the year
Chelsea interim manager Rafa Benitez has been installed by bookmakers as the favourite for the newly created BBC Sports Split-Personality of the year award.
The move comes after his post-match outburst following his side’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Middlesborough.
The Spaniard, famed for a brand of football so cautious, he once tried to sign a lolli-pop lady to safely usher his charges into the opposition’s half of the pitch, claimed the club made a ‘huge’ mistake in calling him ‘interim’ manager.
“Installing me in the first place was a signal to the players that they had about as much chance of having a successful end to the season as bringing the missus to the Christmas party and not seeing her end up on the short end of John Terry,” he told reporters.
“What was Roman thinking?”
“Sacking your Champions League winning manager is one thing, but compounding that error by calling me interim manager instead of ‘failed applicant’, is an even bigger error of judgement.”
“My CV reads like a promiscuous harlot who has failed to bring several blue-balled clients to climax.”
BBC Sports Split Personality Award
A BBC Press Officer, Sheila Mount, confirmed the creation of the new award, suggesting the old format had ran its course.
“Any award for a ‘personality’ that sees Andy Murray rock up third, is clearly, and fundamentally, flawed.”
“A bit like Benitez.”
Benitez installed as favourite for BBC Sports Split Personality of the the year
Benitez installed as favourite for BBC Sports Split Personality of the the year
Chelsea interim manager Rafa Benitez has been installed by bookmakers as the favourite for the newly created BBC Sports Split-Personality of the year award.
The move comes after his post-match outburst following his side’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Middlesborough.
The Spaniard, famed for a brand of football so cautious, he once tried to sign a lolli-pop lady to safely usher his charges into the opposition’s half of the pitch, claimed the club made a ‘huge’ mistake in calling him ‘interim’ manager.
“Installing me in the first place was a signal to the players that they had about as much chance of having a successful end to the season as bringing the missus to the Christmas party and not seeing her end up on the short end of John Terry,” he told reporters.
“What was Roman thinking?”
“Sacking your Champions League winning manager is one thing, but compounding that error by calling me interim manager instead of ‘failed applicant’, is an even bigger error of judgement.”
“My CV reads like a promiscuous harlot who has failed to bring several blue-balled clients to climax.”
BBC Sports Split Personality Award
A BBC Press Officer, Sheila Mount, confirmed the creation of the new award, suggesting the old format had ran its course.
“Any award for a ‘personality’ that sees Andy Murray rock up third, is clearly, and fundamentally, flawed.”
“A bit like Benitez.”
Benitez installed as favourite for BBC Sports Split Personality of the the year
Their next managers first game might be just before the United match, so they can capitalize on new manager syndrome against us.
Yeah but it doesn't have to be one or the other like this, RA and the rest of the board, which probably has a bigger say than we think in these sackings and appointments need to learn from their mistakes, but as a previous poster said amid talk of the chaos at Chelsea we are the most decorated club in the past 10 years in England, so he probably feels his attitude is justified. Question is would we be more decorated in terms of titles if RA had stuck with Jose or Ancelotti? The former probably so.
Its time we got a manager and gave them time because we are no longer a club with a healthy spine of Droga,Cech, Terry,Lampard Essein and Carvalho. Out of those the only ones you can say are still part of our core are Lampard and Cech, and Lampard if hes offered a new contract will only be a bit part player in the next 3-4 years.
If we want Mata, Hazard, Oscar, Azpilcueta etc to be the next golden generation then we need someone who can work with them, ensure they don't leave because of the instability and stupidity. That means the next manager needs to be given time regardless of whether they are in the title race next season or not. Something that seems extremely hard for the board to do. Whilst previous sackings and appointments have rarely been disasters this will clearly resonate within the board, if they don't learn from their mistakes this final time all hope is gone for us in the future.
The Chelsea fans who target Rafa are stupid cowards and bullies.
Who sacked RDM? Who appointed Rafa?
But they won't target the russian gangster, because they daren't bite the hand that feeds them. So instead, they seek the weaker target on which to vent their spoilt brat, thuggish spleen.
Even as a Spurs fan, I'd rather Chelsea drop out of the top 4 ahead of Arsenal: I'd love to see which "big name" manager and which "big name" players would come to join them in the summer with the delights of the Europa league in prospect.
Who sacked RDM? Who appointed Rafa?
But they won't target the russian gangster, because they daren't bite the hand that feeds them. So instead, they seek the weaker target on which to vent their spoilt brat, thuggish spleen.
Even as a Spurs fan, I'd rather Chelsea drop out of the top 4 ahead of Arsenal: I'd love to see which "big name" manager and which "big name" players would come to join them in the summer with the delights of the Europa league in prospect.
Be careful Glaston, eleven games before the fat lady... You have a history of feck ups so don't be over confident.
Who pumped his money into our club to help us get that extra level? Besides this is old now, many Chelsea fans have voiced their displeasure at him and the board.
Besides you talk as if the sole reason Chelsea fans vent at Rafa is because of his appointment. We dislike the man anyway because of what he said about the club and the fans, the fact hes now the interim manager obviously lets him in for the abuse, what do you expect? Its like lining up a former cop as the prison entertainer for the inmates who he sent down, and then moaning when he gets abuse.
None of you guys can know how that feels, because you're run in a more stable way, so the best I can do is make up a hypothetical scenario which never really works as well because its not really going to happen.
Well Spurs did have George Graham as their manager for a while
So I think we can all agree that the Daily Mail is a horrible newspaper that no-one should read, but on their football website they've put up a "Rafa's Interim Clock" which amused me.
http://creative.dailymail.co.uk/sports/rafa/index.html
http://creative.dailymail.co.uk/sports/rafa/index.html
That was a fantastic read, thank you
What a monumental bastard twatfaced cnut he is, I really hope he ends his career broke and homeless and with a crack addiction as well.Wow, Glastonspur is heard from. Spurs must be doing well at the moment.
Even if you tke away his jibes at Chelsea supporters while at Liverpool, those villifying Chelsea supporters seem to be ingnoring the fact that as a manager, Benitez is seen as a calamitous feck up. Aston Villa fans didn't even want this guy at their club for that reason and they don't have close to the expecations that Chelsea fans do. We'd react the same way if Avram Grant became our next manager for the exact same reason.
Their booing of Benitez shouldn't be used as an excuse for poor performances either. How is what Chelsea fans are doing any different from the Green and Gold campaign a couple years back? Both were done to remove someone from the club and it didn't have any effect on our players or performance. If anything it made the atmosphere better. Chelsea fans still get behind their team and players and in fairness to them they showed a hell of a lot more patience with Torres than we have for some of our players who've actually done something.
Their booing of Benitez shouldn't be used as an excuse for poor performances either. How is what Chelsea fans are doing any different from the Green and Gold campaign a couple years back? Both were done to remove someone from the club and it didn't have any effect on our players or performance. If anything it made the atmosphere better. Chelsea fans still get behind their team and players and in fairness to them they showed a hell of a lot more patience with Torres than we have for some of our players who've actually done something.
This article more than anything I can say to you will explain why Terry is held in high esteem at the football club for his role of captain.
As football fans, we don’t get a lot of opportunities to judge a player’s persona, all we get is stuff from the newspaper and other medias and of course how the player acts on the football pitch. It’s normal that our feelings towards them are based on those things, since we don’t know them personally. But unfortunately this can be very deceiving.
Sometimes reporters can have a lot of propaganda. They could have had an argument with the player, be friends with his ex-wife or support a rival club. When a player steps on the field on a Saturday the whole world watches him play under the pressure of his life. Players, managers and supporters have all been waiting for this moment – kick off.
It’s abnormal to judge people’s behaviour under these circumstances. Do you think that when Gary Neville wins a game of hide and seek with his daughter he yells at his wife “Come on!!!!” while he holds on to his shirt like he did in front of Liverpool supporters at Old Trafford? I think not.
When you are around the training ground you get to see the players in their true form. Some of them surprise and charm you while others dissappoint you. This would also be the case if you meet someone in real life. The fact that footballers are famous does not make them any different. They just have talent in a specific field just like doctors or architects. Some of them are good people, others are not.
The year 2002, I was 17 and had been injured for eight months. I usually had to train twice as much to be in form. I trained with several players during rehabilation and since John Terry was facing injury as well I trained a lot with him. We trained together for three or four weeks before he began to play again and prove himself as the number one center-back in the first team.
After this, John always observed how I was doing with my injury and he wished me good luck for my first game after 11 months of rehabilation. Unfortunately in that first game I got heavily injured again and had to go to surgery three days later. When the physio came to visit me he said that ‘JT’ had asked if I could get vacation and he even asked Graeme (Le Saux) if they could use the ‘discipline fund’ (money collected if a player comes to training late and such) from the first team to pay for my vacation. I couldn’t believe it.
After staying home for ten days, I went to the training ground and John was there. He asked how I was doing and then said “Me and Graeme have arranged for you to go to a vacation, you can go wherever you want, with your friend or your brother, you deserve something good. Just think about where you want to go, this isn’t your money! Just let us know how much it costs and we will arrange it.
I didn’t know what to say other than ‘thank you’. I talked to the youth and reserve coaches and they told me it was probably best for me to take the vacation. One of the reserve coaches said that I still had that ‘hospital color’ because I was as white as a ghost. I lost a lot of blood in the surgery and it showed in my face.
My mother had also just had surgery so she could use a a little break from work. That’s why I wanted to take her with me. It was October so I needed to find ‘some place hot’ like John advised me to do.
The one place close that was hot enough was Southern Spain and because this wasn’t my money I didn’t want to take advantage of the generosity from John. So, the next day during practice I said to John “Is it okay if me and my mother go to Sevilla over the weekend?”
His answer was, “Come on Tills! You can go wherever you want for free, why do you want to go there? It won’t even be hot. Look at it again, go to the Caribbean or something, you can sit at the beach without having to worry how much it is going to cost, we will make sure of it.”
So I went and checked again and found a good offer for a trip to Tobago. I talked to my physio for a few days and he said “It’s fine, just talk to JT.” I still felt for bad spending other people’s money, I had never done that before. So naturally I was a little nervous when I was talking to John, telling him about the trip I had in mind.
And what did John say? ”No problem, good choice! Just give me the info and we’ll pay it.” He arranged everything and the day before I was leaving for the trip he called me over in the dressing room. “Tills, your going tomorrow, right?” He went to his pocket and took out £100. ”Here, some pocket money to spend”. I said that I couldn’t accept it. He asked again and again I refused. Then he stood up and said “you’re not going anywhere until you accept this!”. I had no choice.
When I came back from the trip, I was renewed and a large part of the reason was that I was finally ready to play football again, 6 months after my surgery.
In my first game after the injury (in the youth team) we were playing Crystal Palace at our training ground. The first team wasn’t suppose to have training until 3pm but our game was at 10am. John came to see me play, 5 hours before his training. He came just to see if I would get through the game, which happened. He certainly didn’t have to do that, but he did.
When by brother Joe was in the youth team, John paid for driving lessons for every single player in the youth team because he knew how expensive it was when you only get £80-a-week in wages. The youth players just had to tell him how much it cost and John paid it the next day.
At that time, when the youth players were cleaning the first team players’ boots, everyone wanted to get one of the ‘sharks’ – John, Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, etc – because they gave the highest christmas bonuses. Some players didn’t give any bonuses even though the youth players had cleaned they’re boots for six months.
John didn’t only give high bonuses, but he even paid for the youth players fines if he thought they were being treated unfairly. Of course, he told them not to tell a soul.
John has never forgotten what it was like to be a player in the youth team and he is the perfect captain. He was always available if you wanted to talk to him. He always asked every youth player how they were doing in the team. If he heard that you played well in a match, he congratulated and encouraged you. He really had an interest. He never forgot the young players.
He was always monitored the youth players, including me. For instance, he found an agent for me that I signed with. When youth players traveled with the first team he always made sure that they got their bonuses, that made a lot of difference in their paychecks.
He helped them adapt and welcomed them into a new environment. On the pitch and the training ground he was magnificent, he had an heart like a lion. He trained after practices, always did that little extra. We really looked up to him.
It wasn’t just the youth players either. There are endless stories of his kindness and generosity, stories that never left the training ground. One of them stands out: We had an old masseuse called Al. One day his car broke down for good. He said that he couldn’t attend training sessions anymore because it was very difficult for a man of his age to use public transport.
One day after practice, John told him to go to the parking lot and close his eyes. When he opened them he saw a brand new car. John had asked every player in the first team to chip in to buy Al a new car. The old man started to cry. This all happened before Roman Abramovich and before John was a superstar and started making big money.
Last year Al got seriously sick and had to be in a hospital. When John found out, he immediately contacted him. Al was flattered to hear from him, and his wife was delighted that John had taken the time to think about him. John visited Al regularly until he passed away and John, of course, attended his funeral.
Marcel Desailly – the Chelsea captain before him – didn’t do anything like the things John did. He couldn’t care less about the young players or anyone else in the club for that matter.
As a player he was impeccable, but as a captain he did nothing and wasn’t even close to what John is. In my first and second year in the youth team it was our job to get signed shirts from players from the first team, those shirts where then sent to fans or to a charity.
We all stood in a row in the hallway before practices when the first team players walked passed us and then they signed the shirts. When Mr. Desailly came, he usually pretended to be on the phone so he didn’t have to do anything. We were like “Marcel, uuuuuumm, Marcel, could you please…..” and then he was gone. Disappointment.
Some players cause you a lot of disappointment when you meet them personally. They also do that in daily life. John has, of course, had a few problems off the pitch that have gotten a lot of press, but I will always remember how he treated me when I was a teenager.
No one else would have done that or even thought about doing it. He is no saint, but there is a reason why Chelsea fans, players and staff look at John Terry as a real leader.”
Sometimes reporters can have a lot of propaganda. They could have had an argument with the player, be friends with his ex-wife or support a rival club. When a player steps on the field on a Saturday the whole world watches him play under the pressure of his life. Players, managers and supporters have all been waiting for this moment – kick off.
It’s abnormal to judge people’s behaviour under these circumstances. Do you think that when Gary Neville wins a game of hide and seek with his daughter he yells at his wife “Come on!!!!” while he holds on to his shirt like he did in front of Liverpool supporters at Old Trafford? I think not.
When you are around the training ground you get to see the players in their true form. Some of them surprise and charm you while others dissappoint you. This would also be the case if you meet someone in real life. The fact that footballers are famous does not make them any different. They just have talent in a specific field just like doctors or architects. Some of them are good people, others are not.
The year 2002, I was 17 and had been injured for eight months. I usually had to train twice as much to be in form. I trained with several players during rehabilation and since John Terry was facing injury as well I trained a lot with him. We trained together for three or four weeks before he began to play again and prove himself as the number one center-back in the first team.
After this, John always observed how I was doing with my injury and he wished me good luck for my first game after 11 months of rehabilation. Unfortunately in that first game I got heavily injured again and had to go to surgery three days later. When the physio came to visit me he said that ‘JT’ had asked if I could get vacation and he even asked Graeme (Le Saux) if they could use the ‘discipline fund’ (money collected if a player comes to training late and such) from the first team to pay for my vacation. I couldn’t believe it.
After staying home for ten days, I went to the training ground and John was there. He asked how I was doing and then said “Me and Graeme have arranged for you to go to a vacation, you can go wherever you want, with your friend or your brother, you deserve something good. Just think about where you want to go, this isn’t your money! Just let us know how much it costs and we will arrange it.
I didn’t know what to say other than ‘thank you’. I talked to the youth and reserve coaches and they told me it was probably best for me to take the vacation. One of the reserve coaches said that I still had that ‘hospital color’ because I was as white as a ghost. I lost a lot of blood in the surgery and it showed in my face.
My mother had also just had surgery so she could use a a little break from work. That’s why I wanted to take her with me. It was October so I needed to find ‘some place hot’ like John advised me to do.
The one place close that was hot enough was Southern Spain and because this wasn’t my money I didn’t want to take advantage of the generosity from John. So, the next day during practice I said to John “Is it okay if me and my mother go to Sevilla over the weekend?”
His answer was, “Come on Tills! You can go wherever you want for free, why do you want to go there? It won’t even be hot. Look at it again, go to the Caribbean or something, you can sit at the beach without having to worry how much it is going to cost, we will make sure of it.”
So I went and checked again and found a good offer for a trip to Tobago. I talked to my physio for a few days and he said “It’s fine, just talk to JT.” I still felt for bad spending other people’s money, I had never done that before. So naturally I was a little nervous when I was talking to John, telling him about the trip I had in mind.
And what did John say? ”No problem, good choice! Just give me the info and we’ll pay it.” He arranged everything and the day before I was leaving for the trip he called me over in the dressing room. “Tills, your going tomorrow, right?” He went to his pocket and took out £100. ”Here, some pocket money to spend”. I said that I couldn’t accept it. He asked again and again I refused. Then he stood up and said “you’re not going anywhere until you accept this!”. I had no choice.
When I came back from the trip, I was renewed and a large part of the reason was that I was finally ready to play football again, 6 months after my surgery.
In my first game after the injury (in the youth team) we were playing Crystal Palace at our training ground. The first team wasn’t suppose to have training until 3pm but our game was at 10am. John came to see me play, 5 hours before his training. He came just to see if I would get through the game, which happened. He certainly didn’t have to do that, but he did.
When by brother Joe was in the youth team, John paid for driving lessons for every single player in the youth team because he knew how expensive it was when you only get £80-a-week in wages. The youth players just had to tell him how much it cost and John paid it the next day.
At that time, when the youth players were cleaning the first team players’ boots, everyone wanted to get one of the ‘sharks’ – John, Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, etc – because they gave the highest christmas bonuses. Some players didn’t give any bonuses even though the youth players had cleaned they’re boots for six months.
John didn’t only give high bonuses, but he even paid for the youth players fines if he thought they were being treated unfairly. Of course, he told them not to tell a soul.
John has never forgotten what it was like to be a player in the youth team and he is the perfect captain. He was always available if you wanted to talk to him. He always asked every youth player how they were doing in the team. If he heard that you played well in a match, he congratulated and encouraged you. He really had an interest. He never forgot the young players.
He was always monitored the youth players, including me. For instance, he found an agent for me that I signed with. When youth players traveled with the first team he always made sure that they got their bonuses, that made a lot of difference in their paychecks.
He helped them adapt and welcomed them into a new environment. On the pitch and the training ground he was magnificent, he had an heart like a lion. He trained after practices, always did that little extra. We really looked up to him.
It wasn’t just the youth players either. There are endless stories of his kindness and generosity, stories that never left the training ground. One of them stands out: We had an old masseuse called Al. One day his car broke down for good. He said that he couldn’t attend training sessions anymore because it was very difficult for a man of his age to use public transport.
One day after practice, John told him to go to the parking lot and close his eyes. When he opened them he saw a brand new car. John had asked every player in the first team to chip in to buy Al a new car. The old man started to cry. This all happened before Roman Abramovich and before John was a superstar and started making big money.
Last year Al got seriously sick and had to be in a hospital. When John found out, he immediately contacted him. Al was flattered to hear from him, and his wife was delighted that John had taken the time to think about him. John visited Al regularly until he passed away and John, of course, attended his funeral.
Marcel Desailly – the Chelsea captain before him – didn’t do anything like the things John did. He couldn’t care less about the young players or anyone else in the club for that matter.
As a player he was impeccable, but as a captain he did nothing and wasn’t even close to what John is. In my first and second year in the youth team it was our job to get signed shirts from players from the first team, those shirts where then sent to fans or to a charity.
We all stood in a row in the hallway before practices when the first team players walked passed us and then they signed the shirts. When Mr. Desailly came, he usually pretended to be on the phone so he didn’t have to do anything. We were like “Marcel, uuuuuumm, Marcel, could you please…..” and then he was gone. Disappointment.
Some players cause you a lot of disappointment when you meet them personally. They also do that in daily life. John has, of course, had a few problems off the pitch that have gotten a lot of press, but I will always remember how he treated me when I was a teenager.
No one else would have done that or even thought about doing it. He is no saint, but there is a reason why Chelsea fans, players and staff look at John Terry as a real leader.”
It's easy to view him through the grotty lens of the tabloid media and make him public enemy number 1, but it is telling that those who have managed him and worked with him tend to speak very highly of him - from your own Gary Neville, through to Jose Mourinho, Joe Hart, Theo Walcott etc etc. I'm not blind to his faults and accept that he doesn't help himself, but there are very much two sides to the story and only one gets reported in garish red tops.
The hate was target towards Glazer not Fergie, it's totally different to what happened at United.