Continuing the marking of the 10th anniversary of John Terry as a Chelsea first team player, chelseafc.com looks back at the decade through the eyes of his coaches down the years.
1998/99
'John graduated from the youth team into the reserves last season and did very well and carried on from there. Every game he has been outstanding. He has appeared in the first team and shone during training sessions, asserting himself.
'John is a level headed boy with good character and a good future beckons for him. He needs to work on his mobility but his distribution is good, his tackling is strong, he's excellent in the air. He is extremely versatile, can play sweeper, centre-back or holding midfield and he could even play as an attacking midfielder coming from deep.'
Mick McGiven (JT's reserve team coach) - January 1999
'I was pleased with the performance of John Terry when he came on (in a home FA Cup win over Oxford). People keep saying Chelsea just care about foreign stars, but we want to bring in as many young players as possible, and we are working in that with enthusiasm. They are the future of our club.'
Gianluca Vialli - February 1999
1999/00
'You have to gain the respect of the senior players, accept the advice and criticism, but above all what the senior payers love is to see that you are not scared, and that you play with and against them in training as you would play in a youth game. That is what I call personality. That is what impresses me about John Terry.'
Gianluca Vialli - January 2000
'John showed why Chelsea won't sell him at any price. I've joked with Gianluca Vialli about the possibility of buying John but he won't have it. He's a quality player and showed that today.'
David Platt (JT's manager during a loan spell at Nottingham Forest and later his England U21 coach) - April 2000
2000/1
'I like the young players coming in but the next season is very important for John to improve because, one season, okay. But the second season is very difficult because in the first season the players are very concentrated. They don't know. In the second season they think it is easy. But it's not. It's more difficult.'
Claudio Ranieri - May 2001
2001/2
'I believe in John Terry. At the moment, maybe Leboeuf is a better player and he has more experience. But Terry can be better. Better for the team.'
Claudio Ranieri - December 2001
'When people start heaping praise on a young player and the crowd start chanting his name, they start to think they have to do something extra and stop doing what they're good at. John doesn't need to do anything differently.'
Mick McGiven - December 2001
2002/3
'He is an extra-terrestrial - he comes from Mars. Yes, John does remind me of Tony Adams. They both play with their head up, they both have strength and good character, they are both good examples to team-mates.'
'In my first month at Chelsea, in September 2000, I saw John Terry in the reserves and said, "This is a fantastic young player." I immediately believed in him. I preferred him to Frank Leboeuf then.
'I am happy he and Frank Lampard are in the England squad. When I arrived here I said I wanted more English players because I believe in the English spirit. It is very important to Chelsea. Marcel [Desailly] is a champion. But maybe John can achieve something equally important for him and for Chelsea.'
Claudio Ranieri - March 2003
2003/4
'Players at this level are not normally very sensitive and hardly ever grateful. His thoughtfulness, spontaneity and enthusiasm touched me. John got his chance [in the Chelsea team] because he earned it and more importantly, he was able to exploit it.
'When I came to Chelsea my first impression of him was that of an English player through and through, with incredible potential for improvement. Now we can say he has an international dimension too and I am proud of him.'
Claudio Ranieri - November 2003
'Terry is a concentrated, efficient, a leader, just as I like players to be. It will be a pleasure to work with him. He only needs to win some trophies to be one of the best in the world.'
José Mourinho - June 2004
2004/5
'John is invaluable and the kind of player who will never leave Chelsea. I think he will end his career here. He loves Chelsea. He is happy here. He lives only 100 metres from the training ground and it will be very difficult to take him away from Chelsea. The player that he is and what he means to this club, well... I tell you, he is a player without price.'
José Mourinho - February 2005
'I have known him for a long time and he has grown into a real big football player. He has developed from being young talent into an important player at the highest level to the extent that he could now play in any team in the world. He has improved so much since he began to play for Chelsea and has developed into a very fine young captain.'
Sven Goran Eriksson (JT's first England manager) - April 2005
2005/06
'He always has a great attitude, plays in every game and is never injured. He is good in the air, tackles well and scores more goals than anyone [in that position]. John Terry is the best in the world in his position.'
José Mourinho - April 2006
2006/07
'I was always waiting with confidence for Steve McClaren's decision because I knew Steve was inside and from the inside he could not think twice but to choose JT as England captain. JT deserves it. England deserves a captain like him. He loves to work, loves to win, loves to make people happy and confident.'
José Mourinho - August 2006
2007/8
'He has surprised us all, maybe he is a bionic man. He heals very, very quickly and well. He is very strong, not just mentally, also physically.
'He is a very, very important player. I have been all over the world and I have not seen a captain like him. He is a big influence on the team and for me, a captain is not just about talking, it is about being an example.'
Avram Grant - February 2008
'You get an extra 10 per cent from JT if he's in charge. I'm not saying John is less of a player when he's not captain but, since he was a kid, he's been used to being a leader on the pitch. He gives orders, he organises people and he'll put his body on the line every time.'
Steve McClaren (Former England manager) - Feb 2008
2008/9
'I think the big personality of John is the reason I choose him. The captain is important because he is the driver of the team.'
Fabio Capello (England manager) - August 2008
'When I was the manager of Portugal and we play against England, I am afraid when Terry came into my area at corner kicks. Then I said to my players we need to look at this player because if he touches the ball, it is dangerous for us. Now I am here and I expect the same.
'For John Terry, to die on the pitch would be glory. You would need to kill him. And maybe even then he'd still play! For a coach this is fantastic, he is the benchmark for everyone else. Some players yell 'ouch' and then it is all over for them, they want to come off. Not Terry.
'This is the reference for the other players. He always wants to play. He wants to show the others that he is a real captain.'
Felipe Scolari - October 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment