Terry's delight
Wednesday, 20 August, 2008
John Terry speaks of his pride and delight at retaining the Captain's armband under Fabio Capello.
England v Czech Republic
Wednesday 20 August 2008
Wembley Stadium
Kick-off 8pm
England v Czech RepublicWednesday 20 August 2008Wembley StadiumKick-off 8pmClick here for ticket details
John Terry has vowed to make the most of his second chance as England’s permanent Captain, starting with Wednesday's crucial friendly against the Czech Republic at Wembley.
Chelsea star Terry admits he was both delighted and surprised when Fabio Capello called the squad together yesterday and announced the Chelsea star – captain under previous boss Steve McClaren - would also be his full-time skipper.
Now the influential defender has set his sights on reaching the World Cup Finals in South Africa in 2010.Terry said: "This is a chance to Captain a winning team. To get another chance, another bite of the cherry.
"We've certainly got the manager and the players to move forward. I'm not going to focus on winning anything. We need to qualify in this World Cup campaign first. But we're heading in the right direction."
Terry was told of Capello's decision at training yesterday, just hours before heading to The Grove Hotel in Watford to give a pre-match press conference. And the first man to congratulate him was his fellow central defender Rio Ferdinand, who will take over from Steven Gerrard as Vice-Captain.
Terry said: "I was actually standing next to Rio at the time. The first thing Rio did was turn to me and shake my hand, and that's a measure of the kind of guy he is. Stevie G, Becks, Lampsy did the same and they are all great players.
"Being Captain of these kind of players makes it extra special for me."
The Chelsea star believes he clinched the job when he came straight back from losing the Champions League Final to captain England in a friendly against the United States – and scored in a 2-0 victory.
"I think that showed what kind of character I am to the manager, to come back and bounce back like I did after that huge disappointment.
"Maybe that persuaded him, I don't know. Only the manager can answer that question. But I’m very proud to have the armband."
The task ahead for Terry is a big one – to help turn England into a can win a trophy for the first time in more than 40 years.
"I personally believe I can learn a few things from the last campaign but I'm not going to sit up here and talk about winning the World Cup yet. We have to qualify for the World Cup. It's as simple as that."
