Will John Terry Cost Chelsea The Title?
This is the question that is on everyone's lips now and definite a very valid one since it would seem that whatever John Terry is up to now and the scandal that is the current news in English football could possibly cost Chelsea the title in the end. Most fans would likely disagree and I do too to a certain extent but let's take a look at what the whole situation is about and how Chelsea might either benefit from or be at a disadvantage due to John Terry's indiscretions in his private life.
First of all, everything that is now hogging the headlines for the Chelsea defender is from his private life. It is never a good example to set for the younger fans and it might not have been so big an issue if he wasn't current England captain (Terry has had many problems in the past and present and gotten into a lot of questionable situations), but at the end of the day it is something that involves his private life and not directly with football. The incident of him asking for money for a tour of the club facilities might have been of the latter but right now football has nothing to do with it.
However, what a player does or doesn't do in his private life will have an impact directly or indirectly on his performances on the field. Looking at Terry's past history, it does appear that his previous scandals have rarely affected him adversely on the pitch. Instead in most cases he has actually risen to the challenge and shown the sterner stuff that he is made of. What disappoints me more as a fan of the club and player is that time and again he has pretended to have become a better person but instead has actually been the same rotten core hidden under an honourable exterior. Still, he does the job for the club well and one can hardly complain about that.
The problem now for me is how all this sudden increase in (negative) attention will affect the rest of the team. Certainly, if the club starts to play badly again or get less than desirable results (like last night against Hull), the media will play up Terry's infidelity and relate it to the rest of the players being affected by it. Let's not forget what happened to Liverpool last season. No matter how players might deny it, they will be distracted. Each mistake will be highlighted and magnified. Even if the one is question is not Terry, the press will find some connection between the two.
Hopefully the club captain settles the issue quickly or quietly as bad he could. The move to resign from the England captaincy might be of great help. It would be a huge blow to Terry's ego, but the best way for him to respond would be to then help England to the World Cup trophy. This is the man who slipped and missed a penalty that cost us the Champions League but came back strong. Us fans would hope that he can help shield his teammates from the distraction the scandal will cause, and not cost us the title. Manchester United is already revving up their engine with recent results in the English Premier League, we need to get back to the form of just a few weeks ago when we were scoring goals for fun. The best way to respond as a team now would be for John Terry to help keep a clean sheet against Arsenal this weekend, three points and still leading the rest of the league at the end of a very difficult week.
