I'd do it all again roars defiant Terry

Published 23:01 22/03/11 By Martin Lipton

Not changed. Just slightly, slightly chastened.

The John Terry who was officially reappointed as England skipper by Fabio Capello yesterday knows he will never be universally popular.

Indeed, he knows that some will not forgive what became seen as a World Cup version of Mutiny On The Bounty in Rustenburg last summer.

But the backlash stung, and still hurts. And while you will never hear Terry say sorry, the Chelsea skipper does acknowledge there are occasions when he has overstepped the mark.

"I came away from the World Cup having learned an awful lot," he said.

"People took what I said in Rustenburg the wrong way. I wasn't trying to upset the apple cart, the squad, the manager. That's not me.

"My reaction was that I'd spoken honestly and from the heart. I did what I had to do, but I certainly wouldn't do it again. Not publicly, anyway.

"I just wouldn't come out publicly and say what I said. It would stay in-house. That's what I learned from that.

"When we went out there, I thought it was our time and I didn't want to go home early.

"I wasn't prepared to sit back and accept that. Looking back, certain things I shouldn't have said, but I can still hold my head up high."

That view sums up the paradox that is Terry - a fierce, passionate and galvanising leader but also a man who struggles to come to terms with the concept of apology or regret.

Yesterday, at length, Terry seemed at times nervous and defensive but at others prickly and aggressive, determined to respond to media questions in the manner he plays - front-foot only.

For every small concession, there was a compensatory step forward, with Terry maintaining his position that he should never have lost the job in the first place, for the stated reasons.

What is evident, however, is that regaining the armband is, for him, a big deal.

"I never tried to cash in on the captaincy, on anything. I've never done that," he insisted. "I'm not the best looking guy anyway, so people aren't going to want me spread all over the place. I'm not that kind of character.

"As we get older, we live and learn. We move on. As a man, as a player, I've moved on, on and off the field.

"Getting the captaincy back is massive for me. I grew up watching Bryan Robson, Ray Wilkins and Tony Adams, people who wore the armband with passion and who I looked up to and wanted to be.

"When we arrived at the hotel on Monday night, Fabio told me that he'd pull everyone together on the pitch before training and tell us formally.

"I had the worst night's sleep ever, actually. I was pretty nervous, to be honest, having to come out and deal with the questions and stuff like that.

"It was like the first day back at school, really - intimidating, even though I've been in this position many times before.

"The stigma from losing it first time will always be there but it will make me feel very proud again."

A pride which also means he refrained from taking a verbal pot-shot at Craig Bellamy, who had slaughtered Terry on television a year ago with the withering comment:

"I know what John Terry is like and nothing surprises me about him. I think everybody in football knows what the guy's like off the field."

"I don't know Craig Bellamy," said Terry. "Had I known him personally, it would have worried me because I'm not that kind of character. I'm a nice, down-to-earth guy and he's not spent more than three or four minutes with me.

"But I love his passion on the pitch. He doesn't let anyone train half-heartedly, either. I love that about him."

Terry publicly thanked outgoing skipper Rio Ferdinand for texting and then ringing him on Sunday, adding that he had still not had a full one-to-one conversation with Capello.

"I spoke to the manager briefly after the Denmark game and he stressed he was unhappy with how it had gone in Copenhagen, with the armband being passed around," added Terry. "I knew in that game I wouldn't be given the armband. That was okay.

"But pulling on the shirt and the armband is a really special thing. I'll keep the armbands along with my caps, keep them for ever. They're at home, out on display. They mean an awful lot to me. I wouldn't give them away.

"What I know is that I will be as committed as ever.

"I'll always be the same, share the same passion on and off the field, on the training field, and give my all in everything.

"That's all I can do."

Month-by-month look at Terry's year on the England naughty step

***

THE CAPTAINS' TABLE - MOST CAPS WON AS ENGLAND SKIPPER

91 Bobby Moore

90 Billy Wright

64 Bryan Robson

59 David Beckham

34 Alan Shearer

33 Kevin Keegan