Terry's tears, tantrums and takeaways

In response to our previous article, Soccermongery's been handed some interesting background on John Terry: his near switch to Manchester City, antics with England and his remarkable rise to the top of the Stamford Bridge order.

From reliable sources who've asked not be named, we learn:

Football's hard man was in tears as Fabio Capello axed him as England skipper inside three minutes of the twelve-minute showdown.

Capello's big punishment is in keeping with his stringent England regime. So strict, Terry's ordered Chinese takeaways from outside the confines of the team's posh hotel!

On England duty at The Grove, Terry complained the Italian was feeding them with meal after meal of "rabbit food", so he phoned for Chinese for fourteen of the squad. The huge load was shuttled through a backdoor away from management view!

As far as his private life goes, the Vanessa Perroncel incident is the tip of the iceberg. Terry's well-known for back of the car trysts - but it's also claimed he had sex in a night club toilet with a girl on crutches.

Terry's persistent philandering has much to do with unhappiness in his marriage to Toni, described as "like a character from EastEnders" and "fifty times worse than Posh Spice"!

But behaviour in the bedroom seems akin to his reactions to the boardroom.

As Terry strung out transfer negotiations with Manchester City, Chelsea forced him to get rid of his agent of fifteen years in exchange for succumbing to his demands. Roman Abramovich matched the staggering offer from oil rich Eastlands. Aaron Lincoln brokered the deal under orders from Terry but was then unceremoniously dumped.

The transfer was negotiated during the close-season and the catalyst was the departure of Jose Mourinho from Stamford Bridge.

Terry loved Mourinho and hated Abramovich for sacking him. When The Special One left after an inauspicious Champions League draw against little Rosenborg, the Portugeezer told Terry his demise was down to a clash of egos. The quiet Russian billionaire couldn't live with Mourinho's raffish, high-profile demeanour. Roman wanted to be the Bridge Boss - and showed it.

Chelsea's captain was in pieces and wanted to leave. Scolari's dressing room was a mess, so Terry ordered Lincoln to find him a move away. Alarmed by how upset Terry was, Lincoln pleaded with Terry to think about it for a week, and if he still felt the same to let him know. Would he really want to give up the fans, the London scene and the legendary status he'd already earned at the club? A Chelsea man through and through, Lincoln didn't want to be the man who sold Terry - unless his client really wanted out.

City got wind and the new owners heard rumours of how unsettled he'd been. A salary of £250k a week with a £50m transfer tag was set in motion. Terry shook hands with the Sheikhs but Abramovich countered with a deal to match City's offer - on condition that he waved goodbye to his agent.

Terry had been on a week's holiday in the US and phoned Lincoln to let him know his services were no longer required. Lincoln was gutted. He'd been made to look like stupid with both the City owners and Chelsea.

Lincoln was more than just Terry's commercial man. He was also the ex-England captain's eyes and ears keeping him on the straight and narrow and out of the media glare - even handling Terry's family's misdemeanours. His relationship with Terry even survived Lincoln being blacklisted as an agent by the FA.

The loss of such a close confidante has led directly to Terry's downfall. Instead of Lincoln's guiding hand, Terry's now managed by two close friends who've failed to protect him from the pressures of being a top footballer.

Wayne Bridge's switch to City had nothing to do with his relationship breakdown with Vanessa Perroncel or Terry. He left Chelsea for footballing reasons knowing he was playing second fiddle to Ashley Cole. Bridge actually feels sorry Terry got involved with his ex-girlfriend. The relationship between Perroncel and the England left-back was beyond reconciliation long before the Terry dalliance became public.

Bridge was also represented by Lincoln in the past.

When Terry was 15, Alex Ferguson rejected him and Tottenham didn't fancy him either. Even as a Chelsea youngster, he was deemed to be "too small" but Lincoln fought for him.

Terry's Chelsea opportunity came unexpectedly over a fight between two teammates. We're told Dennis Wise decked Michael Duberry over the sacking of Ruud Gullit. When Wise assumed temporary control of the team, young Terry was suddenly thrust into the first team under Wise's orders. Duberry joined Leeds in weeks.

Terry's rise up the Chelsea tree was nearly ended when then Huddersfield boss Steve Bruce had a mere £750k offer ACCEPTED by Chelsea. Terry turned down the move.

Soccermongery has no angle but as a fan of truth. Terry's lucky in life and it seems his luck's far from run out.

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Beckham: rumours of a move to Milan are about more than England

This comes from Jonny's I Told You So file! I wrote this on the 17th October 2008, and hinted that Becks' move to Europe was about an escape route from MLS, not keeping fit during the America's off-season, as was reported at the time. This is my piece (unedited) from October:
The growing battle for David Beckham's signature in the January transfer window has more at stake than just the England midfielder's fitness.

Becks needs a return to Europe to compete for his England place. The tabloids ask "how can he truly remain competitive and matchfit playing in LA?" Milan remain in the boxseat to capture him on a three-month loan deal.

It's just that his loan switch will be about more than a new lease of Life with the Lions.

It's also about Major League Soccer's fight for survival and its future in a competitive market through an economic downturn.

While Becks rises like a Phoenix from the ashes, Major League Soccer is foundering. It's losing its vision.

Having managed Beckham's LA Galaxy, Ruud Gullit's comments about MLS crystallise the reasons why the former England skipper needs to come home.

Gullit, who lasted nine months in LA suggested there's a conspiracy among other American sports to keep soccer down, and that no amount of David Beckhams can turn it into a major sport in the U.S.

"I think they are afraid of football because it is so popular everywhere around the world," Gullit told Reuters. "I think they will just control it so it doesn't become more popular than their American sports."

Gullit said that as a result, Beckham is fighting an uphill battle to sell soccer to U.S. fans.
"So it is very hard for him," Gullit said. "They will never allow that, and in some ways I can understand it as well.

"I have my doubts if they really want to make it popular. Some sports have already had a bit of a dive, so they don't want American football to become less popular, or basketball or baseball."

The truth is Beckham thought the door was closed on big time football long before it was. Losing his place in Capello's Real Madrid team co-incided with McClaren's insistence that he wasn't part of England's plans.

We all know what happened next: a recalled Becks-inspired Real won the Primera Liga and McClaren fell to the overwhelming clamour to bring Becks back. The fly in the ointment was he'd already signed for Hollywood.

Beckham is one of the fittest players of the modern era. The end of his career is not in sight, and his value to any team is obvious; he's good support for a creative partner in midfield and he remains the setpiece meister!

You could see why Manchester City were the early favourites. Abu Dhabi Babby wants to mark his arrival with a big New Year Splurge, and he's one of only a few people who could afford Beckham's wages.

But as Thierry Henry articulated in his time at Arsenal, a modern team wins titles with the strength of its subs bench.
Could there be a better sub to lift the crowd and trigger an equaliser from a set-piece?

So no surprise that big name suitors like Milan are chasing his signature (or with Beckham, his autograph).

Will one of the big boys back home tempt him home?

With Beckham, impossible is nothing.

Sorry Geordies: Keegan's exit is a positive for Newcastle United!

I know this is unpalatable to Toon fans but Kevin Keegan is a proven loser and totally ill-equipped to lead a Premier League team in the 21st century. Newcastle, you're best off without him. The next thing for the Toon to pray for is a Manchester City-style change of ownership and rid themselves of Oyk Ashley too.

It's time for Newcastle United to extricate itself from the past. The last time Kevin Keegan led Newcastle to (near) glory in the 90's, he was merely pitted against Arsenal's Bruce Rioch, Liverpool's Roy Evans and Chelsea's Ruud Gullit.

Who beat Keegan to the title? the ultimate football winner, Alex Ferguson. Aside from the total one-off that is The Govanor, the game's moved on.

Now Arsenal are led by Arsene Wenger, at Liverpool it's Rafa Benitez, Chelsea have a World Cup winner in the shape of Big Phil and it's still SIR Alex Ferguson of United. Then there's Martin O'Neill at Villa and Tottenham's Juande Ramos. Keegan can't hold a candle to any of them.

"We cannot possibly understand the fabled north-east football mentality", we're told as outsiders.

It's that mentality which propels Kevin Keegan to its summit as some sort of messiah. A romantic figure, a Pied Piper leading Newcastle to Wembley wins and open-top bus celebrations around Sid James' Park.

WAKE UP!! If Newcastle played Blyth Spartans, Hartlepool(s) and Darlington every week, the north-east mentality would be all that was required. But Newcastle doesn't operate in isolation.

In fact, the fabled north-east mentality comes off the rails every time its pitted against the north-west mentality; clubs from there win big pots every year - and have done so for 50 years.

Keegan was never the man to lead Newcastle out of the mire. Even with a supportive Geordie board rather than Ashley, he'd have found a way to quit.

Not that Ashley's any better. He's even worse to be honest; he has a track record of division and riding roughshod over anyone in his way.

Newcastle need a strong man the fans recognise and who they'd get behind - BUT someone without the baggage of a triumphant return. Someone to wipe the slate clean, to look to the future not the past. To really be in charge without board or middle-management interference.

Jose Mourinho, Martin O'Neill and Fabio Capello fit the bill. They're not available and would never be under the current circumstances. Who'd work for Ashley? The severance clause would be the most important part of the contract!

Keegan's Long Walkout of Fiefdom is hardly going to encourage a top coach to replace him. It might even leave Dennis Wise in the boxseat for the hotseat.

Still, as indigestible as that might be to every Toon fan, at least it would simplify the lousiest management structure in the Premier League.

And until they sort that out, there's no future for Newcastle United at all.