Chelsea skipper Terry: Trio of players run the club
By Soccernet staffJanuary 12, 2010
Chelsea captain John Terry has claimed that the trio of himself, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba are bigger than any manager will ever be at Chelsea.
Terry says that all the club's success has come because of the unity inspired by himself and his two team-mates, while five managers in three seasons have come through the door.
He told the Daily Express: "It has been a test for me and not only me, but Frank and Didier too. They deserve real credit because people hear about me, but they don't tend to hear about what they do behind the scenes."
Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink have all come and gone, while Carlo Ancelotti currently holds his place in the Stamford Bridge hotseat, but Terry believes it is the players who held the club together during some difficult times.
"I can tell people that Frank and Didier are great and it is really important I have got their backing, because we have had so many managers over the last few years,'' he said.
''But it was important that not only myself, but Didier and Lamps kept everyone together and said listen, as long as we keep doing our job, the fans will be there supporting us. That is what matters, Chelsea Football Club, not the manager or the players."
Terry also talked up his own leadership abilities and claimed he gained respect from his criticising of former team-mate Gianfranco Zola during a training session.
"It is one of those things where you are born like it or not, and thankfully I was blessed with that,''he said. ''When I was younger and we played a reserve game and Franco [Zola] gave away the ball, I shouted at him. Some of the younger players were saying, 'You can't do that'. I said, 'Why not?' Luca [Vialli] came up to me after the game and said, 'That was fantastic, no one had the guts to say that and you did'."
What a guy
By Soccernet staffJanuary 12, 2010
Chelsea captain John Terry has claimed that the trio of himself, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba are bigger than any manager will ever be at Chelsea.
Terry says that all the club's success has come because of the unity inspired by himself and his two team-mates, while five managers in three seasons have come through the door.
He told the Daily Express: "It has been a test for me and not only me, but Frank and Didier too. They deserve real credit because people hear about me, but they don't tend to hear about what they do behind the scenes."
Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink have all come and gone, while Carlo Ancelotti currently holds his place in the Stamford Bridge hotseat, but Terry believes it is the players who held the club together during some difficult times.
"I can tell people that Frank and Didier are great and it is really important I have got their backing, because we have had so many managers over the last few years,'' he said.
''But it was important that not only myself, but Didier and Lamps kept everyone together and said listen, as long as we keep doing our job, the fans will be there supporting us. That is what matters, Chelsea Football Club, not the manager or the players."
Terry also talked up his own leadership abilities and claimed he gained respect from his criticising of former team-mate Gianfranco Zola during a training session.
"It is one of those things where you are born like it or not, and thankfully I was blessed with that,''he said. ''When I was younger and we played a reserve game and Franco [Zola] gave away the ball, I shouted at him. Some of the younger players were saying, 'You can't do that'. I said, 'Why not?' Luca [Vialli] came up to me after the game and said, 'That was fantastic, no one had the guts to say that and you did'."
What a guy