Has Wayne Bridge made the right decision?

Manchester City full-back Wayne Bridge has decided to call time on his international career. He released a statement through his lawyer announcing his decision.

He stated that his reason for ending his international career was that his position in the England squad was untenable and potentially divisive.

Patriotic

The decision seems very selfless and patriotic, as he knew that his presence in the squad would cause a problem. He knows that it would be hard for himself and John Terry to be around each other for potentially a month in a foreign country.

He obviously feels that John Terry betrayed him and he would feel uncomfortable around his ex-best friend. You can’t really blame him for feeling upset. If my best friend bedded someone I still seemingly cared about, I would probably feel the same. It’s hard to know what Bridge is thinking though, as I don’t know Wayne personally.

Atmosphere

Footballers are just human beings and at the end of the day if there is a bad atmosphere in a squad they won’t be successful. You can’t afford two individuals who can’t be in the presence of each other, never mind play next to each other.

Mind

I have to say Wayne Bridge isn’t my favourite player and I’ve always found that he’s a bit defensively naive. On a pure footballing basis John Terry or Wayne Bridge is a no-brainer. Terry will always come out on top.

However John Terry really needs to get his head sorted out before the World Cup starts. His recent displays have shown that his mind isn’t completely on the game. He’s not looked the same solid defender as he has in previous seasons.

England boss Fabio Capello picks his teams on form and Terry’s has been poor in recent weeks. If he doesn’t get his head straight then he could be looking at being left out of the England side. I can’t see that happening but Capello would have to seriously look at his form ahead of the World Cup.

Options

In my mind Wayne Bridge isn’t the second best left-back in the country. Everton’s Leighton Baines and Aston Villa Stephen Warnock I believe are better defensively and just as effective going forward. Baines has been in terrific form this season and deserves his chance at international level.

The former England under-21 international is yet to appear for his country but he’s likely to get his chance in England’s friendly with Egypt next week. Capello will probably give both Baines and Warnock their chances to impress.

Stephen Warnock is a player who has impressed me ever since his days in a Liverpool shirt. He was vastly underrated at Anfield and has gone on to become a good Premier League full-back. He has also played in midfield for former club Blackburn and occasionally for Villa.

Both players are inexperienced on the international scene but train and play with international footballers from all over the world. They are also managed by two very canny managers at club level. If called upon I doubt either will disappoint and Bridge’s absence will be hardly felt.

Media

I don’t know what it is about the British media but they seem to love destroying any confidence in our national side. Just before every major tournament England are involved in, the British media dig up some dirt on one of the England squad or even the manager in Sven Goran-Eriksson’s with the whole fake Sheikh debacle.

I’m not saying that they are at fault for the alleged events that went on with John Terry. However I’m saying they could have let Terry and Bridge sort the situation out in private. As it is Terry is now experiencing major problems concentrating on his football.

It might be said that the problems are of his own making but the media didn’t have to broadcast his private life to the public. The whole situation has been blown up by the media and it’s something that should have been dealt with in private.

Unfortunately everything a footballer does is now scrutinised and in the public domain. I’m sure John Terry has now learnt from his mistakes and will be hoping to move on from the scandal. Maybe in some strange way Bridge’s retirement will help Terry gain closure on the issue.

Decision

The scandal wasn’t Bridge’s fault but I believe he’s made a decision that is the best for everybody involved, including the England squad. I think it’s time to forget about the scandal and concentrate on what’s important and that’s doing well in the World Cup.