Terry says he´s still England´s de facto leader

John Terry may no longer be England’s captain but he still views his role in Fabio Capello’s squad as a leadership one.

Capello stripped the Chelsea defender of the captaincy in February following revelations of Terry’s alleged extra-marital affair with lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of fellow England international Wayne Bridge’s child.

The fallout from the affair involved Bridge making himself unavailable for England and Terry suffering a serious dip in form for his club which, at one point, put his status as an automatic pick for Capello under threat.

Terry’s level of performance recovered towards the end of a season in which Chelsea bounced back from the frustration of their Champions League exit at the hands of Internazionale to claim a Premier League and FA Cup double.

With Rio Ferdinand, who replaced Terry as skipper, ruled out through injury, he is expected to line up alongside Tottenham’s Ledley King against the United States here on Saturday.

And with the more introverted Steven Gerrard now wearing the armband, it seems safe to assume that much of England’s on-the-pitch direction will be coming from the centre of defence.

That was what Terry told Capello when he reluctantly accepted his decision to demote him from a role he cherished on the grounds that an England captain had to set a positive example with his conduct on and off the pitch.

“When I met the manager I stressed to him that I accepted his decision but he would continue to get exactly the same character,” he said. “I am not going to allow my head to go down and beat myself up about it. I will just continue to be the same person.

“Nothing will ever change, either at Chelsea or with England.

“I will still give my opinion and make my presence felt, both in the dressing room or on the field.

“Like every other player, I am here to win the World Cup and will do everything possible, even if it is an opinion away from football, I will say what needs to be said.”

Ferdinand, for one, expects Terry to play a pivotal role. “I don’t think JT will change the way he plays or the way he is, just because he isn’t wearing the armband,” he said. “If he did, I don’t think you’d see the same player.

“Likewise with Wazza (Wayne Rooney) – if he doesn’t show the same passion or has to hold something back, you won’t see the same player.”

One of the key tasks for England’s experienced campaigners during this tournament will be helping Wayne Rooney to keep a lid on a temper that is seen as the Manchester United forward’s Achilles heel.

Memories of 2006, when Rooney was dismissed in the quarter-final defeat by Portugal for a needless stamp on Ricardo Carvalho, have been revived by his tirade at Jeff Selogilwe, the referee who took charge of England’s final warm-up match, against Platinum Stars, on Monday.

Terry admitted he had winced a little as Rooney charged around frantically after coming on as a substitute following a first-half display that left Capello fuming.

But he does not expect England’s most important player to struggle to retain his discipline once the real action starts.

“We could have done with Wayne on the pitch in the first half giving everyone a kick up the backside,” Terry said. “I was a little bit nervous when he gave the ball away and went into the tackle but I certainly don’t think Wayne has a problem.

“From what we have seen in the last two or three years I honestly feel that he has grown up a lot.”