Neil Warnock makes his point with characteristic bluntness. “I just think John Terry has gone completely out of fashion,” the Cardiff City manager says. “There are not many leaders like John any more or, to give another example, Wayne Rooney.
“We’ve always said Rooney is the type of footballer who would take his shirt and jumper off in the park and put them down as goalposts. John is like that, too. He’s got an effervescence about the game and it’s only when you play against him that you realise what a colossus he is. I wish I could have signed him this summer.”
“John will also face players that will raise their games against him. I remember when I was a young kid at Forest and I played against Andy Cole when he was at Fulham. That sort of thing is a dream, coming up against players you’ve watched on Match of the Day. You want to test yourself against the best and everyone is going to want to impress against John.”
What has Terry got himself into? He could have signed up for an easier swansong in China or the United States or he could have put his feet up and retired. Instead, he has chosen to attack the remorseless 46-game Championship programme and a division that, by dint of its openness and the size of the rewards on offer for promotion, is often viewed as the most competitive in Europe. A penny for his thoughts at various away grounds would be worth the investment. Villa go to Millwall on the final day.
Warnock describes the Championship season as a relentless slog because of the
Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday schedule and he makes the point that the travelling is a lot more severe than in the Premier League. Dawson adds: “When you have a week off, you don’t know what to do with yourself. It is a lot more physical on your body, so that will certainly be a big ask for John.”
Terry wants to get into management, too – in the fullness of time – and his experiences at Villa will accelerate the learning curve. For now, though, his old-school leadership will find its purpose in a playing role. He intends to prove it can still be on-trend.