Ray Parlour’s memorable goal earned FA Cup final glory 15 years ago yet served as a prelude to an era of Roman Abramovich-backed Chelsea dominanceWinding the clock back to 2002, the last time Arsenal and Chelsea contested the FA Cup final, one of the telling moments took place at the end. Tony Adams, in what would be his final appearance before retirement, sought out a young John Terry, who had come on as a substitute, to offer some words of consolation. He recalls the exchange in his new book, Sober, as “saying that his time would come but this was ours”. He was right on both counts.It is only with hindsight that the dividing line around that time in terms...
Terry’s carefully choreographed substitution in his final Chelsea appearance at Stamford Bridge has divided opinion. Here we present two contrasting viewsThe John Terry farrago in a word: mawkish. Related: Premier League 2016-17 season review: our writers’ best and worst Related: Liverpool claim Champions League spot as Terry bows out – Football Weekly Continue reading...
Chelsea’s captain has been little more than a motivational henchman this season but Stamford Bridge rose to honour a club legend for perhaps the final time“It’s not going to be a fairytale ending,” John Terry had sighed shortly after announcing his own premature Chelsea exit in January last year. And yet here we were all the same 16 months later. With the league title already in the bag this messy, fun 4-3 win against a feisty Watford provided Chelsea’s departing captain with a farewell that had its own elements of dreamily staged celebration. Related: John Terry makes his mark in last-gasp Chelsea win over battling Watford Related: John Terry: I may retire from football after final game for Chelsea Continue...
John Terry will miss Saturday’s trip to Manchester City and for the first time in the Abramovich era his absence is not, for Chelsea, a source of fretful speculationA man from the Daily Telegraph once told me an interesting story about John Terry, Fabio Capello and one of those informal chit-chats England managers like to have with journalists. This one took place a few years back, when Terry was having one of those off periods when he seems to be slightly falling to pieces, panels flapping, hinges rusting, grabbing at the passing shirts like a man groping for the light switch in the dark.Someone asked why Capello kept picking Terry when his form was poor. The answer was simple. Yes,...