Chelsea's Terry: Beckham can have England captaincy

Chelsea captain John Terry says he'd have no problem handing Real Madrid's David Beckham the England captaincy for his 100th international.
Beckham won his 94th cap in the World Cup quarter-final defeat to Portugal last summer but has had to wait 11 months to add to that tally after being overlooked by new England manager Steve McClaren.

Now he is back in the fold for the games with Brazil and Estonia and, if he stays involved, could reach the century mark in the return with the Estonians in the autumn.

Terry believes the former Manchester United player deserves his recall and has revealed the support he has received from Beckham since being made skipper by McClaren.

The Chelsea star said: "Becks fully deserves his recall. We've all been watching him. He has been in great form, supplying great crosses and his work-rate is fantastic and it's really great to have him back.

"Maybe that has given belief to other people who have not really been involved since Steve McClaren took over, that there is a chance and there is maybe a new era and there are chances for everyone.

"Becks can give us great things and he will do that. It is great to have him back and we all feel that. We were having lunch and Becks walked in and I shook his hand and I said 'it's great to see you back'.

"I don't watch much Spanish football but since he's been back, he's made me want to watch Spanish football because of how well he has been playing.

"I would love to see Becks get his 100 caps for England. I know what that would mean to him. Would I give him the captaincy for the game if he got to 100 caps? Yes I would."

Terry added: "Do I feel intimidated by David Beckham? Not at all. Since I got the captaincy, I've had one phone call a week from Becks wishing me good luck and saying 'I'm always here if you need me'.

"That is big of him and I can't speak highly enough of him. He has been fantastic since I was given the captaincy. He has not pestered me but he has always said 'I'm here if you need me'.

"To have that from such a great man and such a great player is unbelievable. If things were going wrong, I would not hesitate to ask his advice."

Players focused on saving McClaren’s job, says Terry

LONDON: England captain John Terry said yesterday that he and his fellow international players will do everything they can to save under-fire boss Steve McClaren’s job.

Terry and Co play a tune-up friendly against Brazil tomorrow in the first international at the new Wembley.

But the Chelsea captain is focused on the match that counts in midweek.

Terry is pleased to have David Beckham - the player he replaced as skipper after the World Cup last summer – back in the squad.

“We are fully behind the manager and we are going to do our best to keep him in his job.

“Will there be a question mark over him if England lose? Possibly. But we are not thinking like that.

“We are thinking positively. We need to go there and get a win. It is as simple as that. We need to go there and perform.

Ranieri Targets "Chelsea Miracle"

Ranieri is set to move to Manchester City if the proposed takeover goes ahead, and is looking forward to the challenge.

"The Manchester City challenge reminds me of the experience I had at Chelsea where without spending £1, we built a good team," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"It was an achievement that convinced Abramovich to buy the club.

"I created the Chelsea miracle from nothing. Then, mountains of money came as well as a selection of top players.

"Why England again? Because at this time, English football is a fascinating window that hypnotises you.

"Here, there are so many champions, seven or eight teams at the top level just as Italy had some time ago.

"Unfortunately for us, Italian football, we are poorer, despite Milan's extraordinary victory in the Champions League.

"To return to England means being at the centre of something important.

"The idea is to face Manchester United as soon as possible, and be at the same level as them in the standings."

That might take some doing, but then again, you won't hit the top of the trees unless you aim for the sky!



Ranieri wants Chelsea miracle at City

Former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri believes he can recreate another "miracle" if he is given the vacant post at Manchester City.

Ranieri has been offered a contract extension by Italian side Parma, after steering them to safety in Serie A.

However, the 55-year-old is reported to have scheduled talks with Parma for Friday - and appears to have made up his mind that he will replace the sacked Stuart Pearce at City.

Ranieri was spotted in London this week, and despite claiming it was for personal reasons the Italian is rumoured to have held talks with the consortium trying to buy City.

He said in an interview with Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport: "The Manchester City challenge reminds me of the experience I had at Chelsea where without spending one pound we built a good team.

"It was an achievement that convinced (Roman) Abramovich to buy the club. I created the Chelsea miracle from nothing. Then, mountains of money came as well as a selection of top players."

Ranieri spent plenty of Abramovich's money once the takeover had been completed but prior to that there were some funds available under the previous ownership, most noticeably the purchase of Frank Lampard for 11 million pounds (22 million dollars).

However, the Italian also oversaw the sale of several high-profile players.

The Rome-born coach guided Chelsea into the Champions League semi-finals and also a runners-up finish in the Premiership before Abramovich appointed Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2004.

Ranieri has been counting the days for his return to the Premiership ever since.

"Why England again? Because at this time, English football is a fascinating window that hypnotises you," he said.

"Some of the richest men in the world would do ridiculous things in order to buy an English club because the Premier League has become a luxury stage.

"Here (in England), there are so many champions, seven or eight teams at the top level just as Italy had some time ago.

"Unfortunately for us, Italian football, we are poorer, despite Milan's extraordinary victory in the Champions League.

"To return to England means to be at the centre of something important."

Ranieri is so optimistic about what he can achieve at Manchester City that he believes they can challenge bitter rivals Manchester United.

"The idea is to face Manchester United as soon as possible and be at the same level as them in the standings," he said.

"With Manchester City, I hope to complete every stage. This time, I have been chosen whereas before, Abramovich found me at the club."

Chelsea boss Mourinho: I'm no longer the best

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho accepts he is no longer the best coach in the world.

He said: "I don't think I am the greatest coach of this generation. But I belong to an elite group of young coaches who have chalked up important successes and made a huge impact.

"The elite group are Rafa Benitez, Frank Rijkaard and Carlo Ancelotti and we are sharing the best trophies in Europe among us.

"There are others I would not like to mention and I don't think I am the best. But I want to stay in the group. I want to stay among the top."

Mourinho has a star-studded squad. But while some of his big-money buys, such as £24million midfielder Michael Essien, have been worth every penny, not all have lived up to expectations - like £30m flop Andriy Shevchenko.

The Blues' chief declared: "When I pick players to play, I don't think about the money we spent to get his signature.

"What I think about is the contribution the player has made during training.

"I pick those who have shown more quality and ambition. I don't care if the player is a £10 player or £10million player.

"I have no regrets in buying Essien at a high price. Michael is a high-performance player, who will perform consistently for 10 consecutive months.

"He adapts to many positions in the team, which makes him a very special player."

Milan ready to rescue Sheva from Chelsea hell

AC Milan are ready to bring Andrei Shevchenko back from Chelsea Football Club.

The Ukrainian international striker has been a huge disappointment following his £30million move from the San Siro to Stamford Bridge, casting doubts over his long-term future.

Milan have almost constantly been linked with bringing him back to Italy, and vice-president Adriano Galliani told the Daily Star: "With the right conditions, as we have said for weeks, we are ready to buy him back.”

AC Milan are ready to re-sign Andrei Shevchenko from Chelsea.

Vice-president Adriano Galliani told the Daily Star: “We are ready to buy him back.”

McClaren backs Gerrard and Lampard

Under-pressure England coach Steve McClaren has backed Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to prove their doubters wrong and finally impress in central midfield together.

Liverpool skipper Gerrard and Chelsea lynchpin Lampard have never fully convinced when playing in tandem in the middle of the park, with both players used to operating with a defensively-minded anchorman at club level.

With former Three Lions captain David Beckham recalled to McClaren's squad for England's upcoming double header and Manchester United-bound Owen Hargreaves injured, McClaren is set to play Gerrard and Lampard together for the first time during his international managerial career.

The coach had previously avoided the issue by playing Gerrard on the right wing.

"Quite a while ago, I looked at the games Frank and Steven had played together over the previous two years," McClaren explained.

"They had played ten games together in the centre of midfield in qualifiers and tournaments. We won seven, drew two and lost one.

"That is not a bad record and I believe it proves they can play together."

England play Brazil in a glamour tie at the new Wembley Stadium this Friday, followed by a must-win Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia the next week.

McClaren's predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson persisted with Gerrard and Lampard in central midfield, favouring Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole and Beckham on the flanks.

This is likely to be the same midfield McClaren opts for against Brazil, prompting criticism that the manager is already fresh out of new ideas just nine games into the job.

England are currently fourth in Euro 2008 qualifying group E, trailing Croatia, Russia and Israel.

McClaren has faith in in Lampard-Gerrard axis

Steve McClaren is adamant Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard can forge an effective central midfield partnership for England - and he has the statistics to prove it.

The return of forgotten man David Beckham to the international fold signals the end of McClaren's experiment with Gerrard in the right-sided role.


Gerrard's flexibility was one of the reasons the England coach felt he could cope without the man who was so integral to the work of predecessor Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Now, with his side hitting the point of no return in their bid to reach Euro 2008, McClaren has abandoned the plan, bringing back Beckham and restoring Gerrard into his favoured central slot.

Yet that move has only re-opened the old debate surrounding the effectiveness of Lampard and Gerrard in the same midfield pairing.

In the past it has been suggested the pair inhibit each other, with neither man reaching anywhere close to the heights they hit so often at club level.

But McClaren has done some research. And he feels there is no reason to believe England cannot succeed with Lampard and Gerrard in the engine room.

'Quite a while ago, I looked at the games Frank and Steven had played together over the previous two years,' revealed McClaren.

'They had played 10 games together in the centre of midfield in qualifiers and tournaments. We won seven, drew two and lost one.

'That is not a bad record and I believe it proves they can play together.'

There are plenty of people who felt Gerrard should never have been shunted out of position in the first place.

While insisting he was happy to play anywhere for his country, the Liverpool skipper has never made any secret of his desire to operate in the middle.

And his inspirational display in the absence of Lampard during March's Euro 2008 qualifier with the part-timers of Andorra in Barcelona, which appeared destined to end in humiliation at the interval, finally convinced McClaren to make the change permanent.

'Steven can play on the right-hand side,' he said.

'He has done that for Liverpool, scored goals and given big performances.

'But, especially in the second half against Andorra, it seemed Steven had a point to prove about playing in the middle, and he proved it.

'He was our inspiration that night and he inspired from the centre of the field which is a strength with him.