John Terry to captain Chelsea for 500th time against Crystal Palace on Saturday
John Terry is due to captain Chelsea from the start for the 500th occasion tomorrow.
John Terry will be the only Chelsea player to reach this landmark and wearing the armband for the 500th time is no mean feat considering the status of some teammates he has captained – Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech among others.
John Terry will be the only Chelsea player to reach this landmark and wearing the armband for the 500th time is no mean feat considering the status of some teammates he has captained – Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech among others.
Terry made his Chelsea debut on 28 October 1998 as a late substitute in a League Cup tie with Aston Villa; his first start came later that season in an FA Cup third round match, a 2–0 win over Oldham Athletic. He spent a brief period on loan with Nottingham Forest in 2000 to build up his first team experience and was the subject of interest from both Forest manager David Platt and Huddersfield Town manager Steve Bruce.
In 2002 Terry was involved in an altercation with a bouncer at a West London nightclub with Chelsea team mate Jody Morris and Wimbledon's Des Byrne, which led to him being charged with assault and affray. In August 2002 Terry was acquitted of the charges in court. During the affair, he was given a temporary ban from the England national side by the FA. Previously, along with Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Eiður Guðjohnsen and former team-mate Frank Sinclair, in September 2001 Terry was fined two weeks wages by Chelsea after drunkenly harassing grieving American tourists in the immediate aftermath of the 11 September attacks. During his early days at Chelsea, Terry shared a flat with Andrew Crofts.
Terry began to establish himself in the Chelsea first team from the 2000–01 season, making 23 starts, and was voted the club's player of the year. He continued his progress during 2001–02, becoming a regular in the defence alongside club captain and French international Marcel Desailly. On 5 December 2001 he captained Chelsea for the first time, in a League match against Charlton Athletic. Chelsea reached the FA Cup final, following wins against London rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth and six rounds respectively, and Fulham
in the semi-final – where Terry scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory. A
virus denied Terry a place in the starting line-up for the final, although he came on as a second-half substitute as Chelsea lost 2–0 to Arsenal. In season 2003–04, his performances led to him being handed the captain's armband by manager Claudio Ranieri,
when Desailly was out of the side. He played well in the absence of the
French international, forming a strong defensive partnership with William Gallas.
On 13 September 2008, Terry received the first straight red card of his career against Manchester City for rugby-tackling Jô. However, this was later rescinded on appeal. Despite being a defender, he occasionally scores important goals for Chelsea, such as in the Champions League Group A home game against A.S. Roma in the 2008–2009 season. However, Chelsea went on to lose the away leg 3–1.
In 2002 Terry was involved in an altercation with a bouncer at a West London nightclub with Chelsea team mate Jody Morris and Wimbledon's Des Byrne, which led to him being charged with assault and affray. In August 2002 Terry was acquitted of the charges in court. During the affair, he was given a temporary ban from the England national side by the FA. Previously, along with Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Eiður Guðjohnsen and former team-mate Frank Sinclair, in September 2001 Terry was fined two weeks wages by Chelsea after drunkenly harassing grieving American tourists in the immediate aftermath of the 11 September attacks. During his early days at Chelsea, Terry shared a flat with Andrew Crofts.
On 13 September 2008, Terry received the first straight red card of his career against Manchester City for rugby-tackling Jô. However, this was later rescinded on appeal. Despite being a defender, he occasionally scores important goals for Chelsea, such as in the Champions League Group A home game against A.S. Roma in the 2008–2009 season. However, Chelsea went on to lose the away leg 3–1.
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