John Terry will find a way to get himself in the picture All this does not add up to the most impressive of CVs. Nothing malicious, perhaps. But they are the kind of misdemeanours which paint the perpetrator as gobby, arrogant, self-satisfied. Not a criminal, for sure, he nonetheless provided endless ammunition for those who accuse footballers of living well beyond the moral pale. And yet this is the same person who, throughout his career, managers have swooned over. Every coach he has played for has loved what Terry brings to a team. Jose Mourinho adored him. Carlo Ancelotti was desperate to take him to Paris St-Germain. Fabio Capello even resigned from the England management when the FA removed the captaincy from him for the second time. Though they were substantial, it was not just because of his blocks, tackles and headers that he was so admired. It was because of what he brought to the dressing room. When he arrived at the FA, Capello was appalled to discover how many England players shrink when they pull on the white shirt. As the banner at Stamford Bridge puts it: 'JT - captain, leader, legend. Never mind that the package came wrapped in a suffocating sense of superiority, it was one every manager recognises as essential. That was why Capello so urgently wanted him: Terry gave the others a lesson in resolve, a lesson the coach hoped would prove infectious. In a sense, the warrior mentality of JT is entirely consistent with the less savoury elements of John Terry. Off the pitch as much as on it Terry does not suffer from self-doubt. Whatever he does he is certain he is in the right. No matter how imbecilic his behaviour, there is not a crack in his steel-like faith in himself. And England will now find it hard to replace that absolute certainty. Chelsea too, will be without his four-square presence for the next four domestic matches should he lose his appeal. Though this being John Terry, he might be banned, but you suspect he'll find a way to get himself in the picture. War of words The key exchange between Anton Ferdinand and John Terry in October 2011, as recalled by Ferdinand in evidence: I was annoyed because [Terry] was trying to get a penalty. I turned and said, "Get up, you're bigger than me." He ran at me and barged me. I think it was into my back. I turned around and ran at him and barged him back. [Then] he called me, excuse my language, a c---. I called him a c--- back and he gave me a gesture as if to say my breath smelled. "I said to him, "How can you call me a c---, you shagged your team-mate's missus, you're the c---."" What exactly was said next is a subject of dispute but Terry does not deny saying the following words: "f--- off, f--- off, f------ black c---, f------ knobhead." Terry insists he only used the phrase "f------ black c---" in the context of a denial and he had not said it in an abusive or insulting way.