On Thursday, not long after signing his fresh, shiny one-year contract extension, John Terry was the honored guest at an evening organized by Chelsea Pitch Owners. An Audience with John Terry, as it turned out, was a night to reveal, confirm, and entertain. (And sign lots of autographs.)
Interviewed on stage by former Chelsea player turned media personality Jason Cundy, the Captain was surprisingly candid, expectedly humble, and presumably always honest. I'm going to pick and choose a few of the most interesting tidbits. For the full write-up, you should jump over to Chelsea Supporters Group. Sounds like it was a great night, and their write-up of it is equally as good.
On choosing Chelsea over Manchester United...
His father and the majority of his family were United fans ... [his father] did not take his decision well [to sign with Chelsea instead]. [...] JT remembers crying in the tunnel following the row with his father but defying him anyway and signing the papers with his mum by his side. His father is in no photos of the day and the Chelsea Captain said it was a "very quiet drive home".
On Moscow...
... the thing that keeps him awake at night is that missed penalty in Moscow. He has never got over it, never will get over it, that he still wakes up three of four times a year thinking about it.
On Scolari, Benitez, and other former managers...
He is especially honest when asked about the other managers he has seen come and go - Avram Grant did nothing, changed nothing, Scolari had arguments early on with Drogba and Lampard and lost the dressing room soon after, JT got on well with Ancelotti and Villas Boas but not so Benitez. The Chelsea Captain recalled how he knocked on the Interim Manager's office door and asked to speak to him about perhaps putting out a statement to diffuse some of the comments he had made in the past about the club and the fans - he told ex-Liverpool boss that he thought it was necessary. Benitez was furious and not only refused but took against Terry from that day onwards. The Spaniard also had a fractious relationship with the rest of the team and their was a sigh of relief when he went and joy on Jose's return.
Wow. If only we could've all been there.
Be sure to click over and read the rest of CSG's write-up. Check out @sidcelery and @TerrenceTheCat on Twitter for a few other gems from this special night as well.