In a short time, Wayne Bridge will get on a bus with his Manchester City team-mates, put on his headphones, sink into a plush seat, and take a short ride from one of the numerous hotels in West London for a fairly short ride through the raucous streets on the way to Stamford Bridge. Bridge used to ply his trade for Chelsea Football Club, and he did it with honour, for the most part. He was good enough to be the starter at left back for one of the best clubs in the world for the better part of six years. He scored one of the best goals the Champions League has ever seen in a Round of Eight match against London rivals Arsenal in 2004. He got over 20 caps for England’s national side.
His best friend and the captain of Chelsea was John Terry.
By now, you all know the story of John Terry’s betrayal. There aren’t many publicized instances like this, where one team-mate has commited a grievous offense against another behind his back. These things almost never come to the light of day, as England has long had a reputation for keeping a tight reign on it’s dirty little secrets. It’s started at the very top of the food chain, the Royal Family, and the protection of the elite has been bought and paid for throughout our sordid history as a country. Now, to be sure, England also has one of the more thriving tabloid mentalities in the world, so it’s not like things have never gotten out.
The penultimate item in this story is Bridge and his current behaviour. England has a friendly match scheduled for mid-week against the once-again champions of Africa, Egypt, at Wembley Stadium. Bridge was called to be on the squad by gaffer Fabio Capello. He has since turned down the invitation, and has made it known it is due to John Terry’s lack of apology over L’affaire de Perroncel. Two other facts here that should be noted are that Bridge and Vanessa Perroncel are no longer dating, and John Terry has certainly suffered over these revelations as he’s been stripped of the somewhat prestigious honour of the England captaincy. Personally, I cannot blame Bridge in this regard. Without a direct apology, and knowing that Terry willfully and knowingly slept with someone he trusted behind his back in a truly shameful way, I would not expect Bridge to want to be a part of this sordid group.
Terry’s abilities to play the game are clear. It’s his character that will never be up to snuff. I care a great deal about the fortunes of the England team, and I have thought long and hard about whether or not John Terry even deserves to wear the shirt at this point. Sadly, injuries to a fair few of the alternatives at center back make it an imperative that he is included in the squad. It does not alter my opinion that he is a shameful, sad and pathetic character, though. For Wayne Bridge, this World Cup is probably his last real moment in the Sun as a contributor to England’s fortunes, and at this point, it appears that he is walking away from it because of this mess.
I will not be pulling for Manchester City today, nor will I support Chelsea. I will, however, be cheering for Wayne Bridge.
Today’s television and internet brodcast schedule is as follows:
7:45am- ESPN2- Chelsea vs. Manchester City [England]
9:30am- GolTV- Mainz 05 vs. Werder Bremen [Germany]
10:00am- Setanta USA- Bolton vs. Wolverhampton [England]
10:00am- FSC/FSE- Birmingham City vs. Wigan [England]
10:00am- ESPN360.com- Watford vs. Newcastle United [England]
10:00am- Setanta USA- Montpelier vs. Rennes [France]
Noon- GolTV- Getafe vs. Real Zaragoza [Spain]
Noon- Setanta USA- Burnley vs. Portsmouth (Delayed) [England]
12:15pm- FSC/FSE- Stoke City vs. Arsenal [England]
12:25pm-ESPN Deportes- Bayer Leverkusen vs. FC Cologne [Germany]
1:00pm- Setanta USA- Lyon vs. Nice [France]
1:45pm- ESPN360.com- PSV Eindhoven vs. Waalwijk [Netherlands]
1:45pm- Setanta USA- Bolton vs. Wolves (Delayed) [England]
2:00pm- GolTV- Tenerife vs. Real Madrid [Spain]
2:45pm- FSC/FSE- Lazio vs. Fiorentina [Italy]
3:00pm- Fox Sports Espanol- Independiente vs. Racing Club [Argentina]
4:00pm- ESPN Deportes/ESPN360.com- Barcelona vs. Malaga [Spain]
4:00pm- GolTV- River Plate vs. Penarol [Uruguay]
5:00pm- FSC- Catania vs. AS Bari (Delayed) [Italy]
6:00pm- FSE- Cruz Azul vs. Atlas [Mexico]
6:00pm- Telefutura- Queretaro vs. Santos Laguna [Mexico]
6:00pm- GolTV- Cucuta vs. Nacional [Colombia]
8:00pm- Telemundo- Chivas Guadalajara vs. San Luis [Mexico]
8:00pm- Telefutura- Pachuca vs. Pumas UNAM [Mexico]
8:00pm- Mun2- Tigres UANL vs. Morelia [Mexico]
8:00pm- FSE- Catania vs. AS Bari (Delayed) [Italy]
8:00pm- Azteca America- Cruz Azul vs. Atlas (Delayed) [Mexico]
10:00pm- Telemundo- Atlante vs. Monterrey [Mexico]
As a refresher, if you’re just finding us, we’re on twitter as @mhaaskivi, @2yellows and @avoidingthedrop (we can’t seem to talk Fuse into it), and so you can find us there and here in comments during the matches. Enjoy your Saturday.
I saw Wayne Bridge/
the other night/
He said there’s a guy who makes him play like Shite/
So I asked/
Who is he?/
He goes by the name of John Terry
Hilariously awkward photo. Terry has zero character, but is a world class defender. That’s all I need out of a player. He no longer has the moral authority to wear the armband, though.
No handshake, for those keeping score.
Not normally a Bellamy fan, but that post-game interview re: JT is a +1000
March 1st: Setanta switches over to FSC Plus for Fios customers with a Setanta subscription. The switch will happen automatically. No change in cost . HD? Who the eff knows. I’ll let you all know on Monday.
My two cents on the JT/Bridge situation: Bridge should have kicked Terry in the balls on the field. In front of all the Chelsea fans. He deserved it. Bridge was classy though. You can’t blame him for not shaking John’s hand. As for the Chelsea fans booing Wayne at every touch, it’s shocking and completely uncalled for. I feel bad for him. He deserved better support than that, especially after playing for Chelsea.
As for John keeping the Chelsea armband, he’s done right by the club for a long time on the field. I think that’s what counts, but there comes a time when enough is enough. He’s embarrassed the club time and time again. I think Lamps should wear it honestly, but I don’t think it’ll happen.
update on FSC Plus – no HD on any carrier to start
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/wires/02/26/2050.ap.soc.fox.soccer.plus.1st.ld.writethru.0241/index.html
RCFC 1
Partick Thistle 2
(choke)