Steve Bruce urges John Terry to be a boss not a pundit – after ex-England colleagues Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen duck dug-out for sofa
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STEVE BRUCE has urged John Terry to snub the trend among top players for picking microphones over management.
Aston Villa skipper Terry, 37, is eyeing life as a boss when he finally hangs up his boots.
Many of his former England team-mates, such as Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen, have chosen the comfort of the TV studio over the demands of the dugout.
Even fellow ‘golden generation’ member Gary Neville is back on our television screens after a failed stint as boss of Valencia.
Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are juggling analyst gigs alongside coaching work at former clubs Chelsea and Liverpool.
But Bruce is pleased Terry is looking to management.
He said: “Without question John is going to have a crack at it — and rightly so.
“Steven Gerrard has gone down that path too, which is great to see.
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“Too many of the top, top players have gone down the media path.”
JT Villa spark
STEVE BRUCE knew John Terry was a manager in the making . . . from the moment he set alarm bells ringing!
Terry, 37, arrived at Aston Villa from Chelsea on a free transfer last summer after two trophy-laden decades at Stamford Bridge.
The former England skipper — dubbed ‘Captain, Leader, Legend’ by Blues fans — has been sidelined since breaking a metatarsal on November 4.
But, despite being in new surroundings, he has remained an integral figure behind the scenes while on the recovery trail.
And Bruce has lifted the lid on the full extent of Terry’s desire to play his part — even if it means an early alarm call for other members of staff.
He said: “There’s a story that really sums him up.
“He had the physio in at 6am the week before last so he could do his rehab work in time to get on the bus with the players before they went off to play.
“His influence around the place is enormous.
“It’s the standards he sets and the way he is in himself.
“The way he conducts himself, looks after himself, what he demands. He has everyone on toast!
“It’s the first time the staff are getting Christmas presents from Harvey Nicks — it used to be Woolworth’s!
“You can see why, at 37, he still has something to offer.”
That is precisely the point the manager has made to Terry as far as his playing career is concerned.
He played every minute of Villa’s opening 16 Championship games until injury struck.
And while Bruce believes a promising path lies ahead for the next chapter of his career, he is eager for him to remain focused on the present.
He continued: “The one thing I said to him — and he was on the same page — was you are a long time retired.
“So devote yourself to playing and if I can help you with anything at all on the coaching side, then I will try.”
Bruce knows all about the options which will inevitably come Terry’s way as he approaches a career crossroads.
Having won the Premier League and FA Cup FIVE times apiece — as well as a Champions League winners’ medal — he can expect no shortage of suitors to become the latest big-name television pundit.
Bruce himself landed three Premier League and FA Cups apiece as well as the European Cup Winners’ Cup and Super Cup with Manchester United.
He would rather see England’s ‘golden generation’ swapping their microphones for management.
But he can see the appeal, having almost been tempted to the other side of the fence in 2001.
Bruce went into management instead. And FOUR Championship promotions later (two apiece with Hull and Birmingham), he has no regrets.
Bruce added: “I can understand it. I myself was very close to signing a deal at Sky.
“It was either them or go to Wigan in the second division.
“I thought management wasn’t for me after my first two jobs (at Sheffield United and Huddersfield).
“But I decided to have one more crack.
“John Benson (the general manager) and Dave Whelan (the owner) showed me what it was like to be the manager.
“That set me on my path, but I was very close to signing a deal with Sky and giving football management a miss.
“Could I have been their Gary Neville or Jamie Carragher? I don’t know! But I’m glad I did it.
“It’s a tough gig but very enjoyable — apart from a Saturday afternoon!”
So has Bruce utilised Terry’s experience with any of Villa’s youth teams?
“Not yet,” he said. “But we have had a meeting. Five or six of them have started their B Licence so we have gone to the FA to see if they can do their B Licence coaching here. I think that’s the next step.
“In terms of coaching, I think that is coming next at the turn of the year.
“But we need to get his foot ready first though.”
Whether that right foot is ready following Terry’s return to full training this week is certain to be one of the burning questions Bruce will be asking today.
If there is one player Villa look in need of right now, then it is the man the club’s social media team cheekily refer to as ‘Captain, Leader, Villan’.
Five games without a win have seen the Midlanders slip out of the play-off places.
Villa conceded just four goals in Terry’s last ten Championship games.
But since his injury, they have shipped 11 in nine matches.
And things are not likely to get any easier with a trip to the North East tomorrow to a Middlesbrough side buoyed by the arrival of new manager Tony Pulis.
Bruce said Villa have “got to be patient” with Terry and recent forecasts point towards a return against Peterborough in the FA Cup third round next week.
But Bruce needs a good result to shut up the dissenting voices which are starting to be heard around Villa Park once again.
Unlike Terry’s early wake-up calls, those alarm bells are not so welcome.