John Terry, the current Aston Villa assistant and former Chelsea and England defender is one of the latest names to be linked with the Derby County managers job. Just what would JT bring to Pride Park and what has he brought to Villa Park? We spoke with Luke Hatfield, digital sports journalist for the Express and Star and Shopshire Star to find out all about him!
Does the link of John Terry to the Derby job have validity or is it just paper talk?
It strikes me as a bit of paper talk if I'm being honest, but I wouldn't hesitate in saying that JT would probably be up for doing the job if given the opportunity. He's long expressed a desire to become a manager in his own right having cut his teeth at Villa Park.
He's developed as a coach with the club and you imagine that sooner or later he'll want to fly the coop. I'm not sure Derby is the ideal starting place for him though given their current league position.
What has John Terry brought to Aston Villa?
Well, primarily he brought a vastly respected figure on the pitch - with a natural move from playing with Villa in his twilight years to coaching.
He obviously has countless amounts of defensive knowledge that he can hand to players, as well as being well liked among the playing squad judging from interactions on social media and such.
He seems to be the assistant to Dean Smith who does a lot of the defensive work, as you might expect. He's obviously a big name too, although having a big name doesn't exactly bring coaching ability. But he's shown he's got ability on the training pitch in the way he's played a role in getting Villa promoted and improving year on year.
What is John Terry's current role at Villa?
Terry is currently one of Dean Smith's assistant coaches. His focus appears to favour the defensive side of the game, which he obviously has plenty of knowledge within.
Has he been actively seeking a managerial role?
I think the overall assumption is that JT was happy cutting his teeth in coaching with Villa alongside Dean Smith, with an eventual view to making a move out on his own sooner or later.
The right role will be crucial for him. He has plenty of contacts in the game, so he could be a real asset to the right club, although he's obviously a bit of a risk having never properly managed a side before now. But in a world where fellow former players like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are doing well, he looks like the next big name to get a crack at management.
Is he well thought of at Villa among the coaching staff and board? What about the players?
I think the one thing you can certainly say for JT is that he's massively respected by the players and coaches at Villa Park.
Obviously this has a bit to do with his playing career, but that shine wouldn't last long if he wasn't doing the job properly now.
Smith and the players have always been very complimentary of JT and his work. He often shares images on social media of him putting work in behind the scenes to prepare Villa for their upcoming fixtures and it comes across as though he's not just riding the coattails of a glittering playing career.
He's willing to put the work in, and that will always be appreciated by players and fellow coaches alike.
JT has a long history within the English game both inside and outside playing. How is he viewed by fans outside of being a football coach?
Obviously fans of football all have their opinions on Terry outside of playing and coaching. At Chelsea he's a club legend, and after joining Villa the fans here embraced him because of his leadership abilities on the pitch.
I would personally say that you shouldn't judge someone's ability to coach or play the game purely via things that happen away from football. Fans can have their own individual takes on JohnTerry the man separately to John Terry the coach.
It seems from the outside looking in that he's been sitting back more this season as Dean Smith consults other coaches during matches? Why is this? It is just a slight change of role for him?
I think it's the natural position of an assistant if I'm being honest. Terry might not be the man cameras pan to when Villa are clicking or struggling, but away from the cameras you can often see him providing players with individual tips mid-game.
He's more than willing to mix it up with opposition backroom staff too, he picked up a yellow card during the game with West Ham the other day for example.
Smith obviously rates him as an assistant, you can regularly spot him alongside the other assistants discussing the game and how to make changes to improve the performance on the pitch.
If he was to become Derby manager, it would be Terry's first job in management. How would he set up team? What style would they play?
Good question, and one I don't think anyone but Terry knows the answer to.
We've not seen JT as a manager yet, so it's very hard to say how he'd set a team up.
It's easy to go down the stereotypical route and say he'd set the team up to be hard to beat purely because he's one of England's greatest centre backs in recent history, but ultimately you'd only find out how he'd set a team up when he gets a crack at management.
Derby are close to a takeover, however they are also close to Financial Fair Play rules. Would Terry be looking to spend big money or use his contacts to grab loans?
That's another one which would be tough to answer right now.
JT obviously has plenty of contacts at Chelsea, but also across the Premier League and now with Villa. If he did get the Derby job, or a job elsewhere, you'd imagine he'd utilise those contacts all he could.
In terms of money he'd spend, that all comes down to the new owners and if there's a director of football in place, really.
Do you think he has what it takes to go from a coach to a manager? Can he be a successful manager?
He's definitely got the personality for it. He's obviously been in the limelight all of his professional life and he's done the odd bit of media work with Villa to show he's ready to face the cameras in that respect.
One thing I respect about him is that he's been willing to work behind the scenes before going for a full managerial role off the bat.
I do think that sometimes big names are thrown into big jobs purely because of who they are, not because of what they've done in coaching.
Ultimately, JT is a coach who has been part of a team that's gained promotion, survived relegation and now look like being a solid Premier League club judging from the start to this season.
Time will tell if he can handle a managerial job though.
Derby are currently bottom of the Championship. Do you think John Terry could save The Rams from relegation if he was given the job?
Personally I think it would be a bit of an unwise move for a man like JT to take on a job with a team rock bottom of a table. If he kept them up he'd obviously be onto a big win, but it's a real ask at the moment given their results.
The new owners would attract a manager though if they're willing to splash cash.
I couldn't be sure whether or not he could save them, purely because we don't know what kind of manager he would be. He's definitely a leader though and that would help out a fair bit.
Ultimately, as a coach he's had experience in helping guide a team to safety as he did with Villa last season. But it's a whole different kettle of fish doing that as an assistant and as a manager.
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