'Natural leader' John Terry should be appointed as Chelsea's next manager, says Jeff Stelling.
Blues skipper is the perfect candidate to fill boss' chair, says Jeff
Chelsea are looking for a new permanent manager - and the obvious choice is right under their nose.
John Terry was the reason the Blues were galvanised and unified against Napoli on Wednesday night and he could be the man to end the footballing form of Russian roulette that is the job of Chelsea boss.
A lot of people were having fun on
Twitter after the Champions League victory saying that John Terry has now played one and won one as Chelsea manager, and that he took himself off before the end of the game so he could have a look at things from the bench.
However, Terry admitted last April that he would love to manage Chelsea one day - and I see very few reasons why he couldn't take over this summer.
I know that, at 31 years of age, he is young - and, okay, Andre Villas-Boas wasn't a great advocate for youthful managers in his time at Stamford Bridge - but that's not necessarily a weakness.
Kenny Dalglish was only 34 when he became player-manager at Liverpool in the '80s, Pep Guardiola was 37 when he started to manage Barcelona, while Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez took over sides in their early 30s; there is plenty to suggest it can work at the right club.
I think Terry would have to begin as player-manager, because Chelsea can't really do without him on the pitch at the moment, but it's a role I think he could succeed in.
He obviously has authority, and the ear of the squad, whether that be the experienced internationals or the junior stars at the club.
He knows Chelsea's heritage having been there so long and I'm sure he'd have the backing of the owner, Roman Abramovich, with whom he is on first-name terms.
Expectations
I know Terry is not everyone's favourite and I know he rubs some people up the wrong way, but because of who he is, the epitome of Chelsea, there is a likelihood that he would be given something that few Blues managers are afforded - time.
With what's happened in the Premier League this season, expectations have been lowered. If he took over before the next campaign, he wouldn't be expected to go out and win the league at the first attempt, which is what was anticipated under Carlo Ancelotti and Villas-Boas.
He's a natural leader, as we've seen when he has dished out team talks before, during and after games, as well as in his exploits with England. That is precisely what Chelsea need and precisely what they didn't get from Villas-Boas.
Terry would also be strong enough to say to the elder statesmen in the squad, the players that have been his team-mates for the best part of a decade, when they were no longer required - even though the performances of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard against Napoli suggested that day could still be a long way off.
At the same time, there is no reason to suggest that Terry wouldn't be a technically-astute coach. He has enough footballing knowledge, if not the coaching badges, and I'm sure he has plenty of tactical nous.
Terry would need an experienced right-hand man, in the way 31-year-old MK Dons manager Karl Robinson has the much-travelled John Gorman as his number two. Ray Wilkins, Gianfranco Zola or perhaps, Gianluca Vialli, would be very popular assistant bosses and have the experience that Terry could lean on.
Chelsea fans have been crying out for some stability and I think Terry could be the figure to give them that, and although he won't admit it openly, deep down Terry is probably thinking the same thing.
Seemingly impossible
David Moyes had a burgeoning reputation when moved from Preston to Everton in 2002, but the job he has done at Goodison Park deserves huge praise.
He is a three-time League Manager of the Year and has repeatedly achieved the seemingly impossible on a shoestring budget, not just by keeping the Toffees in the Premier League, but by taking them into Europe, getting them to Cup finals, and creating a side capable of beating Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham this season.
His record in the transfer market is staggering, bringing in gems like Tim Howard and Tim Cahill, Phil Neville and Phil Jagielka; he's found bargain after bargain.
The difficulty for him now is does he stick or does he twist? He's been at Everton for 10 years and everyone regards him as one of the best managers in the business.
But there will be a job at another club for him in the next year or two, a club with probably a great deal more resources than Everton; he has been frequently linked with Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson retires, while he's also been tipped to move to Tottenham if Harry Redknapp gets the England job
It will be a hard time for Moyes but if you look into his eyes you will see that he is still driven, still has that ambition, and still has that ferocious desire to win.
For that reason, and I know Evertonians will hate me for saying this, I believe he will get lured away by a club with better prospects of picking up trophies, but the Toffees will never forget what he has achieved.
Moyes would definitely do a fabulous job if he went to Chelsea - provided John Terry doesn't get named manager, of course.
