- 16/06/2025
FourFourTwo's very own Ed McCambridge has some big questions for Chelsea legend John Terry! From his time as Chelsea captain, to the transfers under Roman Abramovich, title victories with Jose Mourinho, troubles in the England team camp and dealing with his Champions League Final penalty miss, the legendary Premier League centre back tells all!
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00:00When 4-4-2 were invited to share a cab and a chinwag with a member of England's golden generation and arguably the greatest player in Chelsea's history, our answer was obvious.
00:14Isn't Frank Lampard a little bit busy with Coventry to actually do this?
00:18Thankfully they were actually talking about John Terry and of course we jumped at the chance.
00:23So come along with me Ed McCambridge as we jump in the back of this cab with the legendary Blue Skipper to talk everything from this year's Club World Cup to the ups and downs of his glittering career.
00:53It shocked football with Abramovich coming in, spending that sort of money. These superstars started arriving, Makaleli, Damian Duff, great players from the league as well, Mutu.
01:02What was it like from the inside watching that happen? Was it a little bit of you worried thinking hang on a minute or were you thinking wow this is something else?
01:10Well firstly excited, didn't really know much of Roman first of all but then you hear the reports in the papers and stuff about his wealth and what he's going to throw into the club.
01:19And then kind of you get into the training ground and we're signing these big players and then you know we're signing centre after and you're like oh I'm not too keen on this.
01:28But also it kind of pushed me to a level of going you need to get better, if you don't get better we'll sign other players and Mourinho was very direct with that with the whole group.
01:37Roman's message was very clear to the players that we want success and we want it very quickly.
01:42And he supported us incredibly well, give us a new training ground year one when Mourinho came in which really set the tone for the group.
01:49We used to train at Harleton which was port of cabins on a Wednesday afternoon, we'd get thrown out by college, you know there was no food on a Wednesday.
01:56It was really unprofessional but in terms of what he brought in and give us the foundations and the best opportunities to work from.
02:04Like the best owner in world football, stayed away, got involved when he needed to get involved but I understood that he brought in the best manager so let the best manager control the football club and Mourinho done that from top to bottom.
02:17Obviously Mourinho coming in was a real game changer for the whole Premier League, not only a brilliant manager but suave, cool, exotic. What an impact he had and what was he like with you?
02:26Well the impact he had winning the Champions League with Porto and then arrives at Chelsea and obviously everyone remembers a press conference about him being the special one.
02:34What did you think about that by the way?
02:35Well the players were then calling each other again, oh we've seen this, I think we could be in trouble here.
02:39But listen, he come and met us, we were due to go to the Euros in Portugal actually and he come to meet us at the England hotel and the aura that he had, like we're sitting there and we're like lapping it up.
02:49Everything he said, we're like, oh my god we're going to win the league. He just kept repeating, we're going to win the league next year and you boys are going to be a big part of that.
02:57I need my English players to help and support me, this is your football club. And it was a really powerful message that first meeting with him.
03:04And then when we went into the football club, yes he was demanding, he demanded a lot from the staff, from the players, but like I said before, we've never seen anyone work in the way that he worked.
03:14And the detail he gave us before Premier League games and Finals and Champions League games, honestly I've still not seen anyone work to that level still today.
03:24Those first two years in particular, the first one I think was the then record number of points, least goals conceded, it was an absolutely ridiculous first season.
03:32And then you obviously go on and defend the title. You played for a long time after that, was that the best team you think you played for in your entire career? It's got to be up there.
03:40I think so, just how solid we were as well. So he was renowned for kind of parking the bus and all of that, which wasn't really the case.
03:47I mean, he used to kind of go mad at the full backs for bombing on too much and stuff like that.
03:52But we had a really well balanced squad. And I think year two become more difficult because we had a target on our back and everyone wanted to beat us.
03:59And we felt that, you know, like you'd go away from home and teams would come at you and stuff.
04:05All of a sudden we were playing like Stoke away and they'd grow the pitch long and it was really dry on a summer's day like today.
04:11The ball moved around the pitch slowly and he always found a way just to cement a few ideas that changed the game and get us the three points at the end of it.
04:20But it got tougher. Obviously first year was very good. Second year was incredible to go again.
04:25And then we found it tough and naturally top teams bounced back.
04:28So Man United bounced back and we had to then go again as well.
04:31So not only for Chelsea, I think Roman deserves a lot of credit for what he's done for the Premier League.
04:36After getting closer and closer every year, Chelsea reached the Champions League final in 2008.
04:41Obviously it ended in a bad way for you. You missed that penalty.
04:46Our users just wanted to know how long it took for you to get over that and whether you are still over that.
04:52And it was such a traumatic moment for you.
04:54Yeah, really hard actually because firstly the Champions League is probably the hardest trophy I think to win in domestic football.
05:01So I'm still not over that today. Like I still have moments where I wake up.
05:05Not as often as I did, like when I still played, but I still wake up and like it's there, you know.
05:12And it's moments that, you know, sometimes as an ex-player you look at the trophies you've won,
05:19but also it's the ones that escape you a little bit. And it's those ones that really annoy you.
05:24So that and a few other moments in my career, but I don't think I'll ever get over it.
05:29I think it's part of the journey. And when people say that at the time, you're like,
05:32I don't want to hear that. I really don't. It's, you know, it's a difficult moment.
05:37And the worst thing for me was after that, we played, we played America at Wembley.
05:42So finished that, we have to go back. So now we're sharing the dining table and the dining room with the Man United players.
05:49And to be fair, they was all good as gold, like understood the significance of it.
05:53But then three days later, I scored from a header outside the box.
05:56And I just, that night, it really kind of hit me because it was like break up, go away for your holidays.
06:01And I was like, why can't that moment just swap with that one?
06:06You know, it rains, I slip.
06:09Yeah, it's just one of those kind of sliding door moments that you can't change, but it'll always stick with you.
06:14I'm just delighted that in 2012, we went on to win it because, you know, it's an unbelievable trophy and very difficult, like I said.
06:21Just going back to before that Champions League, when I asked you about Andre Villes-Boas.
06:25It was a little bit strange because he'd always been Jose's kind of analysis guy and data guy.
06:31And would be the guy with the laptop. And then the next thing, he's in managing the side.
06:36So for some, it was difficult to take. I can't speak for who, but I was fine with it.
06:42I judged him with how we coach and how we kind of came across.
06:46And I think as a coach, I think he was excellent.
06:48Some of the ideas he had in the way to see the game, honestly, was very, very, very good.
06:53But in terms of how we see things, like bizarre stuff like that with the plane and stuff.
06:59But I know even that I've had a bit of stick going, oh, you're upset because you're not in first class.
07:03It's not. There's a, you know, when you come through the academy and you're on the team bus with Dennis Wise,
07:09everything's a test. It's like, as soon as you sit down, make me a coffee.
07:13And they wait. They don't tell you they want free coffees.
07:16You sit down, then someone else will say, make me a coffee.
07:18And you're traveling to Manchester, a four hour journey.
07:21And all you're doing is making coffees for the players, which for me is part of the journey.
07:25I'll get up as many times as you want. It's a test. Let's get up and do it.
07:28And I think for these guys, sometimes you've got to earn it.
07:30When you cement your place in the team, that ticket or whatever that may be on the plane
07:37is rewarded for your performances and stuff.
07:40And the younger players were good as gold of it. It wasn't them that was the problem.
07:44Then he tries to kind of out the senior players as well a little bit.
07:49Like Lamps, Didier, kind of started dropping them. Ashley was the same as well.
07:54Which was a big, big call. They were our best players.
07:57I had a couple of frank conversations with him and was like, you're right about this the wrong way.
08:03Like, he went with his way and done it his way and eventually he got sacked.
08:07But as a person, he was a lovely fella. In terms of coach, I really liked his ideas.
08:13And maybe Chelsea was just too soon, too early for him.
08:16But one of those things that when you have players worth 50, 60, 70 million and they're your best players,
08:23it's a big fight to pick. And I think he picked it with the wrong guys.
08:27I want to talk to you about another manager that came in afterwards, Antonio Conte.
08:30It was the last Premier League title that you won.
08:32I wanted to ask you about the switch to the back three because obviously you were never known for searing pace,
08:36but you were a little bit older at that point as well, so I'd lost another yard probably.
08:41Do you think that back three helped you? You were brilliant again that season.
08:44No, it definitely didn't help me.
08:47In terms of, when he first covered...
08:48You're going to have extra cover though, either side, to sort of give you a...
08:51Yeah, it wasn't really like that. I felt it kind of isolated you even more, if that makes sense.
08:55Listen, I was comfortable. I read the game well. Like, people speak about my pace and stuff.
08:59Like, I'm not sure there's too many videos of me really getting opened up working in pace or being out of position and stuff.
09:05But in terms of, when Conte first came in, he sat down and was like,
09:10I want to play three at the back with all the defenders.
09:13And to be fair, we all sat down and went, oh, we don't like it.
09:16Like, just being honest, as you would with the manager.
09:19He's like, what don't you like? And we had this big debate and he was like,
09:22okay, I'm going to stick with four because we had Branagh right back.
09:26And it was one of those going, no, he stayed with us.
09:29We'd gone four at the back, three in midfield, three out front.
09:32And we played a few games and we'd been winning games, but we'd been scraping through games.
09:36Like, we won at home and against West Ham.
09:38Then we played Swansea away.
09:40And I think after about 57 minutes, I think I twisted my ankle.
09:45It was probably the best thing that happened to Chelsea Football Club that year and to Conte.
09:49Because after that, we went to three at the back.
09:51I was out for about five or six weeks.
09:54And then Antonio brought me in as I was kind of coming back to training and stuff.
09:58And he was like, this is really difficult for me.
10:01And I was like, just let me stop you.
10:03I said, like, you don't need to explain yourself to me.
10:06I'm loving what I'm seeing. The boys are unbelievable.
10:09And he was like, it's just a relief.
10:12And I didn't play. I played, like, barely any minutes.
10:17But we was absolutely superb that year.
10:19And it's down to us going to three at the back because it suited the team.
10:23He knew the formation.
10:24He was very well drilled in terms of his tactics and how he wanted to play and the players brought into it.
10:30I have to ask you about your final game as a Chelsea player.
10:34Brilliant send-off.
10:35I think it was the 26th minute, wasn't it?
10:37His shirt number, the guard of honour against Sunderland.
10:39Did you have to clear that with him? I think Moisey was a Sunderland manager.
10:42Obviously, it's a real halt in the middle of the game, isn't it?
10:44Yeah, a little bit, yeah.
10:45Obviously, what's the story there?
10:47Yeah, so I'd always known.
10:48Because we had Arsenal in the FA Cup final, I think, two weeks later.
10:53So, for me, it was like, I want to play as less minutes as possible
10:56because Gaz and David need to play and keep their kind of rhythm and stuff like that.
11:00So, okay, why don't I come off in the 26th minute, my last game?
11:04What a thing to do. Unbelievable.
11:06So, Antonio was like, mate, whatever you want to do, if you want to play the 19th, I was like, no.
11:10I spoke to Gaz and spoke to David and those guys, they were like, I'd rather play.
11:14So, Gaz was on the bench and as captain, you go in and meet the referees before the game.
11:20So, Pickford come in from Sunderland and we're in there.
11:23And I was like, guys, listen, my last day, but if it's on like 25 minutes, just literally hold the ball, go and explain to your boys that on 26th minute I'm coming off, but it has to be 26.
11:35It really, like, means a lot to me.
11:37And on 25 minutes, the ball goes back, 25-34, I think it was, goes back to Pickford.
11:43Then he kind of bounced it and pinged it out of play.
11:45And as it's gone out, 26 minutes there.
11:48But you watch the timing of it, it's 26 minutes.
11:51And it's like, sub comes, I come off to a standing ovation and the Chelsea boys obviously knew what I was doing and stuff.
11:57So, again, just a real special moment that I thought of a couple of days before that I wanted to do.
12:03JT, that was an absolute pleasure, sir.
12:05Pleasure, mate, thank you.
12:06Thank you so much.
12:07That was perfect.
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