John Terry won't talk to..

[owenthomas]

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ENGLAND skipper John Terry is boycot ting the BBC because of reporter Garth Crooks. FA chiefs wanted Terry to give a one-to-one interview with the Beeb for last Saturday's Football Focus.

 

But while the Chelsea captain point-blank refused to talk to Crooks, he will give Sky Sports an exclusive interview today ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifier in Macedonia. Terry's gripe with the former Spurs striker emerged after Crooks asked for an interview before last month's friendly with Greece at Old Trafford - the defender's first game as England skipper.

 

Terry turned down the request because he felt that had he agreed to speak to Crooks and the BBC, he would be honour-bound to give the same access to all England broadcasters. But he was infuriated when, 24 hours before the clash with Greece, Crooks ambushed him at the FA news conference by asking if he was "up to the media requirements" of leading his country.

 

Terry has had previous grievances with Crooks, one involving an England interview when he was suddenly quizzed over his then teammate Adrian Mutu's drugs ban, and believed the latest incident was one cheap shot too many.

 

When the FA urged Terry to speak to Crooks in the run-up to Saturday's win over Andorra, it was made clear there would be no interview unless the questions were asked by somebody else. Terry was happy to chat to Ray Stubbs, but with the BBC unwilling to back down, the Football Focus slot was filled by Owen Hargreaves. Efforts by the FA to mediate failed and the BBC hierarchy will be outraged when Terry gives access to Sky, the "host broadcasters" for tomorrow's game in Skopje.

 

A BBC source said: "It's all becoming a bit of a headache for us. We can't back down or be dictated to, but John Terry is equally firm over it. "Hopefully it can eventually be resolved but there is no sign of that happening at the moment."

 

Terry's England deputy, Steven Gerrard, will join the 50-cap club tomorrow. And the England vice captain has been hailed as one of the country's greatest players of all time.

 

England and Liverpool team-mate Peter Crouch said: "For me, Steven Gerrard has been the best player in the world for a long time. I thought he was good when I first went to Liverpool but he's even better when you see him in training every day. He can do anything and can play in any position on the pitch. He can pass, tackle, he can score. So in that sense it's a pleasure to play with him. The manager at Liverpool will tell him he can get better and if he can keep on improving it's going to be a frightening sight. He helped me settle in from the start."

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when i heard the 'Terry wont talk to Crooks' headline read out on the radio this morning i thought i might read "cos he bores the living daylights out of me!" but no..

[hideNseek]

Crooks does come across as a tool.

[Stevie H]

aww bless. footballer ambushed by spontaneous question from journalist shock. they really are the most molly-coddled people on earth aren't they?

[Bigal]

think all footballers should feel very strongly about this and refuse to speak to garth crooks, and then the c*** wont be on the telly anymore!

[Kahnee]

Fair play to the Beeb for not backing down, even if Crooks has the interviewing technique of drowned beaver

[Bald Devil]

aww bless. footballer ambushed by spontaneous question from journalist shock. they really are the most molly-coddled people on earth aren't they?

 

Garth's not a journalist. He's an ex-player. But the proper journalists never ask tough questions either. I'd love to go to a press conference with Moyes or Mourinho.

[John am Rhein]

Journalists should simply be punched repeatedly in the face.

[Des]

Garth's not a journalist.

 

Well that's definitely true.

[Gravy]

He's the England Captain. He should speak to whoever he's told to. It's part of the job.

[Gilps]

He's the England Captain. He should speak to whoever he's told to. It's part of the job.

 

Perhaps just as well Gerrard didn't get the job then. Being asked to do a one to one with certain newspapers could've been termed 'part of the job'.

[Kahnee]

Journalists should simply be punched repeatedly in the face.

 

[Gilps]

 

certainly makes the argument more compelling.

[Guest ritchie_50]

I'm surprised Neville hasn't threatened a strike over this.

[John am Rhein]

 

Journalist punch thyself!

 

He's the England Captain. He should speak to whoever he's told to. It's part of the job.

 

It is indeed.

 

But it shouldn't be.

[Stevie H]

Firstly, Crooks is indeed a tool of the highest order.

 

However, you have to give crooks some credit for asking the qustion he did in the press conference. Terry's reasoning for declining the interview prior to greece game sounds flawed to say the least. I really don't see that the England captain should be declining an interview with the BBC on the grounds of it could lead to excessive demands from other quarters. Sounds like a cop out to me, and just a way of avoiding someone he doesn't like.

 

Surely he and the FA are able to work out a fair system of giving all interested broadcasters reasonable access.

 

Despite my general loathing for Crooks, I like his style in this instance. Terry should be capable of rising above this.

 

of course he should, it's pathetic. they're all media trained nowadays, so in response to crooks' question terry should've just said 'i don't know garth, are you sure you're up to the demands of being a journalist?'. question answered, situation defused, crooks made to look a plum as usual. it's all a bit precious and might even have the chelsea influence behind it.

[cymrococh]

of course he should, it's pathetic. they're all media trained nowadays, so in response to crooks' question terry should've just said 'i don't know garth, are you sure you're up to the demands of being a journalist?'. question answered, situation defused, crooks made to look a plum as usual. it's all a bit precious and might even have the chelsea influence behind it.

Check your phone.

[ManxRed]

Who was the England Manager (Taylor? Wilkinson?) who threw a strop at a press conference when being put under pressure and announced that they weren't worthy of asking him questions about his players as they didn't have any experience of playing for England themselves?

 

Cue ten seconds awkward silence at the back until a hand went up.

 

"Jimmy Armfield, Radio 5, 55 caps including some as captain. Can you tell me...."

 

Cue a huge laugh from the assembled reporters.

 

[Leo No.8]

The question I'd fire at him during his next press conference would be if given the choice, would he be more likely to speak to Garth Crooks or a certain member of the Carragher family who deflowered his ma.

[R A Softlad]

aww bless. footballer ambushed by spontaneous question from journalist shock. they really are the most molly-coddled people on earth aren't they?

 

About time the FA laid down the law to these primadonnas...

[Euphrates]

I wouldn't speak to Crooks either...

[Stevie H]

The question I'd fire at him during his next press conference would be if given the choice, would he be more likely to speak to Garth Crooks or a certain member of the Carragher family who deflowered his ma.

i suspect that terry's ma hasn't been particularly flowered for quite some time now.

[Maldini]

Interesting that Terry admitted that the England players asked McLaren to switch to zonal marking at set-pieces, I wonder if the media will blather on about that EVERY SINGLE TIME they concede from a set-piece like they do with us.

[Des]

Interesting that Terry admitted that the England players asked McLaren to switch to zonal marking at set-pieces, I wonder if the media will blather on about that EVERY SINGLE TIME they concede from a set-piece like they do with us.

 

Haven't heard that one for a while in relation to us, to be fair.

[Knox_Harrington]

Haven't heard that one for a while in relation to us, to be fair.

You are kidding aren't you, Des? It was banged out against Haifa and West Ham repeatedly.

[Des]

You are kidding aren't you, Des? It was banged out against Haifa and West Ham repeatedly.

 

Maybe I couldn't hear the commentary in the pubs I was in.