You'll be wrong to target John Terry, says Bobby Zamora

National hurt: John Terry looks dejected after the dire draw against Algeria and could be given a hard time by fans tonight along with the rest of England’s World Cup squad
11 April 2012

Bobby Zamora has urged the Wembley crowd not to abuse John Terry tonight, insisting he doesn't deserve to bear the brunt of fans' anger for England's disastrous World Cup.

Zamora is set to win his first cap but fears his experience will be overshadowed by the boo-boys taunting the World Cup flops during the match against Hungary, with Terry expected to be their main target.

The former national captain was accused of upsetting squad harmony in South Africa and questioning Fabio Capello's authority during a press conference he gave following the woeful goalless draw with Algeria.

Terry was also heavily criticised for his display in the 4-1 loss to Germany, which saw England crash out after their heaviest ever defeat in the finals.

There were calls for Terry not to be selected for tonight's friendly but Fulham striker Zamora is adamant the Chelsea skipper was right to keep his place and shouldn't be victimised.

"John is still a top defender," said Zamora, who has been close friends with Terry since they played together as kids at Senrab. "Everyone has their own opinion but it is down to one man, that's the manager and he makes all the decisions. John is a massive figure in the squad and a great player. He has won so much. For whatever reason people want a target and someone has got to take it, that's the way it is.

"Unfortunately, a few people will be targeted tonight, I hope it's not John but that's the way it is. We will be looking to put in a good performance and hopefully silence a few people.

"Much was made of what he said at the World Cup but John was speaking from the heart and he just wanted England to do well. They had gone all that way out there and were away from their families for a very long time, they wanted to win games. I suppose that was the way he tried to voice it."

Terry's form, in a pre-season which has seen Chelsea lose four consecutive games, has given his critics more ammunition.

But Zamora said: "This is a tough time of year when you're doing two training sessions the day before matches. I've played this pre-season with tired legs because of the amount of work I've put in, you can't put in great performances but that's what pre-season is for.

"Everyone is on his and Chelsea's case at the moment but I am sure in a couple of weeks they will be top of the table."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in