Simon Jordan has said that he thinks the twin appointments of Dean Smith and John Terry at Aston Villa are “sensible” but wonders how John Terry will work as the number two.
Talking on Jim White’s talkSPORT show (Tuesday, 10am), Jordan also said that it was “interesting” that Terry had shied away from the number one role.
“I tried to foist my number twos on managers and it didn’t work. John Terry is an interesting one. The one thing I will say is that I think he’s a consummate professional.
“It’s interesting that he doesn’t want to be the number one guy, given the sort of character that he is.
“To look like he’s shied away from being the leader might say something about where he sees himself at the moment.”
OPINION
Frank Lampard is doing a good job at Derby County and Steven Gerrard has been wowing pundits at Rangers. They’re two of John Terry’s contemporaries and a lot of people assumed Terry would look for a manager’s role for himself. That hasn’t happened though and he seems content to learn the ropes under an experienced manager at Aston Villa. Smith should be a good mentor and Villa is a big club. If they can get the midlands giants back in the Premier League then Terry will have a big springboard to launch his manager’s career off. Terry has been praised as a player but criticised for some off-the-field incidents. This move suggests that he is more self-aware than people give him credit for and that he’s prepared to work outside of the spotlight to further his career. That should be applauded and we think that Smith and Terry will be a dream team for Villa.