John Terry's Mad Lunge

John Terry hit the headlines again over the weekend after his dangerous tackle on James Milner at Wembley.

With the furore surrounding Terry's alleged affair with the ex-partner of his former team-mate Wayne Bridge seemingly calming down, Terry is back in the news, this time for matters on the field.

After being criticised for his off-the-field behaviour, which resulted in him losing the England captaincy, Terry's antics could have resulted in a serious injury to Milner.
It was summed up best by Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill, who said: "It was an horrendous challenge on an England team-mate."

O'Neill claimed the challenge from Terry could have ended Milner's career and although that might be an exaggeration, it could have easily ruled Milner out of the World Cup and beyond.

Terry was booked for the off-the-ground lunge on Milner which caught the Villa man just below the knee.

It was a badly-timed, high tackle on an England team-mate, who was in fact turning away from goal and presenting no real danger.

There's no question it should have been a red card. It's the sort of tackle which the authorities claim they are trying to clamp down on.

I'm sure Terry's was not intentionally trying to injure Milner, who could be England's ace in the hole at the World Cup, but his actions were reckless and deserved punishment.

It might be argued tackles such as the one in question on Saturday are part and parcel of the game, but as a senior England player and former skipper there are no excuses and I'm Terry sure will be getting a quiet word from England coach Fabio Capello.

The World Cup 2010 odds make England third favourites for the tournament, but the players will need to be singing from the same hymn sheet if they are to succeed in South Africa.

However, with Brazil good World Cup tips in the eyes of many experts, it's clear the Three Lions will face a tough time in the competition.