John Terry: Why Chelsea Need to Move on and Find a New Captain

It's time that John Terry relinquishes the captain's band.

Yes, he's a club legend. Yes, he's still a pretty darn good centre-back. Yes, he's Mr. Chelsea.

That doesn't mean he deserves to be captain of the club.

Terry has been given plenty of chances. He has abused his power and refused to set a good example. And there are other options for Chelsea right now.

Terry has made headlines for his entire career. He has lost his England captaincy not once, but twice.

Say what you want about the legitimacy for each incident—he's lost the captaincy for his country twice. He's embarrassed the country enough that Fabio Capello and the FA have each taken the band from him.

Yet, Chelsea have always stood by him.

Through his ups and downs, he's always played the game hard. He's always played at a high level, and Chelsea could overlook the bad and focus on the good.

Whether he was lifting a trophy or missing a penalty, Chelsea stood by him.

Whether he was saving a goal or being red carded, Chelsea stood by him.

Whether he was selfish or not, Chelsea stood by him.

That's what Terry's attack of Alexis Sanchez's leg was about being selfish. Obviously, it wasn't the worst attack, and Sanchez milked it for all it was worth.

With that said, it was embarrassing. As a Chelsea fan, I had to explain to my casual football friends why my club's captain was a thug. I had to try and dance around the answer that it's because he's a pretty mean, reckless dude.

Terry's captaincy shouldn't be a personal issue with me, but it is. I'm a fan of the club, and I deserve a captain who will represent me, and the club I cheer for, well.

Terry doesn't always do that.

He is a hothead, arrogant and gets under people's skin. However, his world-class play allowed Chelsea to overlook these flaws.

Football isn't about personalities—it's about winning. Terry got the job done, and if winning is the biggest priority, there's no reason to undermine him.

However, he's not still at the top of his game. He's been inconsistent this year, and injuries have kept him from playing at a high level for an extended period of time.

Yes, his courage to play with broken ribs is incredible, and he's playing better now than he has all season. Contrarily, it still isn't at a level that has come to be expected.

If Terry's play isn't at a world-class level, what is the excuse for him to keep the captaincy?

What's wrong with Frank Lampard? He's the epitome of class, and he has just as much of a history with the senior club as Terry does. Sure, he isn't Mr. Chelsea, but he's about as close as someone can come.

What about Ramires? If the club truly wants to move forward, the manager should give the captain's band to a young, energetic player who truly cares about winning. Ramires has been great all season, and I think he genuinely cares about the success of the club.

I'm just trying to say that the team has other players worthy of the band. No, they don't have the same status at the club (Lampard's about on par), but they both have resumes worthy of the band, especially moving forward.

Terry's been supported, yet he's responded by acting selfishly. His play is steadily declining, making it tougher to support him. Additionally, there are other players who would make the club proud.

Terry can pound his badge in front of the fans all he wants, but he simply doesn't act like he cares about the club. He's a selfish player, and he doesn't deserve to wear the band anymore.