Bridge Burns His with England

Some people might say it’s the footballing equivalent of spitting out a dummy, bawling in a pram and shouting “Ball! Ball! Mine! Mine! Wanna go home!” I honestly never thought the John Terry Wayne Bridge cuckold lingerie model saga would end this way. So what now for England and a player who once held the exalted position of Second Choice Left Back Who Probably Won’t Get A Game Anyway?

With Ashley Cole injured and the alternatives ranging from an inexperienced Leighton Baines to serial bone breaker Stephen Warnock, calling time on his international career is a move Bridge may come to regret.

OK, he was never the most cultured or popular of players. He just seemed to get on with the job, occasionally rampaging forward and leaving huge gaps at the back, much as we expect second rate English defenders to do. These deficiencies aside, Bridge would probably have stepped into Cole’s shoes come June.

But now he’s gone, bat and ball firmly at home while CBeebies plays in the background. Not that this is a bad thing, says Mike Norrish, Blogs Editor of Telegraph Sport.

Matt Hughes of the Times has an alternative angle on the story. He reckons Bridge may be one of the few players who understands his own limitations. Again, it’s a sensible decision but for different reasons.

The Independent paints a picture of Bridge as a man who cannot bear to spend any time in Terry’s company and viewed with horror the prospect of having to do so for four or five weeks in the summer. 

And The Guardian quotes sources in the Terry camp who say “Those close to him [Terry] have suggested that he feels Bridge has long been considered a ‘bottler’ in the dressing room.” This weekend’s Manchester City - Chelsea clash just got more interesting.