Who should replace John Terry as England captain?

Poisoned chalice? Who should wear the England armband after John Terry was stripped of it?

It seems like an annual debate: who should be England's new captain?

John Terry has now lost the armband for the second time, and Fabio Capello must again look for a new leader.

Capello is thought to have wanted Terry to continue as skipper, as the Chelsea man has not been found guilty of anything yet, but the FA made the correct decision to strip him of the honour.

This is not the place to debate whether Terry is guilty or not.

Of course, he is assumed innocent until proven guilty but it wouldn't have been right for him to continue to lead the country with such serious allegations hanging over his head.

There are no better leaders than Terry, but Capello must have a captain the whole squad - indeed nation - can get behind and support all the way in Poland and Ukraine.

The importance of the captaincy seems to have diminished in recent years, and if Terry still wishes to be considered to play for his country, he will still be able to demonstrate his leadership qualities going forward.

The captain's main role now is off the pitch. They must be a great ambassador and always present themselves in the right manner, but they are nowhere near as important on the pitch as, say, a cricket captain.

There are no shortage of candidates to succeed Terry, but there is no outstanding one.

Steven Gerrard is the obvious choice, but the doubt with him is his fitness.

He has returned to great form recently since his long injury lay-off and has led Liverpool magnificently over the years, and many see him as the only viable candidate to take over as skipper.

Rio Ferdinand has taken the armband before, but has already ruled himself out of the running and he is not guaranteed a place in the side anyway.

However, there are many others who may be equally as deserving of the honour as Gerrard, and they will now be looked at in closer detail. 

Steven Gerrard

Gerrard captained England at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa

Seen as the only choice by many, Gerrard led England in the 2010 World Cup after Terry had been stripped of the captaincy and Rio Ferdinand went down injured.

Gerrard has served Liverpool with distinction since being appointed captain in 2003, with the defining moment of his reign as skipper being the victorious Champions League night in Istanbul in 2005.

As has already been stated, there are doubts about his fitness after a long lay-off, but he has returned to sparkling form since recovering from injury.

Gerrard turns 32 in May though and can therefore not be considered for a long-term role as England skipper, but it appears the sensible thing to give him the armband now, until at least after the European Championships. 

Scott Parker

Parker's leadership skills are obvious

Parker is seen as a surprising frontrunner to succeed Terry by many, but his form over recent seasons for West Ham and Tottenham have pushed him into genuine contention.

With Jack Wilshere injured, Parker is surely going to be in Capello's side in Poland and Ukraine and, after Terry, appears to be the most natural leader in the team.

Parker wasn't West Ham captain during last year's relegation campaign, but he acted like one and his leadership qualities were there for all to see.

He would also be a great ambassador as England captain and unlikely to let anyone down on or off the pitch, so Capello could do worse than turn to the 31-year-old. 

Frank Lampard

Lampard captained England against Spain in November

Lampard has often been the go-to man when Terry has been unavailable for England, but is an outsider to succeed him on a permanent basis as he is no longer secured a place in the side.

He is certainly too old to lead England on a long-term basis and the fact he is no longer guaranteed a place in the Chelsea team means he is unlikely to be considered by Capello.

However, if the Italian is looking for experience and consistency, he may yet turn to Lampard.

However, that would have to be considered extremely unlikely - Lampard would be delighted to simply be in Capello's starting 11. 

Gareth Barry

Capello is a huge admirer of Barry

Barry led England's under-21 side and his former club Aston Villa, while he has grown in stature this season at Manchester City.

Capello is a big fan of the midfielder and it would not be a surprise to see him in the team in Poland and Ukraine, but he has very little experience of captaining England.

However, the same can be said of many of his fellow contenders.

Barry has many qualities which would make him a great England captain but, for whatever reason, fans have never taken him to their hearts and it would be a surprise if he was to become skipper. 

Ashley Cole

Cole is regarded as one of the best left-backs in the world

The Italian approach to captaincy is to give the armband to the man with the most caps, and if Capello was to implement that now then Cole would succeed Terry.

However, if England are looking for someone who is respected by all and has a squeaky-clean image, then Cole is not their man.

In addition, Cole is only third-choice at best to captain his club side Chelsea, so it seems implausible he would be appointed in the role by his country.

To appoint Cole as captain, Capello would be effectively admitting it doesn't matter who wears the armband, but he surely won't go down that route. 

Wayne Rooney

Rooney's temperament makes him an unlikely England captain at present

Rooney will serve a two-match ban at the start of Euro 2012, but is still England's talisman.

If England are to have success at Euro 2012, then Rooney would have to perform and his commitment during matches is a great example to his team-mates.

However, Rooney remains volatile - as he proved with his red card against Montenegro - and Capello cannot run the risk of his captain being sent off and ruining his team's image.

If Rooney can improve his temperament, he could be a future England captain but, for now, he has much to prove. 

Joe Hart

Hart will be a key player for England for at least the next decade

Hart is one of the few players guaranteed a place in Capello's team and is never short of a word or two.

His big disadvantage in the captaincy debate is the fact he is a goalkeeper and would therefore find it difficult to relay instructions to his team-mates.

However, Spain's captain is Iker Casillas and they haven't done too badly when he has had the armband, have they?

If Hart was surprisingly given the armband, he would be a long-term choice as he is surely going to be England's number one for at least the next decade, but it appears unlikely Capello will turn to the 24-year-old. 

James Milner

Milner's work-rate makes him a possible England captain

Milner is not yet assured of a place in the England team and has not yet captained a club side, making him a real outsider.

However, nobody leads by example more than him and if Capello was to give him the armband, it would be a signal of the effort he expects each player to put in.

Milner has grown in importance for Manchester City this season and is now a key member of Roberto Mancini's title-chasing outfit, while he has a squeaky-clean image and would never let Capello down.

Do not expect him to be Capello's next captain though - he needs to cement his place in the side before thinking of anything more. 

Jack Wilshere

Wilshere is seen as an England captain of the future

Wilshere could miss the rest of the season with injury and is therefore unlikely to feature at Euro 2012, while he is also too young to be given the England captaincy at just 20.

He has also got himself into a few scrapes off the pitch and needs to mature, but he has the ability to be a future captain of Arsenal and England.

His footballing ability will assure him of a place in both sides for at least the next decade, while his tenacity and bite have led even Capello to say he is a future England captain.

Long-term, his destiny is to wear the England armband, but he will certainly have to wait a bit longer to realise that dream. 

Verdict

Capello's only real choice is to name Steven Gerrard as his new skipper.

He already captains a leading Premier League club with distinction and has the experience of captaining England at a major tournament, so it should be a pretty simple decision for Capello to make.

His fitness will be a concern, but that is surely the only test Gerrard will have to face before taking the armband.

Scott Parker would be a good vice-captain to Gerrard as his leadership qualities are just as evident, while the likes of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Gareth Barry will all bring their experience to the squad without needing to take the armband.

Gerrard is only likely to be a first-choice for England for the next two or three years, so it won't be too long before the issue of the captaincy comes up again.

Jack Wilshere would then be the obvious candidate, provided he knuckles down and improves his discipline off the pitch, to lead England for many years, while the likes of Phil Jones are also potential England captains of the future.

For now though, Capello must get behind Gerrard and put the captaincy debacle to one side.

England need a solid leader put in place now to avoid another major tournament fiasco, and Gerrard is the man they need.