Parker: John Terry won't win England recall, Big Sam can't afford to take such a backwards step

Updated 23/08/2016 at 10:43 GMT

World Cup semi-finalist Paul Parker has urged Sam Allardyce to forget about John Terry and focus on finding a proper style for England's future after the Euro 2016 shambles.

John Terry signs autographs for fans.

Image credit: Eurosport

The bizarre news that Sam Allardyce is considering the prospect of a John Terry return to the England squad can only be described as a massive backwards step if Big Sam is looking to move forward with the country.

[STORY: In-depth: Will Sam Allardyce recall John Terry for England?]

What are the other defenders there going to make of such a decision? You’ve got Gary Cahill, Terry's team-mate at Chelsea.

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What is he going to be thinking if all of a sudden someone older than him who didn’t want to play for England is brought back?

If Chelsea are winning games and Terry, a slow central defender, is brought back at the age of 35, would Big Sam adapt his style as a manager to suit the player?

In other words, would he be happy for England to sit deep so players can’t run in behind Terry. In every way it sounds like a poor decision.

He would need to hope all the teams England play against whack in big high balls for him to win, and that is hardly going to happen.

You have got John Stones who, at Manchester City, is starting to look like the player many thought he would be because he is playing with better players at a higher level.

You’ve got him coming through and you have Chris Smalling at Manchester United: players who are young, who Big Sam can work with and turn into better international players.

England manager Sam Allardyce poses after the press conference

Image credit: Reuters

That is surely the preferred option than going backwards. Sometimes it is worth going backwards, but this is not the person to go backwards with.

I have no idea what the attraction is with John Terry. Big Sam is perhaps being diplomatic in saying he would bring Terry back.

You have to look forward 99 times out of 100. Of course, there is always that one time when a player has been discarded when you think: “Hold on a minute". But not here.

Terry bailed on England, nobody forced him to retire

This is a new era, and a new manager. John Terry decided he didn’t want to play for England. He took things personally because the press were looking at him over a situation off the park and he decided to bail out.

In my opinion, you don’t go back. John Terry is maybe looking at this two ways: he’s made a decision to retire so will stick with it or else he sees himself as some kind of returning hero.

As we know, John Terry loves being a hero. He tried to be a hero in the Champions League final in 2008 when he took a penalty that would have won it for Chelsea against Manchester and he slipped and missed.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and Chelsea's John Terry celebrates after the match.

Image credit: Eurosport

Once bitten, twice shy? Would he come back to England knowing there would be a big onus on him and massive pressure to perform?

I think Sam has other things to concern himself with rather than looking to bring someone back in from the cold.

Bringing Terry back is also a bad step for the dressing room really. It is not a step forward for the players that are still there.

You need somebody fresh to come in there and become a new leader and a new voice for the squad. To get in there, and start helping the younger players.

You don’t need a blast from the past. You’ll get the John Terry public relations brigade cranking up his assets, but it can’t be about that.

Allardyce to pick Hart in England squad for Slovakia clash, pondering Terry return

How long is Terry going to be in the Chelsea team? Is the Chelsea manager Antonio Conte playing a system to suit John Terry?

This is the national team that needs a massive lift after a poor Euros in losing to Iceland in the last 16 which has become part and parcel of English football heritage.

England have had a dreadful Euros. That statement should be written under the three lions on the shirt .

We need something fresh, and we urgently need a boost. We don’t need to be taking a size 11 step backwards with blokes like Terry.

Stones could captain England, Rooney should be forced to earn his place

I think if we are looking to revitalize the whole England squad and are looking to give players a boost, you could do worse than look at John Stones as a future England captain.

He is a good player and everybody is looking at him believing he is a good player. I think if you are looking at a player who can be captain then it is vitally important the players in the squad view the man wearing the armband as a figure with ability and also respect his talent.

Not something who is just there for PR reasons and is only in the squad because he is picking up so much money.

If you are looking to move forwards, you can look at Stones and there is a player who is going to be around the England squad for a long, long time. Not a short-term fix.

John Stone and his England team-mates at Euro 2016.

Image credit: Eurosport

If Sam is being his own man, he will be able to think for himself rather than being forced into a situation that suits nobody.

The FA forced the situation where David Beckham had to be involved in the squad because it was good for them from a PR point of view when he was chasing a record number of caps.

You have to look forward. When the World Cup comes round, is Wayne Rooney going to be playing regularly for Manchester United or England? We don’t know.

Rooney should earn the right to play for England rather than just being selected as player and captain because that has always been the case.

Allardyce has to find style and substance in games

Given the state of Europe, we should be talking about winning qualifying games in a manner that makes you believe we can actually perform well at the World Cup finals in Russia in 2018.

Not being happy with just winning games. There should be a manner and direction to the England team.

Roy Hodgson made a big deal out of winning games in qualifying, but how many teams at the Euros qualified but only lost one match?

Austria won nine and lost one qualifying for the Euros, but were bounced out in the group stage by Iceland. Everybody was saying this is the new Belgium, but the new Belgium weren’t very good at the World Cup in 2014 and we again witnessed their strengths and weaknesses at the Euros.

England's Wayne Rooney reacts

Image credit: Reuters

We have to do a bit more in the qualifiers rather than just be content to win games. Tournament football is completely different from the qualifiers.

Especially when Roy didn’t know what his best 11 was. Bobby Robson was the last England manager who knew what his best England 11 was when we reached the World Cup semi-finals in 1990.

Big Sam has to make his mind up about what direction he is going in. As Roy proved at the Euros, if you don’t know what you are doing, it will come back to bite you at these tournaments.

And the direction not to go in is bringing back guys like John Terry.

Paul Parker

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