Terry should never have regained armband - Yahoo! Eurosport UK (blog)

John Terry on England media dutyYesterday they celebrated Groundhog Day in the US, a term which has come to mean living the same day over and over again. It certainly feels as though we are going through the same motions today following the news that John Terry has again been stripped of the England captaincy.

It'?s almost two years to the day since he first had the armband taken off him following claims of misbehaviour off the pitch. Now it is the repercussions of something that he is alleged to have done on the field - something which he denies - which has led to him losing it again.

I realise that the FA felt they had to act once it became clear that the issue would not be settled until after this summer's European Championships, but they left themselves susceptible to something like this happening by reinstating him as captain in the first place.

The nature of the England captaincy means that it is often more important to the supporters and the country at large than it is in the dressing room. FA chairman David Bernstein admitted as much in his statement confirming the news, referring to "the higher-profile nature... on and off the pitch".

It is something of a half-measure taken by the governing body? taking away the armband, but not Terry's right to play for England. If they are so concerned with how the wider world will react to a man who is facing trial over allegations of racism, should they not be worried about how his colleagues at international level will feel?

I think that we will soon learn a lot about just how manager Fabio Capello runs things within the England squad. Will he address his players - either individually or as a group - to canvass opinion about playing with Terry? After all, when Chelsea played QPR a week ago, feelings were so strong among Anton Ferdinand's team-mates that the pre-match handshakes between the teams were dispensed with on the say-so of the FA.

Who is to say that some England players have not spoken to their team-mates at club level and want to respect any feelings they may have?

I thought it was ludicrous to have reinstated Terry as captain as it was, but now to see him stripped of that honour twice is embarrassing for the England team. Once again, they have been made a laughing stock.

At least the first time it happened it was Capello who took the decision to demote and then reinstate Terry as his captain. This time, the FA have gone over his head and done it for him. That in itself has undermined the Italian and does further damage to his supposed reputation as a disciplinarian.

Capello was hired by the FA as an antidote to the chumminess of Steve McClaren. He was brought in to instil some authority back into the England squad, who would be forced to either do things his way or not at all.

I'm sure that the late Sir Bobby Robson would have handled this kind of affair with so much more dignity. When the first situation came to pass before the last World Cup, he would have dealt with it properly. He would have told the FA the best way to handle it, and would surely have never given the armband back.

Regardless of whether Terry cleaned the streets, worked in a soup kitchen or whatever to atone for his behaviour, Sir Bobby would have made it known that his respect had been regained - but would still have made the punishment stick.

I was never a fan of Terry being England captain in the first place. I always thought Steven Gerrard was the right man to take over once David Beckham retired from the role.

I feel that is backed up by the way the Liverpool midfielder played at the last World Cup. He was England's best performer in South Africa, although admittedly he did not head a particularly strong field.

It will be interesting to see who is appointed to the role now. Given the way such issues have been handled in recent times, we could be in for another farcical chapter to this story?.