Terry's Army: Former England Captain Eyes Colchester Rescue Mission
John Terry has emerged as part of a consortium looking to buy League Two's ultimate underachievers Colchester United, a club that's made staying in the fourth tier an art form.
Well, well, well. Just when you thought League Two couldn't get any more glamorous, along comes John Terry with what appears to be a rescue mission for football's most committed fourth-tier residents, Colchester United.
The former England captain was spotted at Tuesday's League Two clash between Colchester and Accrington, presumably checking whether the U's could actually win a match before committing any serious cash. Fortunately for Terry's wallet, they managed it – though one swallow doesn't make a summer, and one win certainly doesn't end a decade-long promotion drought.
Colchester have now confirmed they're in 'detailed discussions' about a possible sale to a consortium of investors, with Terry reportedly among the interested parties. Given that the club has spent ten successive seasons in League Two – a record that puts them ahead of every other Football League team in the 'going absolutely nowhere' stakes – you'd imagine the asking price isn't exactly breaking any transfer records.
Owner Robbie Cowling has been trying to offload the Essex outfit since last year, which tells you everything about how much fun running a permanently fourth-tier football club actually is. This isn't even the first time potential buyers have come sniffing around – two previous takeover attempts have already collapsed faster than a Colchester promotion push, including one involving former Chelsea forward Alexandre Pato. When even a Brazilian who once played for AC Milan can't get a deal over the line, you know you're dealing with a challenging proposition.
For Terry, this would represent quite the career pivot from lifting Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge to potentially watching League Two football every other Saturday. Then again, after captaining England and winning everything there is to win in club football, perhaps the ultimate challenge is seeing if Colchester United can actually escape the fourth tier before the heat death of the universe.
The U's supporters will be hoping that Terry's winning mentality might finally rub off on a club that seems to have made mediocrity its mission statement. After a decade of League Two football, even the most optimistic Colchester fan would probably settle for simply threatening to get promoted, never mind actually managing it.
Whether Terry and his consortium can succeed where Pato and others have failed remains to be seen. But at least Colchester can now claim they're being courted by proper footballing royalty – even if that royalty is considering buying a club that's turned underachievement into an Olympic sport.