WHATEVER John Terry’s intentions by speaking out against Fabio Capello last week, it was extremely naïve from such an experienced professional.

WHATEVER John Terry's intentions by speaking out against Fabio Capello last week, it was extremely naïve from such an experienced professional.

It was a stupid thing to do, and it's had the exact opposite effect of what he wanted - it's brought even more pressure on his team.

Any team that faces England from now on will be rubbing their hands, because they know the intense pressure that the players are under. I admire his honesty and his passion, but John Terry has just demonstrated that the pressure is getting to them.

Every player has opinions on who should be in the team - and I personally think Terry was right in calling for Joe Cole to be in the team - but it's not his job to air them in public.

I was always outspoken in my beliefs, but I made sure that I brought them up with the boss in private, or in a team meeting. Whether you are right or wrong, there are ways of going about it, and I think Terry was naïve.

To show the cracks that are in the squad just undermines the team and the manager even further.

There's very little that can be changed at this stage of the day anyway, because with the level of tension in the camp you are fighting an uphill battle. The nerves can cripple you - they tie you up and stop you expressing yourself.

I really believe that England are suffering with a lack of confidence, but that's not something that can be easily sorted out.

I remember being part of a team on a bad run when I was a player, and the manager brought in a psychologist to help us. I agree that psychology has a place in the game, but this psychologist was only brought in when we were on a bad run, so when you saw him around the place you were just reminded that you were not playing well. It had the exact opposite effect from what he was supposed to.

But regardless of confidence issues, the players that England put on the pitch should still have enough to see off the likes of Algeria and Slovenia. Capello hasn't managed to get the best out his best players in the tournament so far and, though he is a superb manager, it remains to be seen if he can find out how.