John Terry will miss the FA Cup fifth round - to spend Valentine's Day with the Missus. And a good thing too.

JOHN TERRY will miss Chelsea's FA Cup fifth round clash against Cardiff on February 13 - so he can spend Valentine's Day with his wife Toni.

Toni and her three-year-old twins are in Dubai - they flew off when news broke of the England captain's affair with Vanessa Peroncel, the former partner of England squad member Wayne Bridge, who left Chelsea for Manchester City last year.
Chelsea have said from the start they would support their captain through the current turmoil and allowing him to miss the Cardiff clash.

Tonight played at the KC Stadium, and was booked in the 1-1 draw against Hull, having scored the winner against Burnley over the weekend despite the furore going on around him.

And I've been at Sky News, watching the game on a live feed, having already been on once talking about his future as England captain. I'm about to go on again at 10.45pm with a recorded piece for Sunrise in the morning. I'm backing the man, who played well again last night. He has to remain our nation's footballing leader, despite his failings.

Initially I was sceptical. Now, having read what the average fans and readers of this blog think - not to mention my own 13-year-old Charlie - I've come the full circle.

Forget what the moralists are saying. Keep Terry in charge. His potential replacements as captain, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard, all have various skeletons in their cupboards.

All footballers think they're above the law, above morality. We've made them like that. It's the modern world. As I just said on Sky, the Royal Family, Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods have all been there, done that.

Sure, Terry ended up doing it with his former team-mate, but Bridge is by no means a vital part of the World Cup squad. And his partner Vanessa, mother of his child and former best friend of the Terrys, is hardly covering herself in glory either.

The woman who allegedly aborted Terry's love child has now turned to Max Clifford for help with her publicity - and the bidding is ongoing. Not exactly saintly, but that nice Mr Clifford says his client, a lingerie model, is "upset" by thoughts of how Terry's wife and her former partner Bridge might be feeling following the reports of the affair.

I bet she is. In truth, it's the other names on Vanessa's list of conquests (another Premier League star is sweating heavily, according to the Mirror) which Max will be looking to maximise. Best John and Toni have a good Valentine's Day and Ms Perroncel - who apparently met with Bridge today - can spill the beans without too much damage. Then we can concentrate on the World Cup... and the Terrys can concentrate on their twins.

Terry's major problem could be Capello's religious views. The Italian, 69, is quoted as saying: "I'm very Catholic and I am not all in favour of the current law on abortion.
"I like the Pope, the Church needs a traditionalist turn.
"I am someone who prays twice a day, in the morning and evening, wherever I find myself."