Football FanCast columnist Daniel Mitchell wonders if Capello's appointment of John Terry was the correct choice, given the credentials most notably of Steven Gerrard.

So we head into today's friendly against the Czech Republic with a new permanent England captain. Yesterday Fabio Capello announced John Terry as his choice for the foreseeable future, but was it the right decision? Or did one of the other two main contenders deserve it more?

Well, as far as I'm concerned Terry is a fine choice to captain England. He is solid, dependable and seems to give 100% in England games, which is more than can be said for some players in the team. He is a relatively controversy free character and whilst I understand that many non-Chelsea fans dislike him, I think this is more down to him being a Chelsea player than anything else. His referee baiting is distasteful but he is certainly not the only culprit, I have seen every one of the three candidates do it. Let's hope this respect campaign by the FA works some wonders.

He also has the benefit of experience, having captained England many times in the past few years. Admittedly he has not captained them to great success, but I would be surprised if people were to put the blame for England's failures on John Terry's captaincy.

The only real criticism I have of Terry as captain is that I'm not sure that he should be a shoe in for a spot in England's starting line-up any more. Being a Spurs fan I am of course biased, but I truly feel that Jonathon Woodgate has been deserving of a starting berth in the England team for some time now. However this is a different argument for another day and another article.

Whilst Rio did a good job in the games he captained, I don't think he truly represents what an England captain should be. He has never come across as a natural born leader and whilst he is as dependable as they get on the field, he is not always so dependable off of it. Remember the missed drugs test and subsequent ban? Forgetting a drugs test and going shopping instead is not appropriate behaviour for any professional, let alone an England captain in waiting.

He has also been banned from driving multiple times for both speeding and drink driving (though admittedly the latter charge was a very long time ago).

On top of these he has been involved in many other minor incidents such as the alleged steward kicking at Chelsea, the time he (hilariously) kicked the ball into the face of the lady in the Old Trafford crowd, and of course, who can forget the television horror that was "Rios World Cup Wind-Ups".

As I have already said, England captain is a largely symbolic post, and I don't think that Rio truly symbolises the virtues of a good England captain.

None of this is to say that I think Terry is a better player than Ferdinand however, because I don't. I think Ferdinand is actually a far superior defender, perhaps the best in the world at the moment. Sadly I just don't feel he is, or ever will be, suitable for this particular role.

The player who would have been my choice for captain appears to have been rather overlooked in all of this though. I think Steven Gerrard epitomises what is wanted from an England captain. He has, along with Carragher, been a consistently world-class performer for Liverpool for years now. He leads them by example and seems to have a habit of coming through for his team when they need him the most.

He rarely causes controversy and has never had the looks or style to become an uber-celebrity in the way that Beckham did. As far as I'm concerned David Beckham did a fantastic job as England captain, however I think his huge celebrity status left him vulnerable to unjustified attacks on his performances and commitment to the cause. Sadly once the red-tops got the band-wagon rolling on the "Beckham out" campaign he never had a chance. The way that the media works in England means that being both a celebrity and England captain is a toxic mix for anyone.

A criticism I hear frequently over my support for Gerrard for captain is that his performances for England have been mere shadows of the ones he puts in on a weekly basis for Liverpool, and I wouldn't disagree with that opinion. However I feel that this hasn't been entirely his fault. Under the last two managers Gerrard has been played out of position on the left or right, as well as in a centre midfield partnership with Lampard which completely negated both players' abilities.

Were Gerrard to be played in the centre regularly with a player such as Hargreaves or Barry, I think over time we would see the same Gerrard playing for England that we see gracing the turf at Anfield. Sadly however I am beginning to get the distinct impression that Capello will mistreat Gerrard's abilities just as much as Sven and McClaren did.

So here's my quick two cents worth on the England captain situation; Gerrard should have been captain, Terry is a more than acceptable choice, and ultimately it doesn't really matter a great deal!

What are your opinions on the England captain choice? Was Capello wrong? Am I wrong? Feel free to comment below and I will try to respond to an interesting/relative points.