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Football

21st May 2017

David Moyes leaves Premier League with pretty embarrassing admission

Vintage Moyes

Robert Redmond

John Terry played his final game for Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

The Chelsea captain made a quiet exit, not wanting to draw any attention to himself.

Only joking, he concocted a plan to get subbed off after 26 minutes, (a nod to his squad number), and received a guard of honour on the side of the pitch from his teammates.

Terry hugged almost every Chelsea player, as well as his opponents and the Chelsea staff, as the Stamford Bridge crowd saluted him. The scene didn’t sit well with BBC pundit Garth Crooks.

After 717 appearances for the Chelsea, and 22 years at the club, Terry has probably earned the right to bow out on his own terms. After all, he has been one of the best defenders to play in the Premier League.

However, there’s no denying that the sight of a mid-game guard of honour was somewhat peculiar. It was clearly planned, and Terry admitted as much following the game.

Whatever you make of Terry’s elaborate exit, the role of Sunderland and David Moyes in the incident is a bit embarrassing.

The Black Cats were playing their final Premier League game of the season, with relegation confirmed weeks ago. Their 10 year spell in the top flight ended dismally and few expect them to bounce straight back.

Sunderland have been awful this season, giving their fans little to cheer. While Moyes has been extremely negative, downplaying the quality of his side and their chances of survival since he succeeded Sam Allardyce last summer.

Moyes’ meekness continued on Sunday, when he admitted following the game that he played a key role in Terry’s elaborate exit.

The former Everton manager admitted he agreed to help give the Chelsea captain his chance to leave the pitch after 26 minutes.

“We knew it was coming, and we agreed to put the ball out. It was Diego Costa that actually asked Jordan (Pickford) to kick the ball out,” Moyes told reporters after the 5-1 defeat.

Moyes was willing to accommodate Terry, but according to several Sunderland fans, he didn’t applaud the travelling fans.

That really is the cherry on the top of what has been an awful season for Moyes, who was about to become Manchester United manager this time four years ago.

We might not ever see Terry in the Premier League again, and it could be a long time before Moyes returns to the top flight of English football.