Duffy the Chelsea slayer

JONATHAN REDHEAD

New Norwich City assistant manager Jim Duffy is hoping his inside information could help bring down Chelsea in tomorrow's FA Cup fifth round clash.

Duffy was youth team coach at Stamford Bridge in 2000 and is still friendly with some of his old charges at the Premiership champions, including current Blues and England skipper John Terry.

The Scot has hailed Terry as a “massive” player for club and country and one of the best defenders in world football.

However, he added that he is sure the centre back can be vulnerable and has weaknesses and it's up to the Canaries to figure them out for tomorrow's tie.

Speaking after his first week at Norwich, Duffy recalled the time he coached the young England skipper.

“John Terry, John Harley and boys like that were in my first group,” Duffy said. “Then obviously after that were people like Carlton Cole and Leon Knight and funnily enough Rhys Evans, who played the other night against us for Blackpool.

“And John, I had him for a couple of years, and I've seen him since. Last year I was at a couple of European matches and met him after that.

“I've always got fond memories of John Terry and it's fantastic to see him as Chelsea captain and England captain and I think he's probably one of the best defenders in world football just now.

“I think all players have got weaknesses but it's if you can exploit them. Someone can do a step over but it doesn't mean you can't stop the ball.”

Duffy was full of praise for Terry, who has missed a large chunk of Chelsea's season with a back injury. But he made his return to action a couple of weeks ago against Charlton and is working his way to full fitness.

He's a likely starter against the Canaries and will prove to be a huge barrier for the likes of Chris Brown and Darren Huckerby.

Terry is strong, brave and with a fantastic ability to read the game but Duffy said the England man's biggest quality is one that's not immediately obvious.

“John Terry's biggest quality is his leadership quality, there's no doubt about that,” Duffy said. “I think that's why Chelsea missed him even with the resources they have they still missed John Terry. They still weren't as secure and I think with England also.

“When he's in the team he's such a massive player for them and those leadership qualities have brought them two championships over the past couple of years.

“He was skipper (of the youth team) but not to start with, it was a boy called Stephen Broad and then eventually John became skipper of the reserves really.

“He just had that determination. He wasn't a silky skilful player when he was younger but he had an enormous belief and determination to succeed. I think that shows in the level of consistency he now achieves.”

Duffy is looking forward to a return to Stamford Bridge after an enjoyable spell in London.

“It's a fantastic place,” he said. “They had a great staff and a great group of players when I was there.

“It was a wonderful time even though I was part of the academy and not involved in the first team, certainly not very often anyway. “It was still nice to be part of it.”