Sometimes sport's silent majority must speak up

You may not be great friends with your team-mates — you may actively dislike some of them — but there is that unwritten code that, in a Musketeerish kind-of-way, means we're all in this together, come what may.

And that is why two very different groups of sportsmen are keeping extremely quiet at the moment in the wake of two incidents that, in other walks of life, might have ripped the strongest of working relationships apart.

It would be absurd to suggest there aren't members of the Chelsea dressing room who don't have grave reservations about the conduct of JT'.

But while those outside the inner sanctum might regard voicing those thoughts as brave and the sign of a free and independent-minded spirit, to those within, it would be betrayal of the highest order, irrespective of John Terry's misdemeanours.

The Chelsea and England captain's conduct may yet be life-changing for his family and his career. His own powers of persuasion with his wife and the deliberations of Fabio Capello will see to that.

This Sunday's newspapers may have a bearing as well but don't expect to see any of JT's team-mates, on the day of a potential Premier League decider against Arsenal, suggesting that he's let the club down.

For Clarence Harding, though, life has already changed — in the most dramatic of ways. Chris is, or was, or may yet be again, a rugby player for Gravesend.

Two weeks ago in a Kent Cup tie against Maidstone, he was the victim of an alleged assault and as a consequence lost the sight of an eye.

I'm sorry to return to eye-gouging barely two weeks after debating at length the incident involving the French prop David Attoub but some things are worth banging the drum about — repeatedly — until those concerned agree that it is wholly unacceptable and will be dealt with in the harshest possible terms.

Those at Gravesend are in no doubt about the identity of the individual who blinded Chris and are outraged.

For them it was a deliberate act of unprovoked violence.

Having spoken to the police, they say proving intent will be very difficult and whether the incident finds itself in the courts may hinge on whether any of the guilty player's team-mates are prepared to give evidence.

Two very different and yet similar dilemmas for those involved within the sporting freemasonry.

It would be interesting to know what Chelsea players really think about Terry, and the image he perpetuates about members of their profession, but the likelihood is we'll never find out and, in truth, it doesn't really matter.

Lampard and Co are within their rights to keep schtum. However, if one of the Maidstone players did assault Harding, silence is not an option. Sometimes, the bond of the dressing room just has to be broken.

Here's my expert opinion, forget it

As one supremely-talented British sportsman heads home from Melbourne, so it looks as though another might be going the other way.

Tennis experts were lining up at the start of the week to laud Roger Federer while maintaining that it was "inevitable" Andy Murray would at some stage win a Grand Slam.

Lest we forget, rugby pundits were foaming at the mouth 18 months ago, praising Danny Cipriani to the skies and saying it was "inevitable" that

he would guide England's next generation into the World Cup.

And yet here we are on the eve of the Six Nations Championship, with the Wasps player in the international wilderness and said to be thinking of moving to Melbourne, a career switch that might well signal the end of his England ambitions. Injury and loss of form can affect all athletes.

You're always a split second away from a major setback so the message from the above is clear. Never listen to what experts say and never believe that anything is "inevitable". Because when you do, almost the only inevitability is that it won't happen.

Reason to be cheerful . . .

Troy Archibald-Henville's deadline day move from Spurs to Exeter coincided with a guy called Nick Spencer sending me an excellent book called Never Say Die about Exeter's rise from non-League football, in which TAH's earlier loan is described.

Before his debut, Exeter asked the League if they could just put Troy' on his shirt but were told the entire surname had to be there. No exceptions. So tomorrow, when you're watching the action from League One, look out for Troy's name on to his Exeter strip and wait for the crowd to start chanting — give us a

T . . . give us an R . . .'