John Terry has laid down the challenge for Aston Villa this season in stark terms by insisting that only winning the Championship would be acceptable.
The new Villa captain has given himself and his teammates little room for manoeuvre, reasoning that the hurt of disappointments with Chelsea still fires his ambition.
Steve Bruce pulled off a coup by signing Terry on a free transfer and has also added Glenn Whelan, Ahmed Elmohamady, and Christopher Samba to bolster his side with experience.
Terry was handed the armband and has immediately laid down the expectations for the campaign ahead, which begins with a match against Bruce’s former club Hull at Villa Park on Saturday evening.