THE English press conference in Krakow yesterday was conducted without the national coach.

Two players stood in. Both were not Rio Ferdinand. The formidable figure of the Manchester United defender hangs over the English camp like a cloud. It cannot be dismissed by breezy talk and it will grow as the tournament unfolds.

Roy Hodgson must hope that results ensure the cloud does not precipitate a storm. Already, though, England have been compromised, perhaps heavily distracted by an issue that has been mishandled by a manager of great experience and undoubted intelligence.

The presence of John Terry in the squad has dictated every decision that Hodgson has had to make from call-ups to press conferences. The art of management owes much to pragmatism. Hodgson has, instead, made a choice that has impacted on every subsequent move. He has restricted his room for manoeuvre, presented himself as a target and, unforgivably, left his fate to the vicissitudes of outrageous fortune.

Of course, all managers welcome luck. Hodgson now needs it desperately.

Supporters of the inclusion of Terry deal in well-worn but flawed arguments. They claim that the Chelsea defender is innocent until proven guilty of making alleged racist comments to Anton Ferdinand, the brother of Rio. This is an irrefutable comment in English law but it is a somewhat dubious qualification for continued inclusion in a squad. Frankly, his impending court case should have been the priority for the player and considered a distraction by those in charge of the England team. Remember that in other fields of work people accused of such offences are liable to suspension from their duties while the legal wheels grind.

Remember, too, that the trial was delayed, unbelievably, because of Terry's playing commitments. The prosecution had initially hoped the case would be heard in mid-March instead of next month.

His supporters also claim the Chelsea captain is the best centre-half available to Hodgson. This is hugely contentious. The 31-year-old has had an indifferent season; his form has been mediocre, his fitness suspect and his discipline is always in question, whether on or off the park. The detractors of Ferdinand have claimed he could not play games in quick succession. Terry has arrived in Poland nursing a hamstring and he has a suspect back.

His biggest influence so far has been to dominate the news agenda and to have an impact on who has been called up to replace Gary Cahill, his fellow Chelsea defender who broke his jaw against Belgium. Martin Kelly, at 22, and short of 50 professional games for Liverpool, has been drafted in.

Hodgson stated firmly that all his decisions were made for "football reasons". This covers a wide spectrum. The suspicion – bordering on certainty – is that Hodgson came to a decision early that Ferdinand and Terry could not be in the same squad and opted for the Chelsea defender. This is commendably decisive but it also invites more serious and unavoidable problems.

These have already come charging over the horizon with Kelly's inclusion the subject of much criticism and with every press conference now an incident rather than a bland recital of hackneyed ambitions and injury updates.

Indeed, Joe Hart, the Manchester City goalkeeper, and Stewart Downing, the Liverpool winger, were left to face the media yesterday. The interrogation was gentle but Ferdinand did figure in it.

Asked whether England's players are talking about the United defender's omission, Downing said: "No. Whoever the manager picks, we get on with it. I concentrate on my position in the team, and so do the other players."

This was the proper response but it does not answer the questions bubbling under the surface. Terry is not the most popular member of the dressing-room. Steven Gerrard, the England captain, has more cause than most to be wary of the defender's presence after Terry's extraordinary intervention in South Africa during the World Cup of 2010 where he took on the mantle of the manager, much to the consternation of Fabio Capello and the England players.

"If it upsets him [Capello] then I'm on the verge of just saying, 'So what, I'm here to win it for England'," said Terry, the very model of a modern English bulldog, at a specially convened press conference. "I'm here on behalf of the players," he insisted. Except he wasn't.

Terry also was less than supportive of Andre Villas-Boas, the former Chelsea manager, last season. Hodgson, then, has opted for a 31-year-old with injury concerns and in no formidable run of form. He has selected a figure who has a history of failing to support managers and of irritating team-mates.

This is a lot of baggage to cram into one flight to Krakow.

If Hodgson does not rate Ferdinand, so be it. But he should have told Terry firmly that his priority was at home with a court case looming. He would thus have left himself room to bring either or both into future squads.

Instead, he stands exposed to critics of his judgment. He may also stand alone if it all unravels against France on Monday.