Newcastle-Online comment: 16th August 2004
Who Captain's the team seems to be the hot topic of the day and although
we all know that Big Al is the Club Captain, we don't exactly know
who his understudy is. It Was Hughes who took Shearer's armband after
the No.9 went off against Middlesbrough on Saturday but reports and
indications within the club during Pre-Season pointed to Dyer after
former incumbent, Gary Speed, was sold to Bolton. After Saturday's
shenanigans however, if Dyer was indeed the Vice Captain, he won't
be for much longer. So who would make the perfect Vice Captain? Who
would make the worst possible Vice Captain? Bearing in mind the Vice
Captain will almost certainly become the Club Captain once Big Al
retires.
Anyway lets have a look at some of the the canditates...
Shay Given - Top professional and well liked within
the club and on the stands...but should a man so far removed from
the battle be allowed to lead it?
Stephen Carr - He knows the job. He Captained Spurs
and has also Captained his Country.
Aaron Hughes - Like Shay, he's well liked and a consummate
professional but he's the shy and retiring type. Is he a leader or
a follower?
Jonathan Woodgate - Not a shout and bawl man either
but an inspirational figure nonetheless. Would past off-field problems
count against him? Would need to stay fit...
Olivier Bernard - Is there a more committed player
within the ranks? He gets whacked more times than an extra in the
Godfather (series 1,2 & 3) - unlike the majority of them however,
Bernard gets back up. Could lead by example. But is the left-back
area the position to lead a team?
Jermaine Jenas - He doesn't exactly stand out as
Captain material but huge responsibilities on young shoulders could
bring the best out of him...or maybe not.
Lee Bowyer - The complete opposite of a shrinking
violet. An ugly in your face no prisoners type of leader or a liability
waiting to happen? Like Woodgate, would his past count against him?
Would Newcastle have the balls to hand him such a role?
Nicky Butt - Great pro on and off the field - the
ideal candidate. Huge experience, well respected and on his way to
becoming a firm fans favourite. A mans man, a winner. Need I say more.
Laurent Robert - Have you stopped laughing yet? Could
act as a spur or it could make him even more of a fancy dan. Who knows
- only a mad man would hand him the role anyway.
Craig Bellamy - Does he need another incentive to let that
gob of his run? He barracks the ref, the opposition and even his fellow
team-mates anyway. Captaincy could go to his head...he could get lamped
from a team-mate, or it could mature him. Do we want him to mature?
I don't know about you but I like it when he mouths off and winds
up the opposition.
Patrick Kluivert - Vast experience and maturity (on the field
anyway) and an almost superstar aura. Could he lead his fellow team-mates
or is he too aloof?
There you have it, a list of candidates. Some obvious, some not so
obvious, some not even worthy of consideration.
From the list one man stands out - Nicky Butt. He is the ideal man
to not only act as the Vice Captain but also the Club Captain once
Shearer retires. His position on the field links him up with the defence
and the attack so he is almost omni-present in that sense. His whole
persona and character also makes him the ideal choice. Surely Bobby
will hand him the armband?
Other than Butt, and purely for experimentation purposes I might add,
I wouldn't mind seeing what effect the Captaincy role could have on
our enigmatic Frenchman Laurent Robert. I escaped sectioning by the
skin of me arse the last time I uttered "Robert" and "Captaincy"
in the same breath but I'm a firm believer in motivation and such
a role could well be the tool that fixes wor Larry.
Either way...anyone other than bling bling boy! |
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