Jamaal Lascelles

[relámpago blanco]

Don't most of our players traditionally start playing shit once they've got a new contract?  Dyer, Tiote and Gutierrez are a few who spring to mind.

Never seemed to bother Big Al tbf.

[Away Day Gadgie]

That's the spirit!

[Dave]

[Sima]

I'm not sure if I'd swap him for van Dijk.  Although maybe that is in the heat of the moment.

[Tiresias]

Well this guy is stupid enough potentially to tie himself to this shambles of a club for a few more years on the presumption that Rafa won't say fuck it I'm walking at some point and mcclaren is parachuted back in

[madras]

Probably played better today than last week when he was MotM. Seemed to have learned aswell as there forward, Jese ?, put the same move on that Abraham puled last week but Lascalles was much closer and snuffed it out instead of having to pull out goal saving heroics.

[Willow]

The most confidence we've had in our CBs for how many years?

 

Clark and Lascelles are undroppable at present, Lejeune on the bench and Mbemba available if needed.

 

Yup, I like them all. I think Lejeune looks fantastic, but only an injury or some mega howlers will get him back in. It's a nice situation to be in for us for a change.

 

January should hopefully see us get a good LB in (and striker), if common sense prevails..

[toontownman]

Benefits greatly playing next to Clark who has a calming influence akin to Woodgate  (Clark doesn't play like Woodgate). Crazy when Lejeune is possibly much better than both but rightly can't get into the team while they play so well as a unit.

 

Times like this i switch to 5 at the back on fifa just to accommodate all 3 because I like them so much. Thankfully Rafa has more sense.

 

Don't see Jamaal in for qualifiers. Far too much risk for an unknown quantity. If we had a friendly imminently then I'd say he was a shoe in on this form.

[sbnufc]

[Decky]

Have to say I didn't rate him going into the season but he's really standing up and delivering. Fair play to the lad, hopefully it continues.

[Zero]

He may not be a reliable defender but he is an outstanding captain.

[LRD]

He has the physicality and leadership, and is able to contribute goals. Needs to improve on his reading of the game but he's still young and has 2 more experienced CBs to provide competition to bring out the best in him and for him to learn from.

 

We've had many worse CBs with major weaknesses in the past.

[Unbelievable]

This lad is everything Colo wasn't as a captain, and as a player he has obvious (match winning) strengths and huge potential. An excellent fit for our club at this point in time. Let's get that deal signed.

[Willow]

[Menace]

He's improved a lot this season, excited for his potential.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

He's a decent enough footballer which for me is important, Rafa and the coaches and having someone like Clark next to him will help him develop his defensive game. All in all I'm not worried about him.

[Deuce]

 

What a difference Rafa has made in terms of character and team cohesion. No more mercenaries like Sissoko or Janmaat, no more cunts like Stevie Bants.

[Foluwashola]

It was largely forgotten last season how young he still is. When did Gary Cahill properly come good etc. He's got the talent, and outstanding character anarl.

[Happinesstan]

It was largely forgotten last season how young he still is. When did Gary Cahill properly come good etc. He's got the talent, and outstanding character anarl.

 

I was just thinking I'm sure he's as good as Cahill was at his age.

[ponsaelius]

Same point with somebody like Shawcross, who many were desperate for us to sign. A player who had to make the same step up from the Championship once upon a time and has similar characteristics as a CB.

 

We don't have enough confidence in our young players sometimes.

[Happinesstan]

Same point with somebody like Shawcross, who many were desperate for us to sign. A player who had to make the same step up from the Championship once upon a time and has similar characteristics as a CB.

 

We don't have enough confidence in our young players sometimes.

 

We're used to having them thrust into the spotlight by managers who haven't prepared them for it. Rafa seems to be getting that absolutely spot on.

 

[The College Dropout]

Imagine if it's competition from a player like Lejeune that's bringing the best out of him.

 

In all seriousness it shows how great competition for places is, both Clark and Lascelles know if they drop off they won't play.

 

Aye, a lot of money on a new CB. Started the season on the bench. It's good motivation. Also being fully fit would help immensely.

[Away Day Gadgie]

Get big Jamaal in the next England squad to sort that dressing room out!  He'll quickly get stuck into those overpayed, over-hyped, bottling, prima donnas!

[HaydnNUFC]

Love this bloke.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/09/21/jamaal-lascelles-exclusive-interview-meet-23-year-old-captain/?WT.mc_id=tmgliveapp_iosshare_ApdwFHPCwgM9

Jamaal Lascelles exclusive interview: Meet the 23-year-old captain Rafael Benitez is building his Newcastle United team around

 

o borrow a phrase from the Chelsea banners which idolised their former talisman, John Terry, Jamaal Lascelles is a captain, leader and could just be a Newcastle United legend in the making.

 

Lascelles is not only the youngest captain in the Premier League, leading the youngest team, based on the average age of the starting XI this season, he is also a defender learning how to play at the highest level.

 

When Lascelles was handed the armband last summer, he was just 22. He was neither a senior player or a proven one, yet still manager Rafa Benitez chose him. The Spaniard needed to build a new team, with a better attitude and stronger self-motivation after relegation. Lascelles was his cement, helping to bind the players together as they returned to the top flight after just one season.

 

Given how well he has played in recent weeks, defending superbly, but also scoring the winning goal against both Stoke and Swansea, it is hard to fathom this is Lascelles’ first season as a regular starter in the Premier League. But there is something different about this young man from Nottingham.

 

There is a steely determination in the way he plays and talks. It is combined with the sort of quiet menace that accompanies all the best centre-backs when they walk into a room.

 

Refreshingly, there is also a humbleness that ensures he remains aware of his limitations. Lascelles may already be an excellent captain, but he remains a work in progress as a defender. That is why Benitez likes him. He listens as well as he talks.

 

“I know I’m young to be doing this,” said Lascelles, whose multi-tasking skills also enable him to balance a bowl of fruit salad on his knee while answering questions about the eye-catching form which has thrust him into the thoughts of England manager Gareth Southgate.

 

“When I sit back and think about, I’m 23. I was 22 when I was made captain, so I know it’s unusual and people will think I’m young. But at the same time, I don’t class myself as a young player in many respects. I’ve played a lot of games for Nottingham Forest and a fair few here too.

 

“I’ve always been really competitive. I’ve got an older brother, there are 14 months between us and we were always playing football and basketball. It came to a point where my parents wouldn’t let us play together anymore because it used to get out of hand.

 

“It probably began there, my drive, my confidence, my determination. My parents were always tough on me, not in stopping me from doing what I wanted to do, but if I wanted to do something, whether it was football or basketball, then I had to give it my all. From about the age of 8, I’ve been like that.

 

“Even in Primary School. I’ve always been the biggest, the strongest and the fastest. I’ve been a captain since then, right through secondary school. It’s just something I’ve always done.”

 

The last comment could be perceived as brash Alpha Male boast, but it does not come across that way. Lascelles is not arrogant, he is just extremely confident. There is a big difference.

 

It was his willingness to speak up in the dressing room, clashing with more senior players after a defeat against Southampton in April 2016, as Newcastle tumbled towards relegation, that impressed Benitez.

 

Lascelles explained: “That season we got relegated, I was sat on the bench a lot, training with the first team, and I could see things that just didn’t add up.

 

“People going through the motions. It angered me. There was a lack of, I don’t know, it’s just everything I do, I give it my all. I know I’m not the most talented player and there were players here who had a lot more talent, so much more to offer the team and they didn’t do it.

 

“They just wouldn’t, I just couldn’t understand it. It was such a waste. Things came to a head in the dressing room after that game. I said some things in there and a couple of people didn’t like it, they really didn’t like it.

 

“In the pecking order of the dressing room, I shouldn’t have said what I said. I shouldn’t even have opened my mouth, but I did because it needed to be said at the time.

 

“The manager saw it all, but I was so angry and frustrated. I’d been there all season sitting there watching it happen, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. There was a big argument with a couple of the lads, but it got the right reaction. We got better after that and we should have stayed up really.

 

“I think that’s why I was made captain a few months later, the manager was new here and obviously liked it.”

 

However, there were periods last season when Lascelles appeared to be a better captain than centre-back. There were too many mistakes, those small errors in judgment, or a loss of concentration, that invite ridicule and criticism.

 

“They say it’s an old man’s position, playing centre-back, but I’m improving all the time,” Lascelles added, eyes narrowing slightly at the hint of criticism in the question. “Doing that while captaining the team, yeah it’s a lot to take on, but I wanted that challenge.

 

“I want to learn and I want to improve. Sometimes I’m so focused on making sure everyone else is doing what they are supposed to do, that those around me are doing the right thing, that I have forgotten about myself a little bit.

 

“I can be too focused on talking to everyone else, I need to remember what my responsibility is. You know, sometimes last season I was found out, I made mistakes, but I’ve learnt from them.

 

“I aim to be a much better player in 12 months’ time, that is something the manager has spoken to me about. Since he arrived, I’ve definitely improved as a player and a person, but also as a captain.

 

“I’ve learnt how to speak to players, how everyone is different, how they take criticism, those players that need a pat on the back.

 

“We’ve got a really good relationship. He’s a really good manager, but he’s a cool person to have around the place. His door is always open and he’s always making sure things are done the right way.

 

“The one thing he always stresses, that you take things step by step. If you work hard, things will come your way. He called me into his office the other day and said ‘people are talking about you, you’re getting a lot of attention, but now it’s more important than ever to stay humble, to stay focused and to work even harder’.

 

“That’s the advice I need. I’m not going to go off the tracks, I’m not going to let a couple of good games and a bit of attention on Match of the Day go to my head. I’m pretty switched on.”

 

There is a reason Newcastle are close to tying Lascelles down to a new long-term contract – he is a leader, captain and he going to get even better with age.

[Nobody]

Very good interview that