Club Captain

[Guest exilim]

It's Rozehnal because he speaks 4 languages.

[Wullie]

It's Rozehnal because he speaks 4 languages.

 

[Guest Ridzuan]

I wouldnt mind Given or Viduka being the captain next season,though I much prefer the latter to have the armband.Definitely not Barton for me.

[ohmelads]

I'd like to see Taylor get the armband but I wouldn't mind Given getting it.

 

I do think Taylor will be a mainstay in the side and I think he'll continue progressing if he's finally got three good defenders alongside him. Playing alongside Bramble one week, Moore the next and then Ramage the week after that can't be good for anyone really, espescially when you've got players like Huntington and Edgar to your right and left or, if you're lucky, Babayaro and Carr. Let's face it the lad's done well, considering.

 

He has a lot of qualities in his favour. Firstly, he's a geordie, and that'll spare him a bit of flak from the fans. That's a double edged sword in that they might be blind to his inadequacies, but equally he'll get a vote of confidence. Secondly, he rarely gets injured. Thirdly, he's an uncompromising player who makes 'big tackles' and does a lot (probably too much, but he'll learn) of the dirty work at the back which you see from the likes of Carragher, Terry, Puyol etc - he's the totally committed dirty centre back brought through the ranks of his hometown team. Those sorts of players tend to make good captains (I'm aware Carragher isn't captain but he easily could be). And lastly he's very vocal and competitive. He communicates a lot but he's never had a chance to establish a partnership with anyone here because of the injuries we've had.

 

His downsides are his age and rashness. But while some players (Parker) find the armband too much, others thrive on the responsibility and mature quickly and I feel Taylor could be one of these players.

 

But it'll almost certainly be Given.

[shevfa]

viduka.....

[Guest SLK]

I would love to see Steven Taylor get it.

 

Duff, Owen, Martins, Rozenhal, Emre etc have all played with and beaten the best

 

how the hell are they expected to look up to Steven Taylor?

 

Duff, Owen, Martins and Emre could all certainly look up to Steven Taylor.

How ? A kid being a captain...Man are you a kid yourself ?

[Guest SLK]

Butt should be the captain...If not playing then Solano, if not playing then Given...

 

That's it I've solved your problem Mr Allarydce...

[Troll]

Can't see it being Taylor.  He would say that about Barton being captain material in the long term, then give it to a kid just to take it away after a season or two.

[Cajun]

It will be Appiah.,

 

Fucking hell if that comes true I am a drunken ITK!

[Mowen]

Given for me. The armband is fairly symbolic, imo, and should therefore be given to someone who's an automatic starter. If someone else is a leader on the pitch then they will lead with or without the armband, just look at Speed under Shearer for that. Also, having the captaincy might encourage Shay to speak more.

[toptoon]

Butt will not start every game

Solano will be on the bench at best if Geremi arrives, and that's looking very likely

Given cannot captain a defence let alone a team

Taylor is too young, too rash, and has the intelligence of a drunk/stoned Beckham

 

leaves Emre, Owen, new signing

 

 

Butt - Will probably start more games than most.

Solano - agreed, not too sure if he's captain material anyway.

Given - You try captaining shambles, o'brien, Car, baba etc He obviously does an amazing job in saving our ass time and time again despite the poorness of defenders he has to work with.

Taylor - just a tad too early for him otherwise perfect captain material. probably our next captain after this one coming. Comes over fine in interviews too. (i don't understand what some have against the lad, he's the most promising CB in the country imo) 

 

Got to be Given  if he wants it imo, he's been with us 10 years second best player only after Shearer in that time, committed to the club and is also imo the best keeper in the Premiership (others would have cech but there wrong imo). Pretty much guaranteed to start every match bar injury and its likely to make him alot more vocal and reward him for his excellent service so far.

[Dr. Nguyen Van Falk]

Is Martins ment to be a left winger in your sig?

[toptoon]

Is Martins ment to be a left winger in your sig?

 

Yes... He's too good to leave out. Duff's out for 5 months, Zoggy's pants at the moment and don't get me started on Luque. Honestly think Martins would be good there!

 

Perhaps more of a 433 formation, can't make my mind up 100% at the moment, as still not 100% sure who's staying and who's going.

 

                  Given

 

Geremi  Taylor  Campbell Bridge

 

      Barton  Butt    Emre

 

      Milner    Owen  Martins 

 

Better??

[NSG]

Edmilson, come January. He's officially World Class, you know.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Is Martins ment to be a left winger in your sig?

 

Yes... He's too good to leave out. Duff's out for 5 months, Zoggy's pants at the moment and don't get me started on Luque. Honestly think Martins would be good there!

 

Perhaps more of a 433 formation, can't make my mind up 100% at the moment, as still not 100% sure who's staying and who's going.

 

                   Given

 

Geremi  Taylor  Campbell Bridge

 

       Barton   Butt    Emre

 

       Milner     Owen   Martins 

 

Better??

 

                    Given

 

Geremi     Rozy    Talor    Beye*/Bridge*/Baines*

 

Milner/Barton    Diarra*/Butt    Emre/Duff/Drenthe*

 

                   Viduka

       Owen              Martins   

 

Even if we didnt sign those players, then our other available team would still be quality.

[Ronaldo]

Is Martins ment to be a left winger in your sig?

 

Yes... He's too good to leave out. Duff's out for 5 months, Zoggy's pants at the moment and don't get me started on Luque. Honestly think Martins would be good there!

 

Perhaps more of a 433 formation, can't make my mind up 100% at the moment, as still not 100% sure who's staying and who's going.

 

                   Given

 

Geremi  Taylor  Campbell Bridge

 

       Barton   Butt    Emre

 

       Milner     Owen   Martins 

 

Better??

 

the amount of people who consider Given the best in the premiership is frightening

 

you're all insane

[Cajun]

Is Martins ment to be a left winger in your sig?

 

Yes... He's too good to leave out. Duff's out for 5 months, Zoggy's pants at the moment and don't get me started on Luque. Honestly think Martins would be good there!

 

Perhaps more of a 433 formation, can't make my mind up 100% at the moment, as still not 100% sure who's staying and who's going.

 

                   Given

 

Geremi  Taylor  Campbell Bridge

 

       Barton   Butt    Emre

 

       Milner     Owen   Martins 

 

Better??

 

the amount of people who consider Given the best in the premiership is frightening

 

you're all insane

 

What makes you say that? Because he has put him in our team?

[KaKa]

Hyypia will be captain ...

[Mick]

 

Exactly.

 

As for it not mattering if the captain is an automatic starter or not Mick, howay man, it'd be canny ridiculous to have a club captain who plays a "bit part" role in the first eleven although I know there are a few teams who've done it in the past.

 

Just doesn't make sense to me though. The captain should be the figurehead/mainstay of the team and should ideally be there in every situation that the team finds itself in. It wouldn't be as much use having our club captain on the bench/in the stands, even if he was better at the job whilst on the pitch. Given, barring last year, has been almost ever-present for us and is one of the longest serving players on the books - as well as being a model pro and having English as his first language. Obviously he's held back a bit by his position and his apparent lack of communication skills, but in the dressing room you'd imagine he's one of - if not the most - respected blokes at the club.

 

Short-term he's the best option for me. As much as we need to, I'm not sure if you can buy "captains" - especially not good ones.

 

Is that not a bit of a contradiction? 

 

First you dismiss somebody because he'll not play every game then you say that the person you think should get it would suffer because of his "apparent lack of communication skills" but he'd be respected in the dressing room.

 

I would have thought that in that case he's got nothing going for him that Nobby hasn't got, a second language could also be a bonus.

 

[ohmelads]

If Solano was a couple of years younger I'd have said him without a shadow of a doubt. He's loved by the fans and seems respected by teammates, loyal to the club (turned down Liverpool to come back to us saying he was 'coming home'), highly experienced. On his day he can still pull all the strings with his passing, like his performance at home against Spurs last season where he bossed the game from right back and took the p*ss out of them at times. Sadly though his stamina and speed is fading and those days are becoming few and far between. Similarly he's always been a bit inconsistent, very much so away from home. But the biggest thing against him is the fact he isn't a guaranteed starter next season, which means someone else would have to take the armband on a regular basis and that defeats the whole point really.

 

I think Given is the sensible choice and I'd be very surprised if he doesn't get it.

[Ronaldo]

Is Martins ment to be a left winger in your sig?

 

Yes... He's too good to leave out. Duff's out for 5 months, Zoggy's pants at the moment and don't get me started on Luque. Honestly think Martins would be good there!

 

Perhaps more of a 433 formation, can't make my mind up 100% at the moment, as still not 100% sure who's staying and who's going.

 

                   Given

 

Geremi  Taylor  Campbell Bridge

 

       Barton   Butt    Emre

 

       Milner     Owen   Martins 

 

Better??

 

the amount of people who consider Given the best in the premiership is frightening

 

you're all insane

 

What makes you say that? Because he has put him in our team?

 

well no, because he called him 'the best in the premiership'

[Cajun]

Oh right I missed that.

[Rich]

Mick

 

I see what you're saying in regards to the contradiction, but I was trying to look at things from every aspect instead of just narrowing it to the original "first choice" player angle, as you said it didn't really matter if the club captain was a guaranteed starter or not - so I was trying to find some more debating room for us, if you get me. Otherwise it'd just be me saying "it matters if he's not playing" and you saying it doesn't. I wasn't simply trying to support my own argument basically, was trying to see it from the other side as well.

 

If you weigh up every aspect of things (position, time at the club, character, professionalism, basically the whole schebang) then Given is a canny way ahead of Solano in my eyes and has a fair bit more to offer than the Peruvian. From all his time here I've never really seen Nobby as a "leader" and he certainly seems to be more of a "character" in the squad than anything else, when you consider his trumpeteering and suchlike! I can't argue that Given seems like a quiet bloke and has never really appeared much of a "leader" either (save for his reported outbursts fairly recently in the dressing room), but to me he seems like the most model professional at the club and has probably earned the captaincy with his performances for us over the years.

 

As you've alluded to it's not simply about "playing every game", because nobody is nailed-on to do that. But usually a captain would be one of the first names on the team sheet and a definite starter for the "big games". Who, out of the current squad, aside from Given is going to be a regular starter for us and perhaps even "undroppable"? (Watch us start next term with Harper as first-choice and Solano as captain!)

 

For the record, I'd have no problem with Solano being captain if he played and Given didn't, this isn't some anti-Nobby rubbish - I'm just going with what realistically I think is our best bet in the current climate. If anything I think Solano would be next-best bet behind Given and I think I mooted that last month or so as well.

 

Ideally it would be Given as club captain and Solano as vice-captain for me, no matter who comes through the doors between now and August 11th.

[Mick]

Last season Given played 33 games, Nobby played 39 of which 5 were as a sub, he (Nobby) was 5th when it comes to most games played.  Milner played the most at 46, Martins & Taylor both played 43, Nicky Butt was next with 40.

 

I would agree that Given is probably the first choice keeper and that we'll be stronger in midfield and defence but you never know what will happen.

[Rich]

Last season Given played 33 games, Nobby played 39 of which 5 were as a sub, he (Nobby) was 5th when it comes to most games played.  Milner played the most at 46, Martins & Taylor both played 43, Nicky Butt was next with 40.

 

I would agree that Given is probably the first choice keeper and that we'll be stronger in midfield and defence but you never know what will happen.

 

I've already mentioned Given's dodgy season last year, which is the exception, not the rule to his other years here.

 

Aside from that, of course we'll never know what the situation will be come August. Might as well just say that for every debate going at the minute though!

 

I'll wager you that Given plays more than Nobby next term and that he'll be captain though, if you like?? Nothing too extravagant though, I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!