Newcastle must choose a new captain, but who will it be?
Posted on July 2nd, 2010 | 71 Comments |
Newcastle are kind of lucky in that regard as we have a lot of players who have played at the highest level for a long time, they know what it’s about and they know what is required. With pre-season just around the corner, it gives all the likely candidates a chance to push their credentials forward for the job.
Obviously Nicky Butt didn’t play too much of a part last season, but it still didn’t stop him being the captain. Part of the theory behind that is because we have a lot of ‘on the pitch’ leaders, which fortunately meant Nicky Butt didn’t need to be on the pitch to perform his ‘duties’. Kevin Nolan, Alan Smith, Steve Harper and Fabricio Coloccini all had turns in wearing the armband last season, and considering all of those look likely to kick off the new season with us then you would have to assume that one of them has to be in the running to be named the captain on a full-time basis. So let’s take a look at the options.
Alan Smith – Probably the most likely candidate in my opinion, although I do have some concerns if Smith is given the armband. That would mean he would more than likely be on the pitch, which is fine, but for me he doesn’t really add anything apart from a few flying tackles. Then again, I guess it depends on what system we play and whether we play it both home and away. For the record, I think we will play 4-4-2 at home and 4-5-1 away with Nolan behind Carroll and Smith sitting in front of the back four.
Kevin Nolan – The player I would like to see get the armband, purely as I believe he will be in the team more than Smith will be. He had been a Premier League captain for years at Bolton, and he brought that leadership to Tyneside during parts of last season and established himself as an integral part of the squad. He is one of the reasons why I think that our heads won’t drop like they did in our relegation season as he knows what is needed to keep morale high in the face of adversity, much like he helped to achieve at Bolton.
Fabricio Coloccini – He was only a bit part captain last season, mailnly being handed the armband after the original captain had been substituted, but he is still a big player for us. He really surprised me last season as I thought he would be one of the guys who wimped out and wouldn’t be up for the fight. He proved me wrong, and another year adapting to the English game will leave him in good stead for next year in the Premier League. Is he captain material? I would say so, but I would be surprised if he was to get the nod.
Steve Harper – He is the longest serving current Newcastle player after spending the last 100 years at St James’ Park, so if seniority ruled then Harper should be in with a shot of wearing the armband. In my world though, seniority doesn’t rule and that forms part of the reason why I don’t think Harper should get the armband. The other part is that I just don’t like goalkeepers being captains, never have. For me, a captain has to be out on the pitch where he can influence and keep an eye on things. It’s hard to do that if you are stuck in a little box at one end of the pitch. Say Newcastle are attacking and something kicks off at the opposite end to where Harper is. That would mean he would need to charge the length of the pitch to have a word with the ref or to try and calm things down. Harper – a great servant, and it is appreciated, but as a captain he is not my choice.
Steven Taylor – My wildcard choice. Do I think he should be captain? No. But if dangling the captains armband in front of him coaxed him into signing a new contract at Newcastle then I wouldn’t be against it. I believe that he is future capatin material at Newcastle but, as many of you know, I have severe doubts over his commitment to the club. Of course he could prove me wrong and sign a new contract with us, and I would be happy for him to do that, but my doubts will remain until he actually signs a new contract. Perhaps vice-captain to start with to allow him to learn the role and grow into first?
So who would you choose? Do you think I have missed any potential candidates?
NUFCBlog Author: toonsy
toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.
Probably Nolan, that’s if he’s a regular.