It’s something that has gone under the radar so far. With Paul Lambert busily bringing in players and instilling them with the belief to play a brand of football to be proud of, the question of the captain’s arm band has been very much overlooked.
Stiliyan Petrov, rightly, remains club captain and we obviously hope he can resume his duties on the pitch. But in the meantime we need a leader out there, a man to rally the troops and keep his head whilst those around him lose theirs.
The team is shaping up nicely and there are a few candidates for captaincy emerging. Clearly the captain needs to be playing week in week out if possible and should be an integral part of the team. Clearly he needs to have the respect of his fellow pros and it would also be a big help if he has an affinity with the fans.
So let’s take a look at the candidates.
Darren Bent – The Goal Scorer. If fit, an automatic pick.
Ciaran Clark – The Academy Graduate. The future of the team.
Karim El Ahamadi – The Midfield General, conducting play.
Ron Vlaar – The Beast at the Back.
Gabby Agbonlahor – The Fan on the Pitch, a Villan through and through.
These are really the only candidates for the role and you can make a case for each to be given the role. But it is a job for one man. So I look to the captains of the past that have inspired a team, not necessarily in successful teams or even cup-winning teams (if we can remember that far back). A good captain and leader on the pitch is arguably just a important, if not more important, in a struggling team.
For me, Darren Bent is not a captain. He is not involved enough as a player, his work ethic (for me at least) doesn’t merit the position, and he will hardly inspire others to “go the extra mile”. Yes his goals can be inspirational, but for me he just doesn’t offer anything other than that. He just isn’t a voice on the pitch.
Whilst it would make half of me well up with pride that one of our own is captain, the other half of me would despair at the thought of Gabby with the arm band. Works hard, obviously has passion for the club, but lacks the brain for the job.
So we’re left with the three most likely. Karim I am going to rule out, not because he is not a great candidate and the type of player I would love to be captain. Not because I think the way he plays the game won’t inspire his team mates…but simply because the other two candidates merit consideration before him. Karim is unlucky in this case as last season we missed a proper leader and he would have waltzed in to the arm-band role. I do expect to see him with it at some point this season.
Vlaar and Clark are two players I expect to be playing side by side this season. The salt and pepper, the chalk and cheese, the great line about opposites attract… but both are great candidates for different reasons.
Vlaar is the chest-thumping Terry type. He’ll throw himself in front of anything, he’ll battle and bully the opposition. He also has experience captaining a team that has won trophies and played Champions League football. I don’t know how vocal he is but I imagine with the type of player he is he will be very vocal (whether he is captain or not). However, he has got a suspect injury record and I would prefer consistency in that role.
Clark is a product of the club and has captained at every level he has played for club and country. A clever player, the perfect complement (on paper at least) to Vlaar. He reads the game exceptionally well and has the mobility and ability on the ball that few defenders ever do. A man that can break down attacks and start his own, not just a blocker of the ball, but a taker of the ball. He too has been a vocal captain at all levels and is starting to find his voice in the Villa first team.
It’s a tough call for me, if I let my head rule my heart I would opt for Vlaar…but life isn’t that simple and a constant nagging in my mind wants to see Clark given the role. We know he has the quality in his game, and he is now coming of age. Terry stepped up when he was given captaincy at Chelsea. There is nothing wrong with young captains and without the likes of Dunne and Collins in the team there is a smooth road ahead of him without those two constantly shifting blame on the pitch and speaking in a manner toward their team mates that disgusted me.
So for once my heart is going to win. I would love to see a kid come through the ranks and be given the captain’s arm band. He knows the club inside out, he is a quality player, and I think he would be excellent for us.
So who would you choose? What do you look for in a captain?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Author
