The captain's role

[Ripley]

What does a captain of a football team actually do?

 

What should he do?

 

Where do his responsibilities begin and end?

 

Not specifically aimed at our club and so could be moved to Gen Footy but prompted by the actions (and inaction) over a period of time by more than one captain of the top clubs. Gallas goes on strike. Terry leads mob protests to referees. Gerrard “leads by example”. Giggs is just the senior pro. No agenda either, just a seeking after views of what people feel the role should involve.

 

Unlike, say, cricket, where the captain is responsible for everything that happens on the field while the bowling side, micro-managing his team and implementing the tactics in a constantly changing scenario, the role of the football captain could be said to be largely ceremonial.

 

He leads out the team, tosses up, shakes hands with the officials and what? Get to receive a trophy? He wears an armband to denote his status but what does this status accord him?

 

He has no more rights conferred on him by the laws of the game than any other member of his team. Unless and until the governing bodies confer “special status”, he has no more right to approach a referee over a decision than any other player, nor does the official have to consult him in respect of any “player-management” issues.

 

So what qualities do we look for to define a good captain? Is there a case for a club captain (ambassadorial figurehead) as well as a team captain, who is virtually guaranteed a place and makes what decisions need to be made on the pitch during a game without reference to the technical area, which mainly seems to involve which player is delegated to take free-kicks in a goal-scoring position or penalties.

 

If you were writing a job description, what would be the “essentials” and the “desirables”?

[Billy Dane]

I think there are two types of football captain;

 

Those who lead by example - e.g. Bryan Robson, Thierry Henry.

 

 

Those who "manage", organise and motivate the other players (e.g. John Terry, Roy Keane)

 

With our team, I think Gerrard falls into the first category and Carra falls into the second group. For me, the second type of Captain is what is needed and this isn't necessarily the best player on the side.

 

Gerrard is the best player at Liverpool and can win games for us "on his own", but I don't believe the best player necessarily makes the best Captain. I think it might be too late for Carra to be Captain (which is a shame) but of the current team I could see Mascherano (despite yesterday) being the type of captain we need.

 

Having said all that I don't think the captaincy will be taken off Gerrard.

[muleskinner]

I think there are two types of football captain;

 

Those who lead by example - e.g. Bryan Robson, Thierry Henry.

Those who "manage", organise and motivate the other players (e.g. John Terry, Roy Keane)

 

With our team, I think Gerrard falls into the first category and Carra falls into the second group. For me, the second type of Captain is what is needed and this isn't necessarily the best player on the side.

 

Gerrard is the best player at Liverpool and can win games for us "on his own", but I don't believe the best player necessarily makes the best Captain. I think it might be too late for Carra to be Captain (which is a shame) but of the current team I could see Mascherano (despite yesterday) being the type of captain we need.

 

Having said all that I don't think the captaincy will be taken off Gerrard.

 

Nor should it be.

[pipnasty]

Gerrard scoring against Milan was the perfect example of a captain who is leading by inspiration.

[Chili Palmer]

No chance of taking it off Gerrard, he apparantly is a very good captain off the pitch, looking after new lads, that sorta thing. I think some people are making too much of what a captain should or shouldn't do, its not like any of our players are novices, they should know what its all about by now and not need someone to hold their hand on the pitch.

[MFletcher]

Gerrard is a 'lead by example' captain. When he's on form, he's bloody brilliant and the other players on the pitch could only look at him in awe and aspire to that level of performance. The problem is games like yesterday, where he is completely invisible - and completely silent as well.

 

Our players were getting kicked off the park and the only one who was taking the ref to task about it was Mascherano - and he was already sitting on a yellow card.

[Jim D]

I think there are two types of football captain;

 

Those who lead by example - e.g. Bryan Robson, Thierry Henry.

Those who "manage", organise and motivate the other players (e.g. John Terry, Roy Keane)

 

With our team, I think Gerrard falls into the first category and Carra falls into the second group. For me, the second type of Captain is what is needed and this isn't necessarily the best player on the side.

 

Gerrard is the best player at Liverpool and can win games for us "on his own", but I don't believe the best player necessarily makes the best Captain. I think it might be too late for Carra to be Captain (which is a shame) but of the current team I could see Mascherano (despite yesterday) being the type of captain we need.

 

Having said all that I don't think the captaincy will be taken off Gerrard.

 

I'd take a captain in the second category over a captain in the first category every time because isn't that what a captain's job is? Every player on the pitch should be leading by example anyway, they are playing for Liverpool Football Club.

 

Players that have respect for their team mates, who can motivate, lead and is always communicating to his team mates on the pitch is to me is Captain material. Look at the great LFC captains of recent years, Yeats, Smith, Hughes, Thompson, Souness and Hansen all of them probably fall into category two. As good as a player Gerrard is he isn't captain material. The one player who stands out every game, who is constantly shouting and communicating to his team mates is Carragher.

[Billy Dane]

No chance of taking it off Gerrard, he apparantly is a very good captain off the pitch, looking after new lads, that sorta thing. I think some people are making too much of what a captain should or shouldn't do, its not like any of our players are novices, they should know what its all about by now and not need someone to hold their hand on the pitch.

 

I think we have plenty of novices in our team who need "managing" on the pitch, e.g. Babel is new to the premiership, as is Skrtel, Pennant is pretty clueless, Mascherano clearly had no idea how much of a t*** Bennett is and so on. These players would benefit from a captain who manages and organises on the pitch more than one who leads by example. To lead by example requires the captain to be at the top of his game all the time and I think this can place unfair pressure on said player. Not having a pop at Gerrard as I think he is a great, great player.

[Jim D]

Gerrard is a 'lead by example' captain. When he's on form, he's bloody brilliant and the other players on the pitch could only look at him in awe and aspire to that level of performance. The problem is games like yesterday, where he is completely invisible - and completely silent as well.

 

Our players were getting kicked off the park and the only one who was taking the ref to task about it was Mascherano - and he was already sitting on a yellow card.

 

That is the problem when you have a captain who leads by example, it is very much dependent on form, when he is playing well he gives the whole team a lift but when he isn't he goes into a shell and as a consequence you will invariably find his team mates doing the same thing.

 

That is why I would always appoint a captain who is a good communicator on the pitch, who can lift the players regardless of how well he or the team is playing on the pitch. Form doesn't come into it, it is the personality of the individual itself who can raise his team mates.

 

Take yesterday for example, where was Gerrard trying to take the game by the scruff of the neck, trying to lead the way, trying to get us back into the game, telling the lads to show more composure on the ball. That is what we needed, we never got it, Gerrard bottled it because he couldn't do it and so did the team. The only player who tried to get us out of the situation and showed some balls was Mascherano.

[Cobs]

The only player who tried to get us out of the situation and showed some balls was Mascherano.

 

[Woodsyla]

The one player who stands out every game, who is constantly shouting and communicating to his team mates is Carragher.

 

To be fair I think that is cos Carra is a defender rather than because he would make a good captain. I reckon Alonso would make a good captain.

[Jim D]

 

He was Cobs, Mascherano over the past few games has shown to us he has the potential to be a future LFC Captain. Problem was the situation got so bad (Majority of the team bottling the game) no one else stuck up for him, he was the only one who seemed to care. Unfortunately in his situation and the complexity of what happened last week he got sent off for his actions.

[Jim D]

To be fair I think that is cos Carra is a defender rather than because he would make a good captain. I reckon Alonso would make a good captain.

 

It has got nothing to do with the players position on the football pitch (Even though having a defender as a Captain does have an advantage because he can see all his team mates in front of him) it is much more to do with Personality. Funnily enough looking at the great LFC Captains down the years all of them bar one (Souness) were defenders.

 

Question you would have to ask yourself is this, why didn't Ferguson appoint Scholes Captain instead of Keane in the 1990s? Scholes was a fantastic player, who you could say leads by example but Keane was chosen because he had something else that Scholes didn't have, the ability to motivate, organise and take a game by the scruff of neck when it wasn't going well.

Edited March 24, 2008 by Jim D

[Cobs]

He was Cobs, Mascherano over the past few games has shown to us he has the potential to be a future LFC Captain. Problem was the situation got so bad (Majority of the team bottling the game) no one else stuck up for him, he was the only one who seemed to care. Unfortunately in his situation and the complexity of what happened last week he got sent off for his actions.

If Gerrard had got himself sent off at OT after half an hour in exactly the same circumstances i wonder what the reaction on here would be....

[growler]

I think Gerrard is a good captain. Look at how highly the new players talk about him and how he helps settle them etc. The captain is the club captain, not just the captain on the pitch. He usually does gee up the players and I am sure Rafa will be guiding him to explain that he should have spoken to MAsch before hand.

 

On a seperate note, I do think that only the captain should be able to speak to the referee during the match. That would stop the madness.

[MFletcher]

If Gerrard had got himself sent off at OT after half an hour in exactly the same circumstances i wonder what the reaction on here would be....

 

Amazement that he'd actually taken the referee to task for his inconsistency.

[jfogarty]

Gerrard is a fine captain. Model professional and inspirational. Those attributes are good enough for me.

[st.johns]

I think Carragher berates teammates, rather than shouts words of encouragement.

 

I also don't know what's the big deal about who should be captain, just so long as he can call 'heads' or 'tails'

[Cobs]

Amazement that he'd actually taken the referee to task for his inconsistency.

or more slagging is more likely for letting his team down and not acting like a captain....

[Jim D]

Gerrard is a fine captain. Model professional and inspirational. Those attributes are good enough for me.

 

Yes they are good attributes but it is not enough to be a Captain of a title winning side. This situation with Gerrard being Captain today kind of reminds me of Manchester United in the 1980s, not too dissimilar to us now. A good team, winning cups but always falling short in the League. They had a Captain called Bryan Robson, nicknamed "Captain Marvel" because of his ability to "lead by example".

 

When Robson played well the Mancs played well, however, when it came to the big games or games when it wasn't going well, if Robson was off form or injured (he was quite a lot), invariably the Mancs were off form. If I remember in the 85-86 season, when we did the double, the Mancs won their first 10 games of the season, Robson got injured and they fell off the pace.

 

I'm seeing the same situation now mirroring with Liverpool and Steven Gerrard. To some that may seem a very simplistic assumption to make but all you need to do is look at the title winning captains over the past 30yrs to find your answer.

Edited March 24, 2008 by Jim D

[jfogarty]

Yes they are good attributes but it is not enough to be a Captain of a title winning side. This situation with Gerrard being Captain today kind of reminds me of Manchester United in the 1980s, not too dissimilar to us now. A good team, winning cups but always falling short in the League. They had a Captain called Bryan Robson, nicknamed "Captain Marvel" because of his ability to "lead by example".

 

When Robson played well the Mancs played well, however, when it came to the big games or games when it wasn't going well, if Robson was off form or injured (he was quite a lot), invariably the Mancs were off form. If I remember in the 85-86 season, when we did the double, the Mancs won their first 10 games of the season, Robson got injured and they fell off the pace.

I'm seeing the same situation now mirroring with Liverpool and Steven Gerrard.

 

Theres a very good chance that Ryan Giggs is going to captain Man Utd to the title this season. He doesn't exactly have the attributes you speak of and is nowhere near as inspirational as Gerrard.

 

Gerrard is the best man to captain our team.

[Woodsyla]

the ability to motivate, organise and take a game by the scruff of neck when it wasn't going well.

 

I don't think Carra does any of that. He just seems to aim a volley of abuse at a player after a f*** up.

 

Alonso demonstrated all those attributes in the Derby after Gerrard got himself sent off.

[Cobs]

Gerrard is the best man to captain our team.

 

by a feckin mile

[Hassony]

I think Carragher berates teammates, rather than shouts words of encouragement.

 

I also don't know what's the big deal about who should be captain, just so long as he can call 'heads' or 'tails'

 

if they bring in a rule that only the captain is allowed to talk to the ref than it will be important.

[Woodsyla]

Theres a very good chance that Ryan Giggs is going to captain Man Utd to the title this season. He doesn't exactly have the attributes you speak of and is nowhere near as inspirational as Gerrard.

 

You don't need to be a good captain when things are going well, Keane was a great captain because he shone in adversity and lead by example. I don't think John Terry is a great captain particularly. He's won titles. Henry was a s*** captain.

 

I think Gerrard is an ok captain and he's the one we've got.