Cobi Budge":1bcywh1m said:
Sarcevic for me, I’m baffled why but people for some reason don’t seem to see what a good leader he is.
It would have been nice if you had shared with us all the leadership criteria you see in Sarcevic, that so many others have failed to spot. I actually think it is, in most instances, very difficult for fans to identify who is the natural leader within a group.
The easiest thing for fans to spot is whether a player is vocal. Fans like a captain who is vocal (Paul Wotton an obvious example), because being loud is seen as being passionate - though it's often not the same thing. It's pointless shouting a lot, however, if your teammates don't take any notice of you. You have to have respect.
Respect is gained in all sorts of ways. There's respect for playing ability, respect for how you handle yourself amongst your peers on and off the field, respect for how you live your life away from the club. One aspect of gaining respect is how you cope with adversity - I'm sure Ryan Edwards has enormous respect from his teammates (as well of course the fanbase) in terms of coping with his illness. I also think Luke McCormick was respected for overcoming adversity, even though his adversity was of his own making.
Captain's can be senior pros, experienced men who have seen it all in lengthy careers who have gained their respect through longevity (McCormick, Sawyer, Fox perhaps). These men should certainly be leaders, but they are not automatically captain material, and don't necessarily want the armband. Captains can also be the best/most inspirational player (Carey within the current group), certainly respected for their ability, but sometimes it's better to let these guys do their stuff without being burdened with the extra responsibility. Captains can also be younger men, who the manager can see are respected despite their youth. I don't remember either Conor Hourihane or Curtis Nelson being particularly vocal at the start of their captaincy, but both grew into the job, and both captained their next club as well.
I don't know who will be our next captain. I don't even know if we need one - it may be that GA sticks with Sawyer for the moment and only makes a permanent decision when it's clear that Gary is no longer first choice. I'm sure however that DA will be studying the playing group on and off the field, and will recognise when potential leaders emerge.
As a final point, I think captaincy can be overrated. Most managers would say that they need several leaders on the field, and the more players you have that take responsibility the less important it is who actually wears the armband.