Subject:  WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN |
Author:
Ray Wilkins
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Date Posted: 10:47:32 03/09/04 Tue
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CAPTAIN
It goes without saying that to be successful in the Barclaycard Premiership a club must possess a talented team and a strong squad.
But it is no coincidence that the teams chasing the game’s most prestigious prizes are also led by men of genuine inspiration.
The value of such captains cannot be underestimated whether they be a firebrand with a laser tongue and a short fuse such as Roy Keane at Manchester United or a man of few words but shimmering example such as Arsenal’s Patrick Vieira.
The key is respect. Invariably a skipper commanding such a quality is the first name on the team sheet precisely because he is the umbilical cord between the manager and the team.
The skipper is the manager’s eyes and ears. He is the closest to the heartbeat of the team and the inner thoughts of the manager, which is why it so often appears that a manager and his captain have been carved from the same mould. They simply have to operate on the same wavelength.
So the vocal, abrasive style of Keane perfectly mirrors the feisty, no-nonsense personality of Sir Alex Ferguson while the quieter, lead-by-example demeanour of Vieira reflects the more cerebral approach of Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger.
One thing, however, is imperative. The captain has to be virtually irreplaceable. He has to be the main man, sure of his place in the side, secure in the knowledge that his work-rate, his commitment and his talent cannot be questioned.
It is certainly the only way a captain whose preferred method is to dish out carpetings on the pitch on a regular basis can retain his authority. Footballers are quick to see the chink in any team-mate’s game or any dip in his standard and a captain’s words would bounce back at double speed if he let his own game drop in quality.
It is a delicate, often psychologically fraught, balance. It’s good for a captain to be a hard man, to retain high standards and to possess an iron will - but he must not rule by fear, a commodity which can ruin a player’s form and confidence with frightening speed.
Having said that there is much to be said for the vocal approach. I was captain of Chelsea at just 18 and my style was always extremely vocal - not dishing out roastings perhaps but trying to encourage and energise players around me.
I found most players responded much better to an arm around the shoulder than to a gratuitous hurl of invective. The young players especially look to the captain to sort out the problems on the pitch, to iron out the numerous spats and guide them through a match which might not be going quite to the plan envisaged in the changing room.
I always worked on the basis of trying to get at least a seven-and-a-half performance out of every player with the occasional 10 out of 10 thrown in and by continually chivvying and encouraging them that was possible.
It is much easier to do that from midfield than any other position on the pitch, which is why so many top skippers seem to occupy that controlling position.
True, Alan Shearer has done a wonderful job at Newcastle but with him it is less the art of persuasive communication and more his goal contribution and phenomenal industry which is at the heart of his inspiration. Like Vieira he works his socks off.
There is nothing like being in the thick of the action to get the rounded picture a skipper requires. It comes down to geography. It is simply impossible with the huge crowds and noise generated at today’s Barclaycard Premiership grounds for a striker to make himself heard to most of his team.
The same goes for a goalkeeper, though it has to be conceded that some defenders, such as Arsenal’s Tony Adams, were supreme leaders operating from the heart of defence.
To my mind the art of captaincy is a God-given talent. In terms of man-management I suppose parts of it can be taught to an extent but its most important essence comes from within.
It derives from the individual’s own personality which, after all, has been formed by a combination of genes and all manner of experiences.
In the end it comes down to a very simple equation. Treat people in the right manner and they will respond in the right manner.
Not rocket science - but then football played at its best truly is a simple game.
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