Thomas Christiansen has said today that the new captain of the club will be decided by the players themselves, a strange and bold move. Christiansen seems to have the players on side but there is no doubting this move has question marks over it. The captain will be revealed on Sunday at Bolton.
As far as we knew Liam Bridcutt was still the captain and Liam Cooper was the vice-captain. Neither are nailed on first-team players which raises question marks over how effective they can be on the pitch during the season. However the fact that the players can now choose means the likes of Liam Cooper, a popular and long serving player may well be voted in, even though he surely isn’t a starter with a full-strength side. It represents a huge risk by Christiansen if players who aren’t really in his plans get the armband, what then?
Liam Bridcutt took over from the disastrous Sol Bamba who was very good off the field but terrible on it, and we can now only hope the players pick a leader both on and off the pitch, rather than jus someone who has been there a long time or gets on with everyone. It would seem bizarre that a player could potentially be picked and not even played in the game. The players have been coming out and saying how much they are enjoying Christiansen’s new regime at the club, Eunan O’Kane today revealing his style of play is something the players are excited about.
Who knows what player will come out wearing the armband on Sunday, Cooper will now be the favourite but for me that isn’t the right option. Two days and counting.
