Who should have the honour of captaining Aston Villa and what shirt will we wear in July?
Thursday, 19 June 08, 03:42 AM · Comments (54)
I don't normally just post something to generate hits on a poll, but this has been raised quite a few times now, I thought we'd get the general opinion of visitors to this site, so we had a point of reference.
In the title, I've called it an honour to captain Aston Villa, mostly because most of us would give a testicle to do it, but there is also a huge responsibility for whoever gets it and it should be a consideration when you pick your player.
Now, I've left a few out, mostly because I don't think the likes of Gabby or Craig Gardner are in the frame, so your options are very much limited to current players who I feel could do the job.
If you disagree and want to add a name, by all means you can suggest it below but it will probably not be added as I'm fairly sure, the players in the poll are the only ones in the frame, even if very remotely.
So, to the right, you get the chance to pick your captain and below you get to leave your reasons why. I'm actually quite interested to see the results for this one and think I know who'll get the vote, but still, it will be interesting to see the margin.
For all those that say, 'Barry hasn't gone yet', ask yourself this; can a team be captained by a player that has indicated his desire to leave? He may not have gone and even if Liverpool don't come in with another offer, much like his testimonial has been cancelled, he can't captain the club any more.
Before I go, the new shirt comes out on July 24th, but we have a competitive match before that. Anyone have any idea on what shirt we'll be wearing? Also, you can order the shirt here and get it delivered to your door on July 24th, if you like lycra football shirts that is.
Note: shirt question very kindly answered, cheers.Like this blog? Help spread the word: 
54 Comments · Add yours
The new shirt is unveiled on the 10th July so it will be the new one that is played in for the friendly and intertoto games before its release. As for captain i'm undecided between Reo-Coker and Laursen either would represent the shirt and arm band well.
A captaincy of two halves..
Problem is, the voice of the team, reo-coker, is in my opinion one of the worse players in the team. If someone along the likes of.... umm.... curtis davis was as vocal, agressive and emotional as reo-coker it would be all good..
Villa in the past years has had a problem with a SILENT DRESSING ROOM... a major problem, can you imagine a boring quite dressing room motivating you? I seriously think we lack captaincy ability... it helps a lot with morale and to get players pushing on in the hardest teams.
HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! If Martin O Neill goes ahead with a shocker and hands the armband to John Carew or Curtis Davis or someone along those lines, that could really suprise them and kick them into gear and change their personality to a captains one, if they get the honour..
Up to martin to judge the characters
MY vote - Martin Lauresen ( Short term ) Davies ( Long term )
Fully agree with you Josh C. A captain leads by exapmle, and Laurson is the model pro. Why Barry was Captain I will never know. What did Olly do wrong????
I do it for five Euros.
I do most things for five euros.
Has to be Coker for me.
A captain for me absolutely has to have a big vocal presence. This is why I've never rated Barry as captain, he's far too quiet. When Coker captained WHU, he ran round the pitch screaming instructions at his team mates. The fact he had this presence and this power made him a much better player for it. His first season with us, he had to take a step back, and now he's not organising the team he looks a little lost to be honest.
He's a born leader and he's at his best when he's leading. I can almost guarantee that if Coker was given the armband, his game would improve massively for us.
i cant pick between NRC and martin laursen both would be great captains, if NRC gets it he could be our capptain for years to come.
Laursen. Simple as.
Nigel Reo-Coker or Mountain Laursen. Most Influential
just for the record, id do it for 5euros too!
Agree with Josh about NRC. In an ideal world I'd be looking to make him a squad player as I don't believe he's good enough to be in a top 4 team, which is what we must aim for. However considering we will probably buy 4 players this summer he is probably the best man for the job.
prob laursen, leads by example. action speak louder then words i think, an he has the communication skills
too right villadaz :)
add me on msn if u want some villa chit chat daz
jcredbull@hotmail.com
i fully agree with josh c. laursen now and soon davies - obviously it depends on new signings and the fitness of the pair of them. i realise its speculation, but at the moment i can see barry staying until january at least as the asking price is too high for pool, and sidwell looks to be coming, so reo souldnt get a sniff. id still pick petrov ahead of him to start the season anyway.
i know coker is very vocal which is important, but how can the player respect a captain who isnt (yet) up to his own game at this higher level?
yeh i can see that it would be difficult to keep garath as captain after all this, so laursen and davies - then reo - if he gets on as a sub.
Well Knight, Reo Coker and Davies were all captains for their clubs and are very vocal. Davies is most definitely a long-term player, as well as Reo Coker. So it's between those 2 really and i also think they're better at being inspirational than Knight. I'd have to go with Reo-Coker. He is loud, inspires the team, puts in 100% effort in every game, and also knows how to get the team motivated (team huddle at Bolton and Derby resulting in 4-0 and 6-0 wins!)
I think the big man, John Carew or Martin Laursen. Both ever present in the squad this season and both deserve it.
UTV :P
I think most people watch a different team to me every week. What's with all the NRC negative comments!! When he joined us MON wanted him to do the Makalele role, so the likes of Young, Gabby & Barry could rip defences apart! Only Man U & Arsenal scored more goals than us, so it worked! Again, the OPTA stats show only one player in the Prem made more successful tackles! If we'd got a Goalkeeper that hadn't got the yips on England duty, we'd have challenged for 4th! NRC captain for me, Laursen for Vice Captain as I don't think his old bones will manage as many starts as last season, save him for the big games if we've got the squad to do it!!
"zat knight - youve got to be in it to win it". i literally lol-ed when i read that. funniest thing id heard all year... until my blackburn supportin mate tried to claim that bentleys gonna stay
Knight shouldnt even be in the runing and to be honest i feel we should never of bought him. Reo-coker should be captain next year.
[b]MARTIN LAURSEN[/b]
[b]MARTIN LAURSEN[/b]
Salifou obviously.
failing that, I agree with vivavilla, give it to Coker. He may not be the classiest player in the world but he will run and shout all week and get the team pumped. The captain does not necessarily have to be the best player. Laursen, brilliant as he is, seems like the kind of guy who wouldn't want to offend anybody. Too 'nice', a bit like GB. If he were a colour it would be beige.
Reo Joker as Captain are you having a laugh????? He should be given a free transfer not the captains arm band. The worst player to play for Villa since Nigel Callaghan. Martin Lausen is the only candidate.
Give it to Craig Gardner. A great young brummie lad, he is claret and blue through 'n' through and a future England Captain
This may end up being a similar situation as Gerard was in where he was undecided and stayed at Liverpool in the end. We can but hope.
Just thought i'd add that it seems to some Villa fans if you play for Villa you can do no wrong. Reo Coker please can someone tell me what he does apart from moan & point his finger? Cant tackle,can't pass, is weak, doesn't score goals.
Please somebody let me know what he does. Capatin my arse.
I've just seen Zat Knight mentioned haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.................The 2nd wost player since Nigel Callaghan.
depends who we sign the capain could be one of many
Anyone for Salifou?
He is Togos 4th in line captain.
Give it to Maloney - might just bring out the best in the wee man.
Reo-Coker is so underated its unbelievable. Yeh its tru he cant pass but the drive n determination in midfield makes him the ideal choice. Martin Laursen leads by example but he wud not b as vocal as Reo plus u never kno he cud get injured again. I reckon that makin Reo captain will actually improve his game, remember he has only had one season at villa he will get better.
Like vivavilla said hes a born leader, captain of MK dons at 21, captain of WH, captain of England under-21s. Fact i think MON had it in mind when he signed him.
NRC is the obvious choice.
NRC just keeps his starting place thanks to barry helping him out..! So imagine next season if barry goes, NRC will be captain.. but it will be the reserves.!!
It has got to be NRC for me! He might not be the shrpest tackler, shooter or passer in the world but the boy does have passion! A captain is someone who can motivate a team and lead by example.
We can all argue about his lack of skill sometime but no one can disagree with the fact that he put 100% into every game last season. If things are going badly players look to a captain for help! If they see a guy running the length of the pitch to make a tackle that can only inspire then. Would be Nigel for me! I think if he is made captain we will see a much improved player next season!
how come barry wasnt on the vote, hes still a villa player for now
Reo-coker, natural leader. Biggest talker in the squad. His best game last season was at anfield when he was skipper
"What's with all the NRC negative comments!! When he joined us MON wanted him to do the Makalele role, so the likes of Young, Gabby & Barry could rip defences apart! Only Man U & Arsenal scored more goals than us, so it worked!"
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D THATS STUPID PHIL.
yeah barry really ripped up defences.. u mean he didnt even attack?
and also reo-cokers job didnt work as our defencive record was poo, thats his job.
I'd have thought SALIFOU would be the obvious choice here??
btw, i do like reo-coker, he just needs a bit more brain power..
It is a no Brainer.. NRC is our captian. even when barry was there, he was the one organising the team.
NRC is class. Deserves to be in the England team.
Sidwell gets my vote, failing that it has to be NRC, i can hear him from Droitwich...
NRC has gt captaincy xp. however afta a poor season i dnt fink NRC suld get da arm band. Martin Laursen on the other hand has been insperational at the back and i think he suld b give the arm band.
I think giving hokey cokey the captain would be the kick up the arse he needs to start realising his true potential and maybe he'll even learn how to pass a ball!!! :0
REO-COKER- I THINK HE WILL HAV A MASSIVE INFLUENCE ON THE TEAM!!
WOULD NOT MIND LAURSEN THO
for mike s it just has to be either:
[b][/b]martin laursen :) or
[b][/b][b][/b]wilfred bouma ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
sorry i like bouma.
josh got it bang on.short term laursen.long term davies.they both have the game and the brain,
Curtis Davis Laursen or Reo
and if possible a new player :o
having a Captain is old and boring, no one cares who is captain really, i didnt care last year and i dont this year? Players that come to villa and current players should not need motivating and need leadership!(90 mins a week for 50 grand) we are not in the first division going thru the stages? we are a big club that needs BIG PLAYERS who want to win big things.
NRC is alrite but hes no van der vart or hargreaves and he wont lead us to 4th and success (huddle talk is cheap i need foot action)
but if i had to choose from the current squad i wood pick LAURSEN just because he was so good 4 us last year, all them goals and all them headers he made clearing the opposition away, u should no what i mean
Blind that's all i can say about all you Reo Joker Lovers. Every single time Barry didn't play well Villa had nothing in midfield. Not once did this loser step up to the plate no 1 single time. Wigan at home is a prime example., they do a job on Barry & Young & wher was this bloke nowhere to be seen . Without doubt the worst player since Nigel callaghan.
You may all laugh at this but I personally would give it to Ashley Young as I think he is the most important player to our future, so give him the responsibility, watch him mature over night and become a legend!
Reo-Coker will shout and organise regardless of whether he is captain or not. Laursen has the respect of his peers and surely the youngsters in the team - of which there are many. The great news is that, however you look at it, we have great leadership throughout the spine of the team. Which to me logically and traditionally is a fantastic quality in a winning team. I'm just brimming with optomism about all this. Have a cracking weeknd folks!!
Mikey S your right :D :D :D :D :D :D
if full backs were banned from attacking bouma would be the best in the world, he so solid.. but he too short for a Centre Back >:(
GET BOURIC IN MAKE HIM CAPTAIN
I won't be ordering a new shirt until we buy some new players. The Villa won't be getting any more of my money until they do.
Hokey Cokey is crap, I'd be annoyed to see him get it - was West Ham skipper too young and acted like a child with it. I'd love to see Laursen with it but you always worry about injuries, Big John would be awsome but I don't think strikers should be skippers as they can't see enough of the field, which brings me to Curtis - young, generally fit (unlucky last season), was skipper for the Baggies. Curtis it is. We all know MON will give it to Reo-Choker though! As a side line, if Barry stayed he should lose the arm band, skippers need to be loyal through and through.
You could have at least added Barry to the poll to see how many people do still want him as Captain if he stays what ever your argument towards him is?
[quote]For all those that say, 'Barry hasn't gone yet', ask yourself this; can a team be captained by a player that has indicated his desire to leave?[/quote]
In a word, yes. Not discussing it because you have all made your minds up and entitled to your opinion.
It's Funder mentally flawed to even leave him out when he hasn't gone yet. You should do this Poll when he leaves.
Being as this is one big joke SALIFOU gets my vote.
for me wilfy bouma would get the armband,hes one of our most commited players on and off the pitch,hes a 100 per center who likes a tackle....think reo will get it though MON already made him vice.....oh and olly stepped down as skipper at same time he did for sweden,thats why barry.