Hopefully O'nien remains club captain. I'm now certain we're losing Neil though. Cheeky swap deal with Bologna? Think he would do very well in Serie A.
Clearly the right choice in my opinion, I never felt giving Neil the captaincy fit well. We're now a multi-lingual club and I doubt Neil is inclined to learn languages. We have so many nationalities now, the captain needs to be able to get the message across on the pitch. Hume would've been a possibility but I think he needs to focus on his game.
I still feel Neil will stay and sign a new deal I believe he will benefit from not having the armband too
I think if Dan had committed himself to a new deal by now, then the captain position would be more open for discussion, although I still believe Xhaka would have been awarded it. The contract has been on the table for a while now and with every passing day (and new signing) it looks unlikely that it will be signed. No one likes to see home grown talent leaving, but I think it's almost inevitable that that will happen.
Neil has never really felt like a true captain to me - I always thought O’Nien was clearly the leader in the dressing room. Even if Neil stays, which I’d like him to, he’s unlikely to be starting that many games as things stand. You need your captain on the pitch. I think Xhaka being captain is the right choice, especially when you consider, as Smug has said, the very Francophile nature of our squad now. It seems logical that our captain should be able to speak both French and English.
I said last night that of they were looking for a new skipper it makes pure sense it would be Xhaka. Doesn't bode well for Dan.
It did seem to have a negative effect on him, weight of the world on his shoulders at times and playing with less freedom. I was under the impression he had asked for it though, think if xhaka DOES end up taking the armband then it may confirm the end of Danno in red and white. Should he go then id rather it be abroad, couldn't watch him playing against us (well at least this season, maybe in the champions league next year)
Neil is rapidly running out of choices imo. He's not sufficiently talented to merit a regular starting place in a top half PL side ... ... and not tough enough, or nasty enough, for a PL relegation battle. I think it'll be somewhere like Ipswich tbh, I doubt he'd adapt to Europe.
Aw yeah I agree. I just dont see us stripping Neil of the captaincy for Xhaka, that just doesnt feel like something we would do imo. Local lad, whole life in the academy, been key in our rise from our lowest ever moment and in his first year as captain lead us to promotion back to the Prem. Would just feel off to me if he was staying and we took it off him, which is why I think if Xhaka is captain, Neil will be going. Whole contract situation has been a bit of a shame if this is the end of his time here. Would of liked an extension with him competing against the current crop of midfield lads.
Like i've said for a while now, if Neil doesn't sign, we need to cash in, can't let him go for free, he will likely be looking at other options rn IMO
I cant see neil staying whatsoever tbf theres only so long you can hang on and not sign a new contract
Captaincy doesn't is well with everyone. Some people are best left to get on with their game and forget about the responsibility of the role. Look at Cricket - how being captain affected Ian Botham's game. When it was taken off him ( and I think Mike Brearley took over ) he flourished. Yet Brearley wasn't anywhere near the player that Botham was. More recently we've seen it with Joe Root and the England captaincy. His performances have changed since he had it taken away. I think in time Hume would make a good captain, probably the pick of the current group, when Xhaka hands it over.
