Let's have your choices! Will be announced end of this month

Purtell

Pitts

(But I think it'll be Gaskell)

Sidlow

Sidlow or Ferguson.

Interesting that no names really spring out when looking at the squad.

Nothing against the bloke but why are people saying Sidlow?

Got SL experience. Expected to play long minutes. Talked up by Lowes in the press fairly recently.

There's the leading from the front aspect sure but then there's the quiet word, the inspirational team talk under the posts needed too. I can't recall hearing him speak so don't know whether he has the ability to galvanize the team. I'm almost certainly being totally unfair but I have for some reason got a perception that he doesn't quite have what it takes in the brainbox to deliver a stirring oration when we are flagging.

The fact that this is no obvious candidate concerns me a bit. We are going to need players to step up and become leaders.

O'brien.

I don't think Lowes will want to burden Gaskell with the captaincy. He has to choose someone who is going to be a certain starter (very few players with such a big squad) And he needs someone who plays long minutes.

Maybe a bit unfair to stick it on AO'B. He may well be a future captain but he's still got a bit of the 'callow youth' about him as yet and a skipper has to sound the part as much as act it. Would he, at this early stage of his career, have the authority, that is the [inatural[/i authority, of a true leader? MMmm..

When you look at the squad list, barring the halves and hooker, who don't look skipper material it's not easy to pick a starting 13 let alone a captain.

Purtell speaks well and with enthusiasm.
Clough has probably played at the highest level.
Ferguson?
If Addy is getting the 13 shirt as mentioned in the T and A does he look like a skipper? Probably no less so than anyone else.

I’d say Clough, Ferguson, Purtell and Sidlow are the most likely looking given that they’d be more likely to be picked in the starting 13 if everyone’s fit.

Apart from Ferguson who I see as a cert if he’s fit the backrow is totally up for grabs and anyone could be in it from week to week so even though someone like Walker has plenty of experience he may not be getting a slot in the 17.

Halfback we have Gaskell – accused of being “too quiet” by Cummins and Sjieka who is very much an unproven quality.

Fullback we have someone else who is relatively unproven and coming back from injury.

It’s a tough one.

Gaskell for me. Wouldn't have Sidlow because he's unlikely to be on the pitch for 80 minutes and I'd just prefer it if the captain was out there the whole time telling the players what he wants. I think O'Brien is probably too inexperienced at the moment but I think he may potentially be a captain in the future. Purtell has bags of experience but I'm not sure if he's guaranteed a starting place; we have a lot of competition in the outside backs.

If he ever makes the 17, Chev Walker.

I think supporters sometimes getting a little carried away with the named captain. A lot of the major decisions are decided from the sidelines during the game. You could argue that the captain is there to lead by example and rally his team. Or perhaps a calmer intellectual head capable of putting pressure on the officials might be more beneficial. In any case the senior players in our squad will all have a responsibility to guide the younger guys.

I think Chev Walker and Adrian Purtell both come across well in interviews and seem well respected within our squad. Either of those two would seem a reasonable option IMO.

I'm sure Chev will get club captain or equivalent.

Sidlow is a possibility - an Andy Lynch type of captain.

I think Gaskell, AoB,Purts, Addy are too quiet or inexperienced.

Another option, been here most of a season, committed player, leaves it all on the pitch - Jay Pitts?

Toss up between Gaskell and Purtell IMO. Ferguson maybe an outside bet.

Why are people saying Ferguson? We've seen so very little of him we can't judge whether he'd be any good or not. Frankly he needs to prove that his back is up to the rigours of weekly matches before he's a candidate.

Sidlow 'appears' to be a placid kinda guy. But maybe appearances are deceptive. He could turn out to be the Andy Lynch type captain, as others have said

There aren't any really obvious candidates to me

That's very true, BB. The concept of the 'leadership group', formed by the senior players, has been a feature for a number of years under a succession of coaches. I can't see any reason that it would be ended, in any case it would exist, in an informal sense, at every club I'd guess. Maybe, when there is no single dominant personality at the club, that is what happens naturally, whoever is named as skipper. In any case, very often the 'dominant personality' is the last one you'd want to be in charge anyway..

IIRC Jimmy said at the MEMBERS ONLY forum that it was a clear choice from the first round of training as to who would be captain. Thats all I ask for, rather than be selected for the number of SL games played or games played for us or some other variable unrelated to leadership. Its the one with the bigger picture on his radar screen and the ability to communicate it to the rest of the team gets my vote.

Sat 29th I think will be Lee gaskell

Will squad numbers be announced then aswell

Nah, I think that will be another event...

being announced at 4 today