It was an interesting decision by Csaba Laszlo to make Eggert Jonsson his captain for yesterday’s match against Rangers, in the absence of recently appointed club captain Michael Stewart (who was suspended).
I’d have expected the manager to have given the armband to someone who is a little bit more established in the first team than Eggert, but clearly the Icelander is a player that Mr Laszlo believes has the right sort of mentality to take on the extra responsibility despite his relative lack of experience.
Despite not ever appearing to be totally comfortable in the right-back position to date in my view, there were occasions during yesterday’s match when Jonsson did show the potential to be a leader, with one surge forward in the second half being particularly inspiring.
While that was encouraging though, a captain needs to have a regular, settled position in a team, and that is what Jonsson needs to work on this season and beyond. Csaba has been quoted as saying that Eggert will be Hearts’ right-back this season and perhaps given time he can grow into that role and develop nicely, but I can’t help thinking that he may better elsewhere, with defensive midfield or even central defence possibly being better options for him. We’ll see, though.
If Jonsson can become an established first-team player in a particular position though, then he certainly would appear to have the potential to become a captain in future years. It’s too early for him at the moment I would think, even in the absence of genuinely good alternatives at Tynecastle, but if the likes of Michael Stewart and others who have slightly longer teeth than our Icelandic friend continue getting themselves booked and sent off consistently, then it may happen much sooner than anyone would have predicted!
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I thought he did very well, albeit against worse opposition than Zagreb or Utd. The problem with Eggy as captain is that he doesn’t talk on the field – which is kind of ironic as Stewart never stops screaming at other players for his own mistakes. What was very evident though is that we are missing Aguiar and Driver, and we are not missing Stewart. Hopefully Eggert will grow into the position – centre back or midfield is too crowded, and there is an opening at right back for someone to make their own. Up until the Rangers game, I was entirely unconvinced that Eggy was the player to do it, but there were distinct signs of improvement so lets see what happens.
Perhaps Eggert would “grow” into the position quicker if he grew a beard, like some previous captains !!
Not all Great Captains need to shout Bobby Moore,Kenny Dalglish,Danny Mc Grain,Martin Buchan,Pat Stanton spring to mind!!!!!!!!!
I would agree that a good captain doesn’t need to shout but they must be able to communicate with teammates and, crucially in my opinion, the referee. Some players seem to be able to cultivate a relationship with the officials which sees them, perhaps not get away with things, but might make the ref think twice about a decision. It’s not necessarily about influencing their thinking but presenting yourself as a fair sportsman etc (even if you aren’t!). Our captain should be introducing himself to the ref etc before every match, a quick shake hands, “alright guys – let’s have a good one today, oh and by the way so and so is a wee bit off this week, let’s cut him a wee bit slack and I’ll do my best to keep him in check” etc etc …… clever mind games. I’m not sure that Stewart can do this and any foreign captain we appoint will need to do a hell of a lot to cultivate this sort of relationship.
The only sense spoken on this site in recent times is the suggestion that we need a bearded captain….! Immediate inspiration for an article about legendary bearded footballers of the past……!
I have a beard – of sorts. Maybe I should apply!