THE APPOINTMENT OF SKIPPER FOR THE RED DEVIL. The appointment of a team captain takes varied forms. It could be by merit as in the choice of the team manager, team mates,influential core member of the team etc. Whatever nature it takes, it is obvious that the skipper wields a lot of influence, not only to the team mates, but the totality of the club. It therefore, behoves whoever is appointed to be a humble and charismatic individual bearing in mind the role expected of him in and off the pitch. Recently,one of the latest discussion in the world of English football has been Louis van Gaal’s appointment of Wayne Rooney as captain of Manchester United. Fans, perhaps journalists and “experts” have been quick to question van Gaal’s choice. The Dutch manager, however explained in no equivocal way his choice of Rooney for the prestigious role: “Wayne, according to him, has shown a great attitude towards everything he does. He went further, I have been very impressed by his professionalism and his attitude to training and to my philosophy. He is a great inspiration to the younger members of the team and I believe he will put his heart and soul into his captaincy role.” Prior to actually appointing Rooney as the new captain of United, Van Gaal had already hinted that nationality and culture were important factors in his considerations: “I think you have to choose, when it is possible, for the English style.”To me, van Gaal’s arguments quite simply make sense. Rooney has been a leading figure at Old Trafford for a decade, both as a player and a personality, and this makes him the obvious choice. In addition, van Gaal underlines Rooney’s intellectual ability to absorb the new “philosophy” as well as his emotional investment into the role. In short, he’s got both the brain and the heart to fulfill the role. Van Gaal could alternatively have gone for Robin van Persie, his soccer philosophical soul mate, but the latter does not have the Old Trafford history of Rooney and his injury record and age may also have persuaded the Dutch manager to look at another direction. With the necessary squad overhaul in mind in the near future, Van Gaal could not be certain that the likes of Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, two other obvious candidates, would be able to maintain a regular appearance in what he hoped would be a rejuvenated Manchester United team. Ultimately, David de Gea, apparently the only one apart from Van Gaal’s captain who may be sure of a starting spot, does not fit the captain’s shoe in terms of personality, experience, and authority. It is certain that Rooney’s style and approach to the game has changed drastically. Naturally, he has lost some pace, but he has also learned to be more economical with his running, just as his vision and ability to dictate the team’s rhythm have developed immensely. We see the first signs of Rooney naturally moving a bit further down the pitch just as Paul Scholes did during his career. Paradoxically, his behavior against Downing was a transgressive act, but at the same time it is these moments of madness and transgressions that constitute the foundations for soccer’s mythological potentials just as they are the prerequisites for these players’ true greatness. Rooney’s red card against West Ham is therefore not evidence of his unsuitability for the Old Trafford captaincy. If there is anything else, it is rather a premonition of his future legendary status alongside other demonic captains such as Keane and Cantona.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 23:52:49 +0000
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