Ashley Young - Captain of Manchester United

[kouroux]

Captain now'a'days means less.
Every line in a formation should have a leader in it. The captain is merely a figurine and a central person for the collective.
Doesn't matter if Young can't make a cross or slides all over the pitch. If his mentality is right, and he sets an example off-the-pitch for the youth, then im fine with it.
Roy Keane would run and shout at players, armband or no armband, so this is just meh news.

Say what now ? His mentality can piss off if his ability as a footballer doesn't help the team, intangibles are great when the performance is there.

 

[Ekeke]

If Young is captain next season I expect us to finish 6th

 

[BarstoolProphet]

I remember Gary Neville realizing that he wasn't good enough anymore after that game at West Brom and immediately called it quits. Ashley Young has had a whole season worth of WBA games, yet here we are, thinking about making him captain next season. I'm not expecting every player to bleed United red like Gary, but it is absolutely shocking from the manager and the club to give him a new deal and giving him playing time.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

I'm actually happy about this, every captain since Keane has been washed up and didn't play much. I hope history repeats itself again.

 

[ThomasEmil]

Say what now ? His mentality can piss off if his ability as a footballer doesn't help the team, intangibles are great when the performance is there.

Talking about captaincy, not his ability. If you aren't on the pitch as captain, the vice-captain assumes to role..... Keep focus.

 

[kouroux]

Talking about captaincy, not his ability. If you aren't on the pitch as captain, the vice-captain assumes to role..... Keep focus.

It is stupid to separate the two, the moment you lose serious ability to perform, you lose credibility to be an inspiring captain.
If you aren't on the pitch as captain then (starter)you really shouldn't be at all

 

[Negative Red]

If Young is captain next season I expect us to finish 6th

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a positive or negative statement..

So we won't regress if Young is captain? Bring in a lot of new young faces and not drop further down the league. Wouldn't that be job well done?

Captain is irrelevant these days.

 

[Ekeke]

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a positive or negative statement..

So we won't regress if Young is captain? Bring in a lot of new young faces and not drop further down the league. Wouldn't that be job well done?

Captain is irrelevant these days.

No. That would be accepting standards far too low. We need to make progress

 

[Snuffkin]

Young has played well for a number of managers at utd he's a good guy and has another good season in him

 

[ThomasEmil]

It is stupid to separate the two, the moment you lose serious ability to perform, you lose credibility to be an inspiring captain.
If you aren't on the pitch as captain then (starter)you really shouldn't be at all

Disagree. You aren't only captain on the pitch. 80% of football is done on training grounds and off-field behavior.
But lets just agree to disagree.

 

[varga92]

16-17 - Rooney
17-18 - Carrick
18-19 - Valencia
19-20 - Young?

I am pretty sure Young will be not here in 20/21. I think it's not normal that we appoint a new captain every single year. Why aren't we looking for a longer term solution?

 

[Rooney24]

16-17 - Rooney
17-18 - Carrick
18-19 - Valencia
19-20 - Young?

I am pretty sure Young will be not here in 20/21. I think it's not normal that we appoint a new captain every single year. Why aren't we looking for a longer term solution?

Because sadly within our squad at the minute there isnt one.

 

[slir32]

Young has played well for a number of managers at utd he's a good guy and has another good season in him

Come again?

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

No, giving his captaincy doesn't mean he will play regularly. Obviously he will play as he has 1 year contract and will be back up. Valencia was club captain and he barely played last season. Rooney was also captain and he wasn't regular player under Jose. Van Gaal made Carrick was vice captain and he wasn't regular player.

It's just given to senior players and the other article clearly mentioned we are looking for RB and the on field captain will be someone else.

Valencia started most games early on in the season until his fitness was deemed sub-par.

Carrick being vice-captain behind Wayne [plays when fit] Rooney isn’t comparing oranges to oranges.

If you don’t think the symbolism of Ashley Young as club captain is an issue we can agree to disagree but i don’t get your tenuous comparisons.

Regularly for Young is more than half our games; with this move I see him being relied on more than he should be.

A captain should not be someone who is regularly your worst performer but points & shouts a lot.

 

[roonster09]

Valencia started most games early on in the season until his fitness was deemed sub-par.

Carrick being vice-captain behind Wayne [plays when fit] Rooney isn’t comparing oranges to oranges.

If you don’t think the symbolism of Ashley Young as club captain is an issue we can agree to disagree but i don’t get your tenuous comparisons.

Regularly for Young is more than half our games; with this move I see him being relied on more than he should be.

A captain should not be someone who is regularly your worst performer but points & shouts a lot.

Valencia played just 6 PL games, 1 of them was to give him a send off. He started 4 games under Jose and then was dropped.

Rooney played every game under Van Gaal but was dropped under Jose.

I agree that player like Young shouldn't be captain but giving him armband doesn't mean he will be regular player for us (at least going by the reports).

I also agree with your half our games point. Young shouldn't play half of our games, he should play only when there is injury crisis or someone needs rest. Hopefully this will be his last season with us.

 

[kouroux]

Disagree. You aren't only captain on the pitch. 80% of football is done on training grounds and off-field behavior.
But lets just agree to disagree.

The pitch is what matters the most though. Specially for fans, whatever happens off the pitch can be done without the player being a captain.

 

[Von Mistelroum]

This is a very sad state of affairs and really shows up what is wrong at our club. The saddest thing is that he's actually the best choice we have too. Just let that sink in and imagine any club with real aspirations saying that.

 

[ThomasEmil]

The pitch is what matters the most though. Specially for fans, whatever happens off the pitch can be done without the player being a captain.

If training is shit, game is shit. If players lag mentality at training, they will lag mentality at match. You're thinking narrowminded from my POV. You got several leaders in a good squad. The captain is among those leaders.
See a lot of clubs with the keeper being the captain. Because every line needs a leader in order to perform optimal. The armband is again most for show and for making a statement internally. And being mere fans, we honestly don't know what Young brings to the dressing room or the training pitch.
But again, let's agree to disagree.

 

[TRUERED89]

Young has played well for a number of managers at utd he's a good guy and has another good season in him

When the feck has he ever had a good season? Especially this one, you must have not been watching United this season. Also being a good guy doesn't mean you deserve to be on the pitch, Luke Chadwick was a good guy too!

 

[kouroux]

If training is shit, game is shit. If players lag mentality at training, they will lag mentality at match. You're thinking narrowminded from my POV. You got several leaders in a good squad. The captain is among those leaders.
See a lot of clubs with the keeper being the captain. Because every line needs a leader in order to perform optimal. The armband is again most for show and for making a statement internally. And being mere fans, we honestly don't know what Young brings to the dressing room or the training pitch.
But again, let's agree to disagree.

Like I said, he can do all of those leadership elements without the armband, if he is so respected among the squad, he shouldn't need it. However for the fans, it would be a nice for our eyes not to see him as the cap. All things considered, it really is futile.

 

[foolsgold]

If Young is captain next season I expect us to finish 6th

I admire your optimism

 

[Kapardin]

Young has played well for a number of managers at utd he's a good guy and has another good season in him

He was never great, but at best, he was a stop-gap in 2016 and 2017 for our FB issues. However, now he has completely declined even further like Valencia, to the point that he can probably only safely start against Championship teams in league cup matches.

 

[We need an rvn]

@ThomasEmil I don't get what you're saying to be honest. Are you saying you're happy with Young being made captain because of what he brings to the club behind the scenes? I agree with @kouroux in that he doesn't need to be made club captain in order to justify what he might do behind closed doors. Surely the club captain should be the one who is influential and a leader ON the pitch. And I know where I want Young and that ain't on the pitch

 

[kouroux]

@ThomasEmil I don't get what you're saying to be honest. Are you saying you're happy with Young being made captain because of what he brings to the club behind the scenes? I agree with @kouroux in that he doesn't need to be made club captain in order to justify what he might do behind closed doors. Surely the club captain should be the one who is influential and a leader ON the pitch. And I know where I want Young and that ain't on the pitch

Deep down, I'm just afraid it'll be excuse to keep playing him or not even look for another RB. I'm tired of seeing Young, he has his use but on the bench and used when needed (injuries/suspensions/rest)

 

[ThomasEmil]

Like I said, he can do all of those leadership elements without the armband, if he is so respected among the squad, he shouldn't need it. However for the fans, it would be a nice for our eyes not to see him as the cap. All things considered, it really is futile.

Guess it's a matter of culture. Surely the club wouldn't have made him captain, if there wasn't a reason to do it. Although he might not be a new Keane og have the ability of a Giggs, his work rate isn't that bad. And at the moment the work rate is something our manager is missing in the squad. So it makes sense.

Im not saying im thrilled with it. I really don't. I'm saying I can understand it.

 

[Kapardin]

Deep down, I'm just afraid it'll be excuse to keep playing him or not even look for another RB. I'm tired of seeing Young, he has his use but on the bench and used when needed (injuries/suspensions/rest)

Don't believe that is the case. I am sure we will sign one RB this summer, all rumors indicate it is a priority position for us. Situation isn't as bad as that yet, even the Times article implied Young is an "off-pitch" captain like Valencia.

 

[ThomasEmil]

@ThomasEmil I don't get what you're saying to be honest. Are you saying you're happy with Young being made captain because of what he brings to the club behind the scenes? I agree with @kouroux in that he doesn't need to be made club captain in order to justify what he might do behind closed doors. Surely the club captain should be the one who is influential and a leader ON the pitch. And I know where I want Young and that ain't on the pitch

There might be some truth to that. I just think it's a mix of pitch effort (work rate, not ability) and behind the scenes stuff. Otherwise I'm convinced someone else would have had it by now.
He's still England international as well, right?

Look, I'm not defending the captaincy. I'm just not sure why everybody is making such a fuss about it. Captain these days ain't what it use to be.

 

[kouroux]

Guess it's a matter of culture. Surely the club wouldn't have made him captain, if there wasn't a reason to do it. Although he might not be a new Keane og have the ability of a Giggs, his work rate isn't that bad. And at the moment the work rate is something our manager is missing in the squad. So it makes sense.

Im not saying im thrilled with it. I really don't. I'm saying I can understand it.

The club has done many stupid things over the years, there is obviously a reason but for me none that can offset the terrible footballer he's become.

Don't believe that is the case. I am sure we will sign one RB this summer, all rumors indicate it is a priority position for us. Situation isn't as bad as that yet, even the Times article implied Young is an "off-pitch" captain like Valencia.

I hope you're right but we're talking about Man United here, a clueless club that's been linked with so many players over the years.

 

[NJM78]

He can be named DOF for all I care as long as he doesn't set foot on the pitch and grace us with his shitness.

 

[AlexUTD]

He can be named DOF for all I care as long as he doesn't set foot on the pitch and grace us with his shitness.

Great message to send to the squad. We do not care if you are mediocre, as long as you been here for a long time you will be rewarded.

Next thing you know they give Jones a 4+1 year deal and Young the armband. Fecking joke.

 

[deleon]

Not going to lie. I was initially disappointed to read this. But having thought about it, I've sadly accepted that Young is the best choice for captaincy at the moment.

He will only be a regular starter next season if we fail to sign a new right back. Knowing the club, I have to admit this is possible.

But we are being linked to fullbacks, so we can assume that the intention is to appoint him as a benchwarming captain.

As a benchwarming captain, he'd make a great placeholder for us until we sign a player with leadership quality and pass on the mantle. It would be more awkward if the captaincy has to be stripped away from someone like Lindelof, Pogba or Rashford.

Young probably won't be a captain that leads by inspiration, but he's one of the few at the club that can lead by example. Hopefully from the bench, but again, that's not entirely up to him.

 

[mitchmouse]

in keeping with Young, rumours say Pogba being offered the job to keep him at OT.Don't want him as captain and don't want him at OT. is Ole going to start calling him "Poggy"?

 

[Andersonson]

The state of this forum... Jesus H Christ.

Do you think we should have a captain just because he is good? EG: De Gea og Pogba?

What do you know about how they behave like in training and such? If De Gea was captain material, he would be captain already.

I'm sure we have a leadership problem, but Ole hasnt been here for one transfer window yet.

It makes sense that he appoints Young for the role, it will get the New signings to get to know the Club before eventually choosing a captain in the long run. It would be bad if he chose De Gea or Pogba then stripped them after a year, because they are not leaders.

We all can agree that Young isnt good enough, but if he is the only one acting like a captain in training and trying to do the right Things, Ole is correct.

Rome wasn't built in a day

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

Not going to lie. I was initially disappointed to read this. But having thought about it, I've sadly accepted that Young is the best choice for captaincy at the moment.

He will only be a regular starter next season if we fail to sign a new right back. Knowing the club, I have to admit this is possible.

But we are being linked to fullbacks, so we can assume that the intention is to appoint him as a benchwarming captain.

As a benchwarming captain, he'd make a great placeholder for us until we sign a player with leadership quality and pass on the mantle. It would be more awkward if the captaincy has to be stripped away from someone like Lindelof, Pogba or Rashford.

Young probably won't be a captain that leads by inspiration, but he's one of the few at the club that can lead by example. Hopefully from the bench, but again, that's not entirely up to him.

Sadly, knowing the club, we must assume that Young will be featured a lot next season. It really shouldn't come as a surprise if the line of thinking behind this is that Young's a seasoned veteran who can cover both FB positions and that in Dalot we have someone will fill in the right FB role in 20/21 and make it his for the next decade. Why bother with facts such as that Dalot is still an extremely raw FB who will probably have to be eased into the first xi during the next 3/4 years or that there are lots of question marks around Shaw's fitness for us to go into next season with him as our only viable option at LB? Why bother with looking at how much good two extremely athletic and exquisitely creative full-backs have done to Liverpool's game? Maybe consider thinking why the best manager in the world threw a bank at two new FBs when his side was already oozing with quality and told Neville/Carragher that now he will be able to stretch more easily teams that deploy a narrow 451? No, that's not what Manchester United needs.

What we "need", as Tyrion said, is a good story: Ferguson's old guard passing on the baton to fledgelings who will spend the entirety of their careers at OT. Why would they want to do that when we can't even offer CL football to them? Because... why not? And if the best ones feck off to greener pastures (De Gea, Pogba, Herrera) don't bother at all. There will always be vastly overrated and (sometimes) massively overpaid young(ish) players with the likes of Jones, Smalling and Young as their mentors.

I wholeheartedly disagree that Young can lead by example in the dressing room. Lead as an example of what? Being an absolute passenger in Ferguson's last title team and acting like he's a "been there, done that" character? Being an utter liability at FB positionally but always being named in the starting xi because he tries a lot in training? People with high aspirations in every working environment rarely like the former type and they quickly get tired of the latter because he holds everyone back. When we reward this particular type by offering him/them the captaincy, what message do we send out as a club?

 

[sunama]

If Young is captain next season I expect us to finish 6th

I expect him to be the first name on the team sheet next season...and the captain.

Ole, Carrick and McKenna definitely like the old boys, which is why we are refusing to let Fergie's players leave.

 

[Di Maria's angel]

A little odd seeing people act like this is no big deal when our most successful years were a direct result of great leadership. Not only Sir Alex but the likes of Keane, Giggs, Neville, Rio and Vidic - captains who led ON the pitch. Its no coincidence that our decline has coincided with the lack of leaders.

 

[sunama]

We all can agree that Young isnt good enough, but if he is the only one acting like a captain in training and trying to do the right Things, Ole is correct.

None of us know for a fact what is happening in the dressing room or on the training pitch. But I do know for a fact, what is taking place during matches and from what I've seen, Young is not captain material.

 

[11101]

The state of this forum... Jesus H Christ.

Do you think we should have a captain just because he is good? EG: De Gea og Pogba?

What do you know about how they behave like in training and such? If De Gea was captain material, he would be captain already.

I'm sure we have a leadership problem, but Ole hasnt been here for one transfer window yet.

It makes sense that he appoints Young for the role, it will get the New signings to get to know the Club before eventually choosing a captain in the long run. It would be bad if he chose De Gea or Pogba then stripped them after a year, because they are not leaders.

We all can agree that Young isnt good enough, but if he is the only one acting like a captain in training and trying to do the right Things, Ole is correct.

Rome wasn't built in a day

They need to be good to be Captain, or at the very least have been very good in the recent past. The players have to look up to them. It's not the only thing obviously but you can't have a Captain who cant lead by example.

Frankly, if Ole chooses Young as club captain it shows a major lack of ambition.

 

[Shaidabdullah Hussain]

I’m not sure he would make the starting 11 at Norwich or Sheffield and yet he continues as our club captain ?

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Young gets too much stick on here. It's very clear we need a better RB as a priority, but unfortunately he's been better than Darmain, Valencia and Dalot - I hope we address this on the summer, and Young can be a useful squad player for another year.

Whilst there's a lot of 'outrage' on here, and I'm not looking through all the thread - I would love to hear who people propose instead of Young? Are Pogba or DDG really the right options? The options are very very slim!