Captain?

[nonplussed]

Is Rory captain material? IN my opinion we lack any serious leadership qualities in the Ulster squad, and Carlo seems to be the only natural leader out there. Rory is too softly spoken, and while he leads by example, he doesn't inspire, cajole etc during game time. He was skipper last year when all around the team collapsed, I am not blaming him at all for our awful season, but maybe a stronger leader/captain could have stood up to the descenters and stirrers in the squad, and nipped the probs in the bud.

so who should be captain?

[MOE6]

i voted for dawsan as hes the only real stand out leader we have
i agree we do have a big problem with leadership and sadly we let our only leader go in niel best .... he should have been captain a long time ago in my eyes.

[Big-al]

David Pollock will be Ulster captain once he makes the 7 jersey his own

[thewaterboy]

I think it should be a homegrown ulsterman if at all possible. I agree we are short on natural leaders within the squad. How about MMC if he was assured of his position on the team?

[fermain]

Neil Best?
and of course it can be a johnny foreigner. Capt Marvel was a fantastic captain for a long time.

[MOE6]

cant believe you dont think neil would have been a good captian fermain ??
imho he would have led the team very well , he has a great workrate and always gave everything he could ... what more of a rolemodel could you want ? any games i ever watched he seemed to be the player with the most will to win.

[GerryO']

cant believe you dont think neil would have been a good captian fermain ??
imho he would have led the team very well , he has a great workrate and always gave everything he could ... what more of a rolemodel could you want ? any games i ever watched he seemed to be the player with the most will to win.

[MOE6]

i thought this would happen .... dont know where everyone got this bad opinion of neil ??
sure he had a dip in form in his last ulster days but didnt they all ?

[Gemma]

Is Rory captain material? IN my opinion we lack any serious leadership qualities in the Ulster squad, and Carlo seems to be the only natural leader out there. Rory is too softly spoken, and while he leads by example, he doesn't inspire, cajole etc during game time. He was skipper last year when all around the team collapsed, I am not blaming him at all for our awful season, but maybe a stronger leader/captain could have stood up to the descenters and stirrers in the squad, and nipped the probs in the bud.

so who should be captain?

If you want someone to shout/cajole/bark orders, I reckon out of the list above, Boss would do a good job. That said, everyone will accuse me of being biased.

[Neil F]

The loss of guys like Wilson and Harrison may not add up to a great deal on the park, given the new arrivals but the leadership they offered will be missed. Guys like Ferris, Trimble and Wallace are really going to have to step up to the mark this season.

Rory Best is still my choice for captain. He does need to be more vocal on the park and he needs to improve the calls he makes at times but the fact is that he's probably the best we have. Dawson may be an option but his short will be under serious threat from Pollock for the whole season and simply isn't an option. Boss really needs to focus on his own game - the last season has shown that Boss' form has not coped well with added responsibility, so making him captain isn't an option. Carlo is an option and as the season goes on, I think we'll have a better idea of his leadership role as this season wears on. As it is, Rory was captain last season and his form didn't suffer. He does need to improve his vocal leadership but we know he's not going to crack under the weight of added responsibility.

i thought this would happen .... dont know where everyone got this bad opinion of neil ??
sure he had a dip in form in his last ulster days but didnt they all ?

It's not that Neil Best lost form, or even that he lost so much form, over such a long period of time that he fell five places in the Ireland pecking order, it was the manner in which Best lost form and the reasons for it. Best lost the ability to work as a part of the team at Ulster. He was not playing as a team player as his form dipped. That is not captain material. Even on top form, Neil Best would be a poor choice for captain. He is single-minded and while he may give 100% on the park, his focus was on his own game only. That kind of inward focus does not label him as captain material and just how out of sync with the rest of the team he became when his form dipped shows that.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Best lost the ability to work as a part of the team at Ulster. He was not playing as a team player as his form dipped. That is not captain material. Even on top form, Neil Best would be a poor choice for captain. He is single-minded and while he may give 100% on the park, his focus was on his own game only. That kind of inward focus does not label him as captain material and just how out of sync with the rest of the team he became when his form dipped shows that.

I have to agree! I spoke to Neil a number of times towards the end of last season, and mentally he was already across the sheugh. By his own admission, he couldn't wait to be away, and while I wouldn't suggest he didn't put in the effort once he pulled on the white shirt and crossed the line onto the park, it's hard for his own body to go where the heart and mind won't lead. What hope of others following?

[Rooster]

cant believe you dont think neil would have been a good captian fermain ??
imho he would have led the team very well , he has a great workrate and always gave everything he could ... what more of a rolemodel could you want ? any games i ever watched he seemed to be the player with the most will to win.

Did you see any of the past 2 seasons games

[bootlace]

I've went for R best,but was just wondering when the internationals are away,what part Schifcofske might play,I know he is new to the team but he has vast experience,and has played with the ELVs,the backline would be reasonably inexperienced during these periods,so could he be in with a shout?

[MOE6]

well i guess everyone will always have there own opinion on neil but i think alot of what you saw was neil working his ass off for a team that had just lost intrest.

[nonplussed]

ah bless...theres none so blind as those who will not see! Neil Best will never be a captain, he lacks the top 3 inches required. He would have been the last player to unite a disfunctional team last season, as he was key in perpetuating that disfunction!