John McGinn

[Risso]

Henderson is the Liverpool captain but he doesn't start every game. Giving McGinn the captaincy doesn't mean he will start every game.

I love Mings but he's not a leader on the pitch, his conduct off the pitch is impeccable. McGinn sets the tempo & drive of the team. But if he doesn't perform he won't play.

The Henderson comparison doesn't really stack up. He's 32 now, and they need to manage his fitness. He still played 57 times for them in all competitions last season though.

[chrisw1]

I love Mings but he's not a leader on the pitch

No idea how you can say this - one thing he is is a fantastic leader on the pitch.

McGinn sets the tempo & drive of the team. But if he doesn't perform he won't play.

Last season would suggest this isn't necessarily true.  At times we looked desperate for McGinn or Ramsey to come out the team and Sanson was chomping at the bit, but it just never happened.

[chrisw1]

But other than that....

[villainabroad]

Between Konsa, Mings and Carlos, there might be some rotation based on form. Throw Chambers into the mix as someone Gerrard clearly rates, means Mcginn may well start more games than Mings, hence being more present as skipper.

I’m also taking Gerrards comments at face value… maybe less responsibility will help Mings cut out some of the errors/lapses in concentration.

Might end up being a good decision, might not, but it’s worth trying.

I'd say McGinn makes as many mistakes as Mings does though, certainly with his passing. Being a midfielder rather than a central defender they're just not as immediately obvious.

Agreed - for much of last season our midfield was barely functional.  Not the decision I would have made,  but I guess at the end of the day - we have to let SG do his thing and hope he knows what hes doing. 

Agree with all this re McGinn too. He disappeared in a lot of games last year. Him, TM or EM could be captain on the pitch at the end of the day. Assuming Kamara will start most games in a midfield three, it looks like McGinn will too. Hmmm.

Off the pitch, TM is exactly the kind of role model you would want your club to have as club captain, so I'm surprised they've not kept him on in some capacity. A strange look for our club I think, after he was being touted widely over the last year or so.

SG has got some strange ways of managing people. Obviously he wants results on the pitch, but his comments about TM, Emi B and Matt Targett (no wonder he wanted out!) feel like they're just a bit too blunt. Though I suspect it's a fine margin between motivating someone to do better and undermining team spirit. We'll only find out with time what he succeeds in doing I suppose.
 
 

[john2710]

Gerrard gets to see them in training, in the dressing room & to assess the dynamics in the group. If he thinks McGinn is the best choice for now, he's in a better place to make that decision than any of us.

A captain is not based on matchday performance, otherwise would Cash get it on his performances since Gerrard arrived?

McGinn is the best option at this point.

[olaftab]

Henderson is the Liverpool captain but he doesn't start every game. Giving McGinn the captaincy doesn't mean he will start every game.

I love Mings but he's not a leader on the pitch, his conduct off the pitch is impeccable. McGinn sets the tempo & drive of the team. But if he doesn't perform he won't play.

The Henderson comparison doesn't really stack up. He's 32 now, and they need to manage his fitness. He still played 57 times for them in all competitions last season though.

And when Henderson was first appointed captain he was nailed on starter in every game.

[Toronto Villa]

The new Captain of Aston Villa ladies and gents; the honourable Sir John McGinn. Personally on reflection I think this will lift his game. He’s not going to be asked to do the same role as last season where he drops too deep all the time. I would hope he is more the player Scotland has got recently than what he’s done for us. And nothing is forever. If it doesn’t work out the he will be replaced. It’s a business

https://twitter.com/catrinavfc/status/1552348222605168645?s=21&t=MClco73TTJy6aRuqa_EO_w

[Risso]

He's never going to play in a front 3 for us like he does for Scotland, because a) we've got players who are much better at that and b) we don't play the likes of Andorra and San Marino.

[Toronto Villa]

He's never going to play in a front 3 for us like he does for Scotland, because a) we've got players who are much better at that and b) we don't play the likes of Andorra and San Marino.

Without a recognized DM him and Luiz dropped way too deep and took away from their strengths. You're right we won’t be seeing exactly the Scotland McGinn, but we should be able to see an all round more productive version, and one that contributes more on the attacking side than he has the past two seasons.

[Dogtanian]

In Gerrard’s interview with VillaTV he says that just because McGinn, Martinez, and Carlos have captaincy roles it doesn’t mean any of them are undroppable. He also says he’s expecting McGinn to go up a level.

[Chap]

His way of telling McGinn to get his finger out?

[Dogtanian]

Well if pressure and worrying about the whole team is a cause of Mings making mistakes, he’s taken that excuse away. There’s an expectation his performance will improve.

With McGinn he’s done the opposite. He’s put the focus on him and told him all eyes are on him now, he has to step up and be the best because he’s setting the example for the rest of the team.

[usav]

In Gerrard’s interview with VillaTV he says that just because McGinn, Martinez, and Carlos have captaincy roles it doesn’t mean any of them are undroppable. He also says he’s expecting McGinn to go up a level.

Only one of those three is close to being undroppable.

[Risso]

With McGinn he’s done the opposite. He’s put the focus on him and told him all eyes are on him now, he has to step up and be the best version of himself because he’s setting the example for the rest of the team.

FTFY

[brontebilly]

Between Konsa, Mings and Carlos, there might be some rotation based on form. Throw Chambers into the mix as someone Gerrard clearly rates, means Mcginn may well start more games than Mings, hence being more present as skipper.

I’m also taking Gerrards comments at face value… maybe less responsibility will help Mings cut out some of the errors/lapses in concentration.

Might end up being a good decision, might not, but it’s worth trying.

There might be some rotation at CB but for most teams outside of European football it's not a good idea. I've always thought at CB it's about how you interact with the other CB, GK and DM. Over time you develop a good understanding as to the strengths and weaknesses in each other's game.

The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City have a huge amount of games and need to manage player workload carefully. Even then at City particularly, Guardiola isn't averse to giving likes of Stones and Ake the odd game at full back. But we don't have that luxury hence I don't think Gerrard will be able to carry Konsa, Carlos and Mings if all are fully fit. Especially now with Carlos announced already as vice captain, if Gerrard didn't see him as first choice then he wouldn't be.

I also don't buy the argument that taking the captaincy off Mings will take pressure off him. Mings wasn't captain when Grealish was with us and he was average at best for our first two seasons back. If anything the additional responsibility improved his concentration and performance levels. To give one example, he was far better defensively in the air last season than he was previously.