Did Reece show his leadership inexperience? Did it matter? IT IS frustrating nonetheless
Reece is still without a shadow of a doubt the right man for the job.
Good afternoon ladies and gents,
Today I am just going to pen some thoughts around Reece and the general lack of experience/leadership experience in this group.
Firstly, the silly decision Reece made on Saturday by no means questions the decision to make him club captain and HE IS still the RIGHT choice!
It was so petty and unnecessary and that IS my biggest frustration around this red card, the first yellow was petty and the second was unnecessary when we were already 3-1 down away from home. I am by no means blaming Jesus Perez BUT if Poch was on the bench Reece wouldn’t have been on the pitch to make that silly decision, in my opinion.
The only silver lining for me is that I would have rested Reece next Sunday v Brighton now Gusto is back in training as I would be saving Reece for next midweek v Man U.
On to the leadership side of things, Reece is obviously relatively inexperienced at being a captain and obviously being club captain which brings so many behind the scenes tasks and responsibilities.
BUT in my opinion the best way for him or anyone to learn is by making mistakes and learning on the job and believe you me, Reece would have learnt a HUGE amount from his choices on Saturday.
In general our squad lacks leadership and experience which is par for the course with having a young squad and building a team for the future, the players like Reece, Thiago, Con, Sterling and Chilwell really have to stand up and be counted.
I am sure the likes of Sterling and Silva are quite vocal behind the scenes and also lead by example, which is the way I imagine Reece to lead. Although, I have seen a lot of positivity in recent weeks on social media where Reece has been pictured with his arm around the younger lads and encouraging or giving words of advice.
According to Nizaar Kinsella Reece isn’t afraid to lean on people for advice.
“Reece James has been leaning on Thiago Silva for advice and even went to France during the international break to pick the brains of South Africa's Rugby World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi. #CFC (@NizaarKinsella)”
Thank you all for reading and please give me your thoughts below!?
Luke Rushbrook
How can Reece be the right man for the captaincy (and Chilwell for the VC) when we can't depend on his availability?
Perhaps this is unfair so early on in his captaincy, but I would expect a captain of any age to show a lot more caution and thought in his decisions in picking up those two silly yellow cards. That was, in my view, a completely avoidable red card.
The large cynic in me does thing that a part of the reason Reece was given the armband was to ward off the interest of clubs like Real and City, but that isn't to say he doesn't deserve the role.
I just really want to see two things from Reece: fitness/regular availability and a calm presence.
That's all we need from him. You could see he got riled up by Jason Tindall chirping him on the sidelines and I wonder if he didn't get a bit hot-headed.
Anyway, we move on to more positive things. Big game on the weekend against Brighton which we must win!