The importance of having leaders in your team.

[chrisparker]

I've just been reading some of the comments here & I'm quite honestly shocked with the number of people who're asking for Whelan to be dropped for Afellay. I think that's the worst possible move Hughes could make at this moment. Whelan is the only real leader in our team at the moment and this is when we desperately need positive characters in the dressing room, someone who'll give the guys an earful when they aren't performing. So until Ryan returns, Whelan stays in the team. 
And just to prove my point, just listen to this poignant statement from Mark Hughes before the United game. Skip to 16:12 - 



Arnautovic was at his petulant worst yesterday; flailing his arms in disapproval at his colleagues but doing nothing to help them out in defence or attack. But that's just the sort of bloke he is. And for every sulking loner like Arnie or Shaq & probably even Imbula, we need someone like Crouchy, Walters or Adam to balance it out.
You lose those senior players & there's a good chance that the remaining players will develop a disconnect with the manager & the club. This is precisely what happened to Sparky in QPR & this is what has happened to Chelsea this season. When Sir Alex Ferguson was manager at United, he kept all his senior players for as long as he could because he understood the importance of having leaders in your team. They're the ones who can pick you up when things aren't going your way.  
You can add all the flair you want but you also need players who truly give a damn about the club. 

[reddipotter]

Players who have 'lost their way' are by definition not leaders. Nor are foreign mercenaries. This is the danger with buying these sorts of players, though there are advantages, too, of course. Ryan Shawcross will never 'lose his way'. I do wonder why we are not shopping in the Championship or even League 1. Not that all such players are leaders, of course, but many will be.

[march4]

Only an idiot would drop Whelan for anyone at the moment.

He is the only source of passion in the team.

[cobhamstokey]

Feb 8, 2016 15:24:00 GMT chrisparker said:

I've just been reading some of the comments here & I'm quite honestly shocked with the number of people who're asking for Whelan to be dropped for Afellay. I think that's the worst possible move Hughes could make at this moment. Whelan is the only real leader in our team at the moment and this is when we desperately need positive characters in the dressing room, someone who'll give the guys an earful when they aren't performing. So until Ryan returns, Whelan stays in the team. 
And just to prove my point, just listen to this poignant statement from Mark Hughes before the United game. Skip to 16:12 - 



Arnautovic was at his petulant worst yesterday; flailing his arms in disapproval at his colleagues but doing nothing to help them out in defence or attack. But that's just the sort of bloke he is. And for every sulking loner like Arnie or Shaq & probably even Imbula, we need someone like Crouchy, Walters or Adam to balance it out.
You lose those senior players & there's a good chance that the remaining players will develop a disconnect with the manager & the club. This is precisely what happened to Sparky in QPR & this is what has happened to Chelsea this season. When Sir Alex Ferguson was manager at United, he kept all his senior players for as long as he could because he understood the importance of having leaders in your team. They're the ones who can pick you up when things aren't going your way.  
You can add all the flair you want but you also need players who truly give a damn about the club. 

Excellent comments and makes good sense though for me it's also about the quality too and a leader should lead by example. When Ryan's back if it's leaders we need I'd rather go with Walters up front than Whelan in CM. I do agree though with what your saying which is why we missed a trick with not getting Jedinek in the summer window. So who are our leaders? I'd go with Ryan, Whelan, Walters and Adam.

[thehoof]

March,
Not necessarily disagreeing with you but if passion was the be all and end all of getting results you would pick 11 fans.GW is clearly passionate, but will (sooner rather than later) need to be replaced by someone who is quicker and more comfortable with the ball at his feet.

[followyoudown]

If there is one thing that gets on my nerves it's all this Higgy guff about leaders, we need players playing well in key positions, the same players have played Man Citeh, United, Chelsea and others off the pitch.

The big miss is Shawcross who is an absolutely key player for us, as for Walters i'm afraid his petulance over his contract \ transfer is 10x worse than anything Arnie has done.

[chrisparker]

Feb 8, 2016 16:55:47 GMT cobhamstokey said:

Feb 8, 2016 15:24:00 GMT chrisparker said:

I've just been reading some of the comments here & I'm quite honestly shocked with the number of people who're asking for Whelan to be dropped for Afellay. I think that's the worst possible move Hughes could make at this moment. Whelan is the only real leader in our team at the moment and this is when we desperately need positive characters in the dressing room, someone who'll give the guys an earful when they aren't performing. So until Ryan returns, Whelan stays in the team. 
And just to prove my point, just listen to this poignant statement from Mark Hughes before the United game. Skip to 16:12 - 



Arnautovic was at his petulant worst yesterday; flailing his arms in disapproval at his colleagues but doing nothing to help them out in defence or attack. But that's just the sort of bloke he is. And for every sulking loner like Arnie or Shaq & probably even Imbula, we need someone like Crouchy, Walters or Adam to balance it out.
You lose those senior players & there's a good chance that the remaining players will develop a disconnect with the manager & the club. This is precisely what happened to Sparky in QPR & this is what has happened to Chelsea this season. When Sir Alex Ferguson was manager at United, he kept all his senior players for as long as he could because he understood the importance of having leaders in your team. They're the ones who can pick you up when things aren't going your way.  
You can add all the flair you want but you also need players who truly give a damn about the club. 

Excellent comments and makes good sense though for me it's also about the quality too and a leader should lead by example. When Ryan's back if it's leaders we need I'd rather go with Walters up front than Whelan in CM. I do agree though with what your saying which is why we missed a trick with not getting Jedinek in the summer window. So who are our leaders? I'd go with Ryan, Whelan, Walters and Adam.

I'd probably say - Ryan, Whelan, Walters, Crouchy, Adam & to some extent Bardsley (yes I really did say that).

[roostershair]

Whelan had a mare on Saturday but he's been ace on the whole all season. He has probably been our most consistent performer and some people (not fans)have it in for him. Give it a rest you moaners.