I would agree there’s a lack of leadership but it’s possibly down to our approach in the transfer market. We seem to be focusing exclusively on 21-24 year-old players with the odd one chucked in such as Ayling.
The danger there is the balance shifts too far one way and you end up lacking things like experience. I think we need to accept that the make-up of the team is definitely by design and that a lack of ‘old-fashioned style’ leadership and experience is a by-product of that.
You can also think that our leadership comes in terms of being brave on the ball. Hackney never goes missing in that respect. Neither does Rav, Clarke, Morris, McGree, even Azaz. They all want the ball and that speaks well of them.
But they’re not out-and-out captains and I think every team needs a couple of those. You have to have a couple of b*stards in there. I don’t think we have those right now and we haven’t really had that since peak Leadbitter.