Toure named captain

Confirmation of the new captain to replace the departed Richard Dunne:

“He has all the attributes you need to be a good captain – great enthusiasm for the game, and is nice and vocal in the dressing room and before, during and after games. And he wants to drive the club forward.

“We are very lucky to now have that mentality in our dressing room with a lot of the lads, who could all carry the mantle of being a football team captain. But Kolo is the better option for us.

“You see those qualities from afar but until you work closely with a player you don’t get inside the way he conducts himself, and how he is as a man and as a footballer.

“Having worked with him for a couple of months, he has shown good qualities on and off the field, and the qualities he has shown are the ones you can use to the benefit of everybody."

No surprise with the choice given Toure had been given the armband the past couple of games, with the official announcement delayed until the sale of Dunne.

There were other candidates touted of course, Kompany surfaced as a long term option during the latter stages of 2008/09, whilst Gareth Barry emerged as a candidate following his signing in the summer.

I posted recently about the lack of 'City' experience in the squad so it was always likely that whoever was appointed would not be a long term 'clubman', and whilst he does have a strong profile and stature he is not hugely experienced and had issues at Arsenal.

Of course, Toure is slated to be away for during the start of 2010 on African Cup of Nations duty, so a replacement for him will be needed then.

My money would be on Gareth Barry.