Steven Craigan – the Northern Irish international the short odds favourite to get the nod having filled in on occasion already. He is the stereotypical centre half captain – good in the air, strong in the tackle and willing to give the boys a bit of a ‘gee up’ when it’s needed. Not many negatives about going with Craigan, although his form was patchy at times last season. An added bonus is that he looks utterly mental when he’s angry or fired up.
Stevie Hammell – potentially another name on the list of useful left backs we’ve had as our captain but it’s probably a bit early for Stevie. He can be one of the best defenders in the country but he is prone to occasional disasters. He is still young but seems to have been with us forever and recently he has picked up his first full
Phil O’Donnell – in the absence of Leitch, Uncle Phil is now the grandpa of the midfield. Phil would be a leader by example – still huffing and puffing up down the park and making good passes – and with his experience and medal haul he could be an ideal candidate. His main failing in the captain stakes could be the consistency of his appearances. He missed a fair few games last season and the stand in Skipper must be a rock like presence in the team each week. It would be nice to let him captain a game or two at some point but that’s not what we’re looking for now.
Brian Kerr – an outside bet just now but he is definitely potential captain material. He still has the legs to make the runs a young O’Donnell did for fun and he has the footballing ability to match. It is not often Motherwell sign someone with international and Champions League experience but Kerr fits the bill. And he’s a Motherwell fan to boot just make things even more appealing!
So, that appears to be the main people in contention for the job. Martyn Corrigan would have merited a mention but you don’t replace one long term injury victim with another.
It is hard to see past Steven Craigan – and he has all the tools needed to do a fine job.