CHAPTER VII.
Captaincy.
There are a good many people who think that the office of captain is not very important, but my idea is that the judicious choice of a skipper is very great indeed. I have heard it said that the office is an empty honour in a professional club, but I am sure that this is a great mistake, and in an ordinary club as much depends on the leader as all the rest put together. The best players in the world are sacrificed if placed under an inefficient general, but on the other hand a leader of ability and energy has often made a strong club out of what seemed to be very unpromising material. So the best all-round player should be skipper. It seems to me quite necessary that whoever holds this position must have the confidence of every member of the side, and there can only be one leader in the field, and unless any fellow has ability and character enough to gain the loyal support of his men, he had certainly better never think about taking the office. So many clubs fail because they have no confidence in their leaders. Ernest Needham, the great leader of the Sheffield United side, has said that when a team is in a winning mood how proud the captain may be, but what a difficult post he has to fill when a team is on the downward
