With little more than 48 hours remaining until Bristol Rovers kick off the new League Two season at Mansfield Town, Joey Barton is yet to name his new captain.
After Max Ehmer was stripped of the armband in the spring, Luke Leahy took the captaincy, but both men are no longer on the books at the Mem – starting the campaign with Gillingham and Shrewsbury Town respectively.
Captaincy is becoming a decreasingly important concept in football. Priority, instead, is placed on building a team with leaders throughout the Rovers XI.
Barton has done just that in his recruitment, bringing in several players with a wealth of experience across the leagues.
That has left him with several contenders for the armband. Here are the options to choose from...
The top contenders
Paul Coutts
The most obvious choice in the squad is Coutts having captained Preston North End in the Championship and he was Barton's skipper at Fleetwood Town.
With almost 400 EFL appearances to his name, the vast majority of which came in the Championship or the top end of League One, the former Sheffield United and Derby County man has been recruited to anchor Barton's midfield with nous and class.
The Scot was confined to just one appearance in pre-season after contracting COVID-19, but at 75 per cent fitness he will remain one of the first names on the teamsheet and is the obvious contender for the captaincy.
Mark Hughes
Hughes, like Coutts, brings a wealth of experience with him, having been a key player in Accrington Stanley's promotion to League One and their subsequent consolidation in the third tier.
"Yozzer" has shown to be a vocal leader on the pitch in pre-season, very much in the Tony Craig mould, and as another certain starter in Barton's XI he is a fitting candidate for the armband and an ideal deputy should he be named vice-captain.
Alternative candidates
Anssi Jaakkola
At close to 2m tall, Jaakkola has a presence that is felt in the dressing room and on the pitch. And that is skimming over the fact he is an international footballer. His leadership and experience will be vital this season.
He certainly could handle the responsibility as captain, but many managers prefer the armband to be worn by an outfield player.
And, however unfortunate those injuries may have been, the fact is the Finn has missed a lot of football in the past two years.
Jaakkola was named as one of two vice-captains last season and it will be little surprise if he was given a similar role this term.
Alfie Kilgour
The second of two vice-captains last season, Kilgour seems to be on the path towards the Rovers captaincy.
He has done the job on occasion, but the question that must be asked is has his form over the past 12 months solidified his credentials as a possible skipper.
Probably not is the answer. Kilgour may become Rovers' captain of the future, but after a testing season he should be allowed to focus on his own form for the time being.
Ones for the future?
Harry Anderson
Not now, but in a couple of years' time Anderson could be a strong contender for the armband. At 23, he was an occasional skipper for Lincoln City, and he should be approaching his prime years as a professional.
One or two good seasons at the Mem could put him in contention.
Nick Anderton
Anderton was Carlisle United's captain last season, with his arrival in BS7 part of Barton's concerted effort to build a team with greater mental fortitude than the side relegated last season.
There appear to be stronger contenders ahead of 25-year-old at Rovers as it stands, but if he's still a Rovers player in a couple of years, he will be in the conversation.
