Welcome To Your New Captain

I agree. His antics when he got sent off last year were pathetic and I was very critical of him, but you never know, this could well be the making of him.

I remember when David Beckham was made England captain, I couldn't believe it. However I thought he was an excellent captain for years and led by example. I think we should cut Dan some slack and give him a chance.

I'm quietly optimistic about the coming season. I'm sensing the preseason is more organised and disciplined than previous seasons. We'll have to wait and see.

 

I don't mind giving him a chance. The problem is if he continues to underperform then we are stuck with him on a 5 year deal. Completely unnecessarily as well. I'm not sure most will be bothered by the captain aspect - it's the 5 year deal for an underwhelming player which seems the complete opposite of what we should be doing.

 

A club captain can definitely be someone who isn’t a regular first choice because of his leadership qualities around the squad. However, if he is always in the team, you can’t appoint someone else as on-pitch captain in my book. That would just undermine his position. I also don’t think a goalkeeper is a good choice, even if it were someone highly respected like Gomes, because it’s harder for him to get around the pitch encouraging teammates or to make representations to the ref.

 

Wouldn't he have a social media manager doing that on his behalf?

Also, how much of it is "criticism" and how much of it is just lame abuse?

 

LouOrns got blocked and he isn’t one to throw abuse about.

 

Ashley Fletcher - once played for United, 5 year deal. Daniel Bachmann - once linked to United, 5 year deal. Best scouting network in the world.

 

I don't mind him as a number 2 for a few more years.

Club captain is neither here nor there.

But I would like to sign a new keeper as no. 1 or at least to compete for that spot.

 

I don't think giving a 5 year contract to a 29 year old international goalkeeper is unreasonable business. He's not brilliant and, as everyone knows, he's got a mistake or two in him, but, such has been the decline of our squad, he's probably one of our better players now

 

Well what did he say exactly?

And anyway, as per my post I very much doubt it's actually Bachmann trawling through twitter doing the blocking.

 

Why does it matter who does the blocking? Either way it shows he can't take criticism. Fine if it's outright abuse but he's blocked some people who have merely questioned the appointment.

 

I’d be far more annoyed were Watford FC a cricket team.

As it is, what does a football captain do? Decides which end to kick towards first. Carries the manager’s instructions onto the pitch. Shouts encouragement to team mates. And errrr that’s it no?

 

Because if it's not him doing the blocking then it doesn't actually show that he can't take criticism?!

It could just be a general policy of whatever agency he has to try and prevent its clients' social media profiles being too toxic.

Also, as per above, he's been one of the few players in the past willing to go over to talk to fans who were yelling abuse at the team after a poor performance.

Where are you even seeing this?

 

Daniel Bachmann’s 'social media manager' is blocking loads of fans of the club he captains without Daniel's knowledge? Sure.

 

As if a bang average championship player has a social media manager, he’s not Ronaldo.

 

This is essentially what my job is. He will. His agency will do for him. I’ve done it for league 2 players in the past…

 

Looking at some of the replies from the likes of Anthony Mathews it would seem that quite abit of it has been abusive and unpleasant - and then they seem to be genuinely confused when they get blocked. Hardly a surprise given the general dim wittery that makes up some of our fan base on twitter.

 

I suppose if its a whole thread/topic/conversation of mainly abusive posters it's easier/quicker to block everyone in that block rather than trudge through a load of posts calling you a **** just so the few sensible posters in there are spared?

 

The last two words are redundant.

 

Say what you like about Daniel Bachmann, but he definitely wouldn't have declared on day 1 at Edgbaston!

 

Dimtwittery, surely?

 

Deary me

 

Tom Cleverley will take over in November after we slip into the relegation zone.

 

I sort of agree with the sentiment of the French article and feel distaste for anyone posting unpleasant vitriol at Bachman. However, i suspect it was a very small number of people posting abuse which is part of a wider societal trend rather than something requiring a sermon from a local sports writer.

I do find some of French's articles odd and rather patronising. He comes across as a self appointed ethical guardian at times. Plus he seems unnecessary wordy and always keen to get personal anecdotes in about his past. However, he does also come up with interesting insights at times so I prefer him to previous writers.

I'd be a bit embarrassed if I was Bachman reading that.

 

No one has anything against him as a person. The detractors just think he's a shyt keeper undeserving of a 5 year contract and whose behaviour is unbecoming of our club captain.

But football fans are hypocrites and hyperbolic. All he has to do is play well and we'll all be singing that he's the best keeper in the league.

What is not required is fluff pieces from obese baldies.

 

Think this is the key point. There may have been a couple of comments that strayed into something personal/unfounded but the vast majority of replies to the official announcement were either disbelief or gallows humour based on him not being a particularly good keeper or having the right character to be captain, based on his onfield antics.

Seems very over the top to write an article based on a couple of people being a bit mean. I get it's not nice for someone to read criticism about not being good at their job but that's hardly unusual for a professional footballer and suggesting that there was widespread abuse is a bit of an odd take.

 

The very weird praise that French has got over the past year or so for being an unofficial club spokesperson has clearly gone to his head.

 

I've got to admit, I've been disappointed in his coverage during the transfer window to date. He was banging the drum for people to sign up to the paid subscription then has written virtually nothing of interest since then. No inside scoops, nothing.

 

I’d rather sign up to a paid subscription to @Goldenorn tbh. We learn more from him than anybody else! Haha there’s a get rich quick idea for you my friend!

Andrew is a decent journalist, certainly compared to the WO coverage before he came back, but I agree with @Pob that he does quite often make his tweets or other updates include copious mentions of himself. Maybe that’s the modern way, I don’t know. I’m a long time out of the media but I know when I was doing sports commentary, I tried to focus on the match I was watching rather than where I was sitting or what I’d had for lunch etc. (Partly because I eat unhealthily and didn’t want criticism lol)

Re the issue at hand, I’m no different from most others on the forum. Constructive criticism is fine, crossing over a line where it becomes over-personal, untrue or offensive isn’t. Besides, can anybody really write off his captaincy period before it’s even started? It’s his job to prove the doubters wrong.

 

Happy to be proved wrong but he seems too emotionally brittle to act effectively as captain. Is unable to instill confidence and organisation in his defence let alone the rest of the team. Can't dominate his 6 yard box let alone the pitch as a whole.