Do you think Lee Cattermole should keep the captaincy at Sunderland?

MALCOLM MACDONALD

NO he shouldn’t keep it.

Purely and simply because a captain is supposed to lead by example and he’s doing anything but. Plus the fact a captain doesn’t drop his team in it and he’s already done that twice this season.

Young lads are supposed to look up and learn from someone in that exhalted position and also the young lads on the terraces. I feel that he’s becoming beyond a problem for Steve Bruce.

The first sending off gave him a problem and the second red card made him a complete embarrassment.

The captaincy was given to him for two reasons, one was what his input into the team would be and the other was what he might learn from the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband. He’s just not learning and it’s backfired on Steve. I think it was a gamble to give him it in the first place because he is a very combative player and his record shows he walks a very fine line.

BERNIE SLAVEN

I THINK he should. I’m a fan of Cattermole’s, obviously I watched him for years at Boro developing. He’s got a great attitude and appetite for the game, but sometimes that overrides. There’s no doubt he has to learn from his mistakes, he’s not a young lad anymore, he’s 24 now, but I just think he should get one more chance.

Bruce should put it on the table, make it public that one more wrongdoing and he’ll strip him of the captaincy.

He is a bit rash but he’s just a full-blooded, highlycommitted player and I wish there were more of them in the game. But obviously it can be costly and he just needs to be a bit more savvy upstairs and learn not to dive in.

Maybe by giving him the responsibility, Bruce thought it would calm him down and he would set the example and tone but obviously it’s backfired so far. But it’s not just Cattermole, Sunderland as a whole have a problem with cards. The red mist obviously comes down but I think he’ll end up at a top club because he’s got the potential and he just needs to sort this problem out.”

MICKY HORSWILL

NO, because he’s just a young lad and at the moment he’s got enough on his plate to keep in the team and to keep on the pitch.

He’s also had the burden of having the captaincy over his head and maybe it’s a little bit too much for him at the moment.

He’s not got any experience of captaining and he just needs to stay on the pitch and concentrate on his own game. You need someone who can organise the team so I think it’s too much for him and I would give it to one of the older lads, Kieran Richardson or Michael Turner maybe.

I think he’s a born leader and he does it well, he gets the team going and if he can stay on the pitch he would make a good captain and I’m sure in the future he will be, but at the moment he’s got everybody on his back about getting sent off and he doesn’t need the added burden of worrying about the rest of the team. He just needs to concentrate in the next season or two on getting his game right and his discipline sorted, but at this time in his career he just doesn’t need it.

■ The Legends were talking to Steph Clark.

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