Are we missing a player that is willing to take the leadership role on the pitch?

[Frank Ocean]

thanks for the input, but let me put some ephasis on the more important question here,
do we have anyone in our team right now who can save our ass like Nekounam did????

[Ando Teymourian]

There are several good options IMO

Jalal is the most similar to Nekou, if that is what we are going for (which I think we should). They are both level headed and won't let the atmosphere of a game get to them. Which as a result trickles down to the rest of the players because they have the ability to rally the troops and keep them focused.

Ando is a guy you want to follow, and never let him down. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and when you see him pouring his heart onto the pitch it makes you wan't to do the same. For that reason he would also be a good captain.

Ehsan may be younger, but he has the experience of a seasoned veteran. The kid has been playing on TM since 17 years of age (something I think we take for granted), and has learned under Nekounam, Mahdavikia, Hashemian, Bagheri, Jalal, Ando, etc... who all played for TM while Ehsan has been here. He may not be the loudest leader, but he is a leader by example which is a great thing to have. He plays smart and effective on the pitch, and players will naturally follow suit.

I'm OK with either of the 3 to be honest.

[Omids]

I am not sure a captain is that important in football. Yes we need leaders but not sure it always is the captain. Usually the goal keeper keeps the defenders informed as he sees the whole field. Also the defenders will have a sort of organiser/leader. The midfield also will have someone who pulls the strings, sets the tone. The forwards are just forwards, wanting to get the ball in the net. Some teams have the goal keeper as the captain, surely the Goal keeper cannot do much, in terms of leading the team, once the ball is past the defenders.

So I think we will have many leaders on the field, not just one, and these leaders will come to the front naturally and not by the issuance of an arm band.

[Iran_19]

Ando put national team jersey with pride and served his country proudly for decade but with emergence of such Ezzatollahi, Ebrahim, Kamyabinia i see Ando more as a good replacement for one of these guys in some games and not as starter anymore.
My first choice of captaincy is Hosseini following by Hajsafi if Ando is not playing, if he does he is definitely my first choice.
Dejagah is another good choice but i guess is unfair for a guy like Hajsafi to be 4th choice with more than double of caps compare to Dejagah.

[ehsan singapore]

is not about the number of caps, is about leadership you can have a 18 years old who have better leadership skill than a 30 years old, and CQ fill dejagah have better skills, i do believe hajsafi is not that vocal like ando and dejagah

[Nokhodi]

Its about who the players listen to and who doesn't fall apart under pressure. Not just caps. The coaches know this better than the players themselves.
Its why Nekounam was a good captain.
In the short term give it to Dejagah or Teymourian.
After the World Cup someone like Jahanbakhsh can be captain.

[BacheLot]

thanks for the input, but let me put some ephasis on the more important question here,
do we have anyone in our team right now who can save our ass like Nekounam did????

Ando made Javaad look a lot more formidable than he really was...!since Neku's big knee injury, Ando's often supreme form and fitness and defensive hustle play all over pitch provided the much needed Defensive Cover and allowed Neku to take on a more Free to Roam DM role and to take constant forays into our attack line..! but i agree Javaad had this uncanny ability to score vital goals that kept us alive in games and competitions,..!
going forward, on that front i firmly believe Sardar would be the player that will get us the vital goals needed vs the tough to break-down opponents ..!
that kid is Prime-Time performer..!!

[Ghermez Agha]

I can't really believe this is even a conversation, Ando is the best leader TM could ever ask for and the closest there is to nekounam. I won't put him above nekounam just yet but he has just as much gheyrat, passion, and professionalism that nekounam had.

He has been equally, if not more, decisive in TM matches throughout 2014 WCQs and in the AC but he is also one of the best set-piece takers we have. Not to mention he always keeps his cool and and says the right things. A captain is someone who leads by example and plays the hardest for his country.....there is nobody that can match Ando in that respect. Maybe seyyed Jalal but Ando has to be the guy IMO.

[mahestan]

Correct me if I am wrong, this is for the sake of our debate here, but isn't one of the Captain's most important tasks on the field to keep players unified and everything calm when players start getting rowdy? When we play Arab opponents, and either TM or the other team fouls, there are a lot of situations were the Arab players get in our player's face and try to start things. A good captain needs to get in on the situation and try to calm the situation down and not let things escalate. We have seen 4 different people be TM's captain in the past 6 months, has any of them do just that?

[pdot]

What makes great players so special is that they will be missed once they retire.

Just goes to show how much of an impact Nekounam had.

[Iran007]

Ever since Nekounam left, I'm feeling that there's a huge gap that is noone really capable of filling in TM.
He was not just a great captain, but a true leader who would decide matches on his own for us.
TM really seems to be missing that kind of player right now.
This is no problem against the likes of India, Turkmenistan and Oman. But I'm really starting to get worried about the later stages in WCQ.
Dejagah had a huge decline quality wise ever since he left to play in Qatar
Ando has been really out of shape lately.
I simply cannot see young guys like Azmoun, JB or Ezatollahi deciding important games for us.
What do you think? Should we be recalling Nekounam for the final stages?

Dooste Gerami,

True leaders arent trained or chosen, true leaders are BORN leaders.
They emerge to the top naturally due to their innate and God-given mental, psychological and emotional strength.
Right now, Haj Safie comes closest to that level, but time will tell.