Don't underestimate the importance of selecting the right captain.
I see Keith Long is still juggling his options at Bohs after ex-skipper Keith Buckley and vice-captain Rob Cornwall left.
The responsibilities are being shared this season and Long is mindful not to burden players with the weight of the role.
I get that because the difference between standing in the tunnel for a sold-out game with and without the armband is huge.
I learned that early on.
There were times when I filled in as captain but refused to wear the actual armband itself.
I led the team out and did the coin toss but once the whistle sounded, I wanted to focus on my performance without distraction.
You have to find out for yourself if you’re up for the task. You have to earn the honour.
There’s a hierarchy of personalities in dressing rooms and not everyone is captain material.
You’ve the jokers, the overly serious types, those who compromise - It’s an eclectic mix but if someone can do a little bit of everything, you’ve probably found your skipper.
They can have a laugh and a joke but when it comes down to it, they crack the whip and lead you into battle.
And if someone isn’t pulling their weight, they’ll be comfortable dishing out a quiet word on the side.
Owen Heary immediately comes to mind when I think of great captains because you wanted to follow him into a fight.
He was such a relentless presence who rarely got injured and never missed a training session.
But on one rare occasion when he was sidelined, Pat Fenlon made Dave Rogers captain and it backfired.
Dave was a great defender and an even better bloke, but the others felt I should have been asked. Wes Hoolahan was actually unsettled by it in the warm-up.
I didn’t think twice about it but Pat admitted he got it wrong and I was the stand-in captain thereafter.
It’s about striking a balance because football teams are like guitars. They’re so highly tuned, that if one string breaks, the instrument won’t work.
I didn’t mind being captain but more so because I didn’t want Jason Byrne or Glen Crowe worrying about anything other than scoring goals.
I wanted Ollie Cahill at his best on the wing, destroying full-backs and pinging in crosses and scoring goals. Not stressing about the captaincy.
But even in the beginning, I was wary of overplaying the role because you cannot change as a person, or people will see through you.
Throughout my career, most lads had no interest in being captain. Footballers have tunnel vision and are preoccupied with getting their own performance spot on.
Trevor Croly - now the Bohs assistant - was another brilliant captain and Denis Irwin-like in his consistency.
If he wasn’t playing for St Pat’s, I always felt we had a chance.
So I don’t buy the idea that captaincy doesn't matter as much in the modern game. Every team needs their leader.
DON'T FEAST ON STEPHEN
St Pat’s players and staff cannot afford to get blindsided by Stephen O’Donnell’s return to Inchicore tonight.
If they lose to his Dundalk team, they’re out of the title race.
We’re entering a new stage of the season where teams are done with sounding each other out.
It’s serious business now and Derry City - six points clear - are responding to every challenge put down before them.
Second-placed Shamrock Rovers will only get better, so it’s up to St Pat’s and Sligo Rovers to stay in touch.
Right now, Saints are title contenders and that should be their focus tonight - not O’Donnell.
Stevie made his choice and when the fixtures came out, all eyes were on this particular date and for good reason.
His controversial departure was fresh news, there was considerable upheaval and side-swiping and St Pat’s had to install a new management team.
But that all took place in pre-season and we’ve moved on. St Pat’s got a fine manager in Tim Clancy and winning this game is all that matters.
It’s different for the fans, of course. They’re obliged to make the atmosphere as hellish as possible for the away team.
You want an edge in games. As a player, there’s nothing worse than a passive crowd sitting there, delighted with life and all happy out.
Hostile atmospheres drive you as a player and I expect one tonight. You wouldn’t want it any other way, once it doesn’t cross a line.
HOLIDAY WASHOUT
I had a quick getaway in Majorca for four days last week.
It’s been four year since I last left the country and I was really looking forward to a dip in the water and sun on my face.
Well, I may as well have gone to Siberia!
Snow storms, gale force winds, freezing temperatures and dangerous waves were all forecast by the Spanish met office after freak conditions hit.
The windchill meant it was five degrees tops and I spent my time in a coat, hat and scarf.
Alas, the sunglasses and speedos never left the suitcase.
THE WHOLE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH
Shels host Shamrock Rovers tonight in an interesting game but it wasn’t a big one in my day.
Rovers were going through their own financial troubles at the time and we were the top dogs, not them.
But there were still some good games and I’ll never forget Stephen Geoghegan on his hands and knees looking for his front tooth in the grass.
‘Geogho’ and Stephen McGuinness were contesting a ball in Tolka that bounced up shoulder high and I thought my old team-mate had it under control.
But as a no-nonsense centre-back, McGuinness was entitled to get his foot in there too but Geogho got a little more than he bargained for.
When Geogho started scrambling around the grass, I thought he had lost his marbles. Then our physio Larry Byrne joined in!
Turns out it wasn’t his marbles he lost, but his tooth. Thankfully they found it and popped it into a glass of milk and the dentist did the rest.
