WITH more established and experienced players to choose from, it remains a marvel to many that three of the island’s most outstanding football clubs — Harbour View, Tivoli Gardens and Waterhouse — have chosen three relative youngsters to lead their teams this season.

The enigmatic Navion Boyd has been handed the mantle at Tivoli; the tempermental Marcelino Blackburn regularly wears the armband for Harbour View, while the respected Kenardo Forbes is doing likewise at Waterhouse.

However, while Boyd and Blackburn were handed the armband to help curb their irresponsible behaviour on the field, Waterhouse coach Geoffrey Maxwell said despite his youthful 21 years, Forbes has all the qualities to lead the Drewsland-based team.

“He… commands and demands a lot of respect out on the field and he has tremedous ability like most people know, but because of his energy and resolve and he’s always encouraging players out on the field (and) I thought he was the ideal person to be captain,” Maxwell explained.

At first the veteran coach did not want to burden Forbes with such a responsibiltity, but after assessing the situation, realised the former Bridgeport High captain was more than capable of handling the task.

“I think he’s one for the future, not only at club level, but at national level, and it’s always good to groom them in this direction at a young stage,” Maxwell told the Sunday Observer.

“… I just thought the time was right for him to… take up more responsibilities and so far I don’t see where he has gone wrong,” he said.

Maxwell added: “My captain has to be me out there; he cannot just be going out there to spin a toss. I’m looking for a leader because when things go wrong on the field it’s the captain who steps up and gets the players going, and I think he has this ability, so why not give it to him?” he asked rhetorically.

At West Kingston-based Tivoli, Coach Lenworth Hyde decided to ask the talented national player Boyd after the youngster was ejected three times during last season’s victorious campaign while playing as a striker.

Hyde said he hoped putting Boyd in a more responsible role would help restrict his aggressive behaviour towards match officials and opponents.

“Last season we had a very good season but we had a problem with him because he was getting too much yellow cards. He was always aggressive with the referees and at times other players, so myself and Max Straw thought that if we give him the captaincy it would calm him a bit,” Hyde said.

Although Boyd is only 22, Hyde believes he has demonstrated experience and maturity on the field and thought making him captain would temper his arrogance.

“Giving him more responsibility on the field as well as off… has turned him around a lot. He hasn’t gotten any yellow cards since he got the captaincy, so it seem to be working and he is fulfilling the captain’s role.”

Boyd, however, was given his marching orders in the last match against Sporting Central last Sunday.

“This just shows he still has more to learn and more to grow,” Hyde rationalised, adding that although Boyd is captain the reponsibility can be handed to any player throughout the course of the season.

“We elect our captain based on behaviour — how disciplined the player is on and off the field; how he carries himself in training; his punctuality and his demand of other players,” the former Jamaica midfieder said.

Harbour View’s Donovan Hyles said gifted but problematic attacker Blackburn has a serious attitude problem and although Lovel Palmer is the team leader, the 25-year-old Blackburn leads the team sometimes to help him improve his conduct.

“He performs well but he does not carry a good attitude in terms of conduct and I want him to start thinking positive and be reponsible… I gave him the armband to try and entrust him see if it would help him to conduct himself in the right way,” Hayles explained, emphasising that the move is designed to improve character.

In last Sunday’s 1-1 draw with August Town, Blackburn was shown the yellow card in the second-half after a goal was disallowed and he reacted by showing dissent to referee Dave Peterkin.

“… It’s work in progress and as a coach your challenge is not just to develop the player… but also the person as a human being and no matter how long it takes and how trying it is, you have to have that patience,” Hayles stated.