Barton for Captain?

The full-time score read Newcastle 4-1 Wolves at the weekend, but the result wasn't all sweetness and light and had a rather nasty sting in the tail for fans of NUFC.

Our influential captain, Kevin Nolan, picked up his 10th booking of the season which means that he will now sit out the next two matches against Aston Villa and Manchester United, which is a bit of a problem to be fair as our Kevin vary rarely fails to gee up the rest of the team.

So with the captain out and the vice-captain on the treatment table, who is likely to get the nod to be the stand in? There are a few people who would be capable of wearing the armband to be fair, but I have one person in mind for the role if I'm being honest. That man is Joey Barton.

Love him or hate him, Barton's contribution can't be denied. I'm not sure if many people are aware of this, but we haven't actually won a league game without him this season such is his importance to the side. This, in my mind, makes him the ideal captain for Kevin Nolan's absence.

I understand that some may not be happy about Barton getting the armband based on his previous troubles, but in my mind they are in the past and what is important is what would be good for the team currently. And I think Barton being made captain for the Villa game at least would be a good thing for the continuity of the team.

You see I don't think Barton will allow anyone to shirk during the match. We've seen it at times this season where Barton has been talking to his teammates throughout the match and encouraging them. There has even been the odd fist pump from him in an attempt to get people up for it. He would be the ideal replacement for me.

As I said earlier though, there are others who could do a job, like Fabricio Coloccini, who has worn the armband before, and Steve Harper who commands respect due to his seniority more than anything even though I'm not a fan of having a goalkeeper as a captain.

We are going to be even lighter on numbers at Aston Villa now, so it's important that we display a resolve as we come up against a team that, in my view, are much much better than their league position suggests. Sound familiar?

I think Barton could be that man. Do you?