Micah Richards admits he failed to set the right example as Aston Villa captain after Arsenal stripped Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of their armband this week, via his Daily Mail column.
Richards replaced Fabian Delph as the Villans’ on-field skipper in 2015 after the midfielder left Villa Park for Manchester City. He had only joined the Birmingham outfit himself that June on a free transfer, having left the Etihad Stadium at the end of his Citizens contract.
Tim Sherwood believed Richards could replace Delph as captain having occasionally held the role at City. He also said, via Sky Sports, at the time: ‘He’s vocal and leads by example’.
The 2015/16 season proved to be a difficult time for Aston Villa, as they dropped out of the Premier League. The Villans also went through four head coaches, two interim, on route to ending the campaign in 20th-place. They took just 17-points and won three games all term.
Richards gives honest verdict on his failures as Aston Villa captain
Richards has now admitted he failed to set the right example throughout his time as Aston Villa captain. The former England defender has reflected on his spell as skipper in 2015/16 after Arsenal took their armband off of Aubameyang for a ‘latest’ disciplinary breach.
Richards notes as captain, you cannot step an inch out of line with other players looking at you to lead. But he did not always meet the standards required of the role.
“I was a captain myself and have to admit there was a point at Aston Villa when I failed to set the best example,” Richards wrote.
“When Villa were fighting to stay in the top-flight, I was pictured in Dubai during an international break. I had permission and didn’t do anything wrong while I was there.
“But even so, the perception the picture created was poor. Hindsight tells me I should never have put myself in that position – what message did it send to the rest of the squad?
“That’s what I mean about unwritten rules. You can’t put a toe, never mind a foot, out of line when you lead the group.”
Richards captained Aston Villa in all but one of his 24 Premier League appearances during 2015/16. He would not wear the armband again during a league fixture after that.
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