Stan Collymore suggests why Tottenham star Harry Kane captained England; but believes it was wrong decision

Follow us on Google Discover

Stan Collymore was unhappy with the decision to make Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane the England captain for their qualifier with Scotland.

England’s Harry Kane

Stan Collymore has told the Daily Mirror that he believes that the lack of controversy surrounding Harry Kane was the reason that he was given the armband for England’s clash with Scotland on Saturday, but suggested that the decision was the wrong one.

In Wayne Rooney’s absence, Gareth Southgate made the Spurs talisman the skipper for the World Cup qualifier at Hampden Park, which – after a fairly slow start – kicked into the life in the latter stages and finished 2-2.

But while Collymore suggested that he understood the reason behind the decision, he insisted that it was probably a mistake to make Kane captain for the day.

“The other thing I’m not happy about is Kane being handed the armband,” he told the Mirror.

“I can see the logic behind it — the last thing Southgate and the FA want is a scandal involving their skipper on the front pages in the build-up to a major tournament and Kane is a safe pair of hands.

“But Gary Cahill and Eric Dier are good, safe leaders as well.

“I know it’s a big deal being England captain, a massive honour, but there’s a lot of secondary stuff that goes with it and takes the mind away from the primary focus.”

Although Collymore did not like to see Kane given the armband, he appears to be one of those players who relishes being given the extra responsibility, having served as vice-captain to Hugo Lloris for Tottenham.

Kane is Tottenham’s vice-captain

And he certainly showed few signs of feeling the strain of responsibility at Hampden Park with his equaliser in the dying minutes looking as composed as almost any goal he scored throughout the campaign at White Hart Lane.

But given his importance to both his club and country, it may be something that both Mauricio Pochettino and Gareth Southgate keep their eyes on to make sure that the responsibility is not hurting his form.