[drewks]

I'm not really in the camp that Brunt should be stripped of the captaincy.

Reason for that is that I don't think it matters who the captain is.

In professional football, I'm a firm believer than players should be self motivated and leaders will talk and communicate with younger players, with or without the armband.

Lescott will be respected for his top level experience and quality and the younger pros should listen to him if they've got their heads screwed on, regardless of the armband.

Stripping a player on captaincy doesn't send a great message, especially if he's liked in the dressing room and can cause more problems than it's worth. I'm sure the likes of Lescott can lead the team anyway.

...BUT, importantly, IMO you DO need a designated captain to gee people up; to organise, encourage/give a bollocking/pep talk as necessary through a game. At the present time if JL is doing this OVER the designated captain it could give problems where players could start to resent what's being said. or not listen, take sides, etc..
Furthermore, I think the statement 'stripping a player of the captaincy' is a bit over dramatic (a la Sun/Mirror) - I'd class it as giving the captaincy to a more appropriate person for the good of the team.

I'd agree that players SHOULD all be well motivated but still think that a captain - who SHOULD be a motivator and a leader - is still an important and necessary role.
Lescott for me! I still think Brunty has a lot to offer as a player but isn't either of the above