Identifying a third-in-line St Johnstone captain became an early task for manager Callum Davidson this season.
And in the absence of Liam Gordon and Murray Davidson, Melker Hallberg has proved himself to be worthy of the armband, according to the Perth boss.
The former Hibs midfielder stepped up as an on-pitch leader for all but one of Saints’ six Premiership matches thus far.
It’s a role that he’s embraced and excelled in, setting the sort of example Davidson puts great importance on.
📸#SJFC pic.twitter.com/JpsNjLXd3y
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) September 12, 2022
“Melker’s taken a lot of pride in being the captain,” he said.
“I knew he’s got the type of character you need.
“With Liam and Murray not involved I thought that Melker would be the right one.
“He’s fantastic in training and I think he’s enjoyed the responsibility.
“Liam and Murray will return at some point obviously but you can never have too many leaders in your team and Melker is definitely one of those for me.”
Leading by example
Davidson added: “There are different ways to be a captain.
“I certainly don’t agree that you need to be a shouter and bawler.
“Melker gets his message across well. He’s a talker and he leads by example on the pitch and in training.
“A good attitude, a real desire and wanting to help people are the qualities you need. All three have that.”
Saints have only won one of their six encounters with Saturday’s opponents, Ross County while Davidson has been in charge at McDiarmid Park.
And he’s contemplating a tactical change to make sure that doesn’t become one from seven.
“We might do something different against them this time,” he said.
“You do have teams that you struggle to get a result against over a period of time and that means you’ve got to look at changing things a bit.
“That’s in my mind for Saturday.
“The players are desperate to get going again after not having a game at the weekend and will be full of confidence after our win over St Mirren.”
Conversation