THREE weeks ago I voiced my doubts that Europe would retain the Ryder Cup at Valhalla, not because the players weren’t good enough, but because I didn’t think that the captain was the right man for the job.

As a player Nick Faldo was so single-minded he seemed aloof, distant from the other players and too absorbed in his own particular game. Also, for the last eight years, he’s been out of European golf, commentating in America.
Arguably, during this last Ryder Cup, he made what other commentators have described as ‘brave’ decisions.

However, I wonder how many of his players actually liked the man or respected him in the same way that they did the captain of the European side which won the Ryder Cup so comfortably at the K Club in Ireland two years ago? – Ian Woosnam.

‘Woosie’ made mistakes. He lived on his emotions. And he celebrated the victory in memorable style. His players seemed to regard him not just as a captain but also as a talisman. They liked the man; and responded to his exhortations by winning the trophy by 18½ points to 9½. Faldo, in 2008, albeit away from home (but against a side with no Tiger Woods), lost by 16½ points to 11½, the biggest losing margin by a European side for 27 years.

No-one will ever know what would have happened if a different captain had controlled the team, but after expressing my doubts about Faldo earlier this month those same doubts were re-awoken after Faldo and his team were pictured with Muhammad Ali. ‘This was one of the greatest moments of my life,’ Faldo said afterwards. ‘I was even given time to talk to the man.’ And he admitted that he had to choke back his tears, because Ali was and still is in some people’s eyes the greatest sportsman, ever.

So why my reservations? – Because Faldo wasn’t in America to meet a former-heavyweight boxer. Emotional as an experience it might have been, he was in Valhalla with a team of men whose sole intention was to bring the Ryder Cup back to Europe.

Now captains are a strange breed of men with the best ones having enough charisma to fill a bucket. Take, for example, Martin Johnson. What made him (and continues to make him) something special? Someone capable of winning not one but TWO Rugby World Cups? (The last but one and, conceivably, the next in three years time)?
It was a question I asked Lewis Moody, who served under ‘Jonno’ when they won the World Cup together in Australia five years ago, and who was in the Island as part of Martin Corry’s testimonial year dinner recently.

‘Jonno knows what he wants, and he’s a born leader. He’s always had that in him,’ said Moody, while Corry added: ‘He knows how to win’ and: ‘he’s the only person capable of leading England into the next World Cup.’
Now I don’t know how you can define: ‘he knows how to win’ but apparently Jonson scarcely said a word in the dressing room, although every one of his players were in awe of him.

Whether Woosie had that presence, that ability to create an unbeatable sense of self-belief, I’ll never know, but it is interesting that billionaire Sir Terry Matthews, who owns Celtic Manor in Wales, where the next Ryder Cup will be held in 2010, wants a ‘home’ captain to lead the team.

And while Woosnam’s current home is Jersey, he is the only Welshman that Sir Terry can possibly be talking about. There aren’t any other semi-retired Welsh players of Woosie’s calibre around. As for Faldo? – I can’t see him being so quick to pick up the baton again. And, personally, I would have made Colin Montgomerie one of my two wild cards in this year’s team. Why? – Because in any team sport, you need someone inspirational in your changing room and, no matter how many titles Faldo has won, I don’t think he has the presence of characters like Montgomerie, Johnson, or Woosnam.