Fabricio Coloccini seems to have seamlessly moved into the role of Newcastle captain this season.
Fab Coloccini – great player for Newcastle
Coloccini is a bit of a folk hero at the club, and he seems in the best form of his life this season, as he has adjusted so well to the rigors of English football and the Premier League in particular over the last couple of years.
We remember when Colo first arrived on Tyneside in August of 2008, when he said he thought he could become a top player in England, and he played so well in that first game at Manchester United under Kevin Keegan, when the lads got a good 1-1 draw.
But he had a tough season after that, and of course Newcastle were relegated (my arm just start to hurt again), and Fab has stayed around and become a top player for the Tyneside club.
And over the last couple of seasons he’s been absolutely outstanding in central defense, and of course only recently he was voted the North East Player of the Year for his performances.
Colo has been a huge help to Newcastle’s new players this season, and John Carver believes it’s simply because the Argentine had to go through his own adjustments when he first arrived at Newcastle:
“I think when Coloccini came to the football club he had a bit of a rough time,” “But when we went into the Championship he matured as a footballer and I think that stands him in good stead for what he’s doing now.”
“He’s had to go into a very, very competitive division and passed that test with flying colors.” “He’s now back in the Premier League and he’s embraced what he’s done in the Championship and we’re reaping the benefits because of it.”
“He’s definitely taken on this extra responsibility.” “He was always a captain-type player in the background but because you had other strong characters in Kevin and Joey he must have felt it wasn’t his responsibility to come to the fore.
“But he’s stepped forward and come to the plate and embraced the extra responsibility.”
We now have to hope that Newcastle carry on their good work and sign Coloccini for a two year extension to his contract, as they did last week with his Argentine colleague Jonas Gutierrez.
If the club can do that, the news will be very well received by the Newcastle faithful, and could show that Newcastle can become a good side very soon, and certainly much sooner than we ever thought possible.
That’s what we are hoping for in any case.
Howay The Lads!!
7 comments so far
Toonboy_84
Oct 7, 2011 at 9:55 AM
Comment #1Best CB we’ve had at the toon in my lifetime! Howay Colo!
liam85
Oct 7, 2011 at 10:04 AM
Comment #2I must admit.. although it’s not great to go into the championship for any team but coming back up is like it’s given the team a reality check. To survive in the PL you need to work very hard as a team!
toons4eva
Oct 7, 2011 at 10:07 AM
Comment #3a proper ball playing cb if ever there was one……
Pek
Oct 7, 2011 at 10:08 AM
Comment #4Can remember not so long ago when everyone was on his case. The term donkey used on more than one occasion! I said at the time give him chance to settle into the quicker pace, he’s got bags of potential in the English game. How right I was…..doesn’t happen very often so forgive me for gloating 😉
Nicely done Colo
HWTL
AshtreeKid
Oct 7, 2011 at 10:08 AM
Comment #5the best CB in my lifetime at the toon has to be Woodgate
Dannyo
Oct 7, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Comment #6One of the best CBs in UK, no doubt.
davis_toons
Oct 7, 2011 at 9:20 PM
Comment #7Woodgate – but that gate is always chipped & breakdown.