We expect that Coloccini has been told by head coach Steve McClaren to give more interviews in the press than he’s done over the last four years, when he replaced Kevin Nolan as captain of Newcastle, but these players are completely different in terms of the type of leadership skills they have.
Steve McClaren – tactical error?
Colo tends to be quiet and has a David Beckham kind of leadership – he leads by example – whereas Kevin was very vocal and animated.
Kevin reminded us a lot of fiery Scot Jimmy Scoular, who was captain back in 1955 when we last won a local Cup – the FA Cup – when we took Manchester City apart 3-1.
🙂
Steve McClaren has placed his faith in Colo by keeping him on as captain and giving him another year on his contract at the club, but that could be a tactical mistake if Colo is not up to playing near his best these days and not worth his place in the team.
This is what Coloccini has said in the Chronicle today:
“I always said that Newcastle was my first option. So I am very happy.” “I look forward to the future and putting Newcastle where they should be – at the top end of the league.”
“I think this season at Newcastle what we have going to our credit is that every game is going to be important.”
“Whether it’s cup games of Premier League, every game is going to be massive for us.” “We really want to do something important at this club.”
“The years are going by but we have to be in the club’s history books now.” “I remember when I first signed and I said I would like to play in the Champions League or win something.”
“This is my dream. We did get into the Europa League a few years ago.” “Now we want to bring a trophy to this club.”
“It’s a massive club and the fans here deserve that.”
We wonder if Newcastle will bring in another top center-back this summer, which it seems we need, because then Colo the captain wouldn’t get a game.
Colo was signed in August of 2008 for about £10.3M from Deportivo, when Kevin Keegan was still the manager, and he arrived the same summer as Jonas Gutierrez, who didn’t have his contract renewed in the summer and left us.
In two years time when his contract runs out at Newcastle, Colo will have been at the club for nine years and it will be interesting to see how many appearances he adds to the 249 times he has already played for Newcastle with six goals.
How Newcastle do this season could depend a lot on how Coloccini plays under Steve McClaren – we hope he does well.
Here’s the goals in that 1955 FA Cup final with the great Jackie Milburn scoring in the very first minute with a header of all things, and you see Jimmy Scoular receiving the cup from a young Queen after the game.
My parents were at Wembley that day, and I watched the game on TV when I was just a wee lad – the first time I had ever watched anything on TV at my Aunts – we didn’t get electricity in our home until 1959.
Oh, the memories when Newcastle were great – that was our 3rd FA Cup Final win in five years.
And finally:
.
What do you think?
Comments welcome.
76 comments so far
Munster Mag
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:10 PM
Comment #41Sissoko should not be played unless McClaren is 100% certain that he is 100% fit. The bollocks only wont to put himself in the window and show off to Man U . Then he’ll be out for 3 weeks with the same injury.
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:15 PM
Comment #42Mag52- It’s always more difficult to write a critique with a balanced assessment than a trite rant that is merely a rehash of old stereotypes and questionable stories.
Obviously Pardew was unpopular amongst the majority of toon fans. He often lacked dignity and behaved in an arrogant manner. The pushing of a linesman, the head butting incident and insulting Pellegrini springs to mind. A North East Mourinho he wasn’t . However, he was far more competent than given credit for by the majority of fans. He also worked with a limited budget and didn’t always get the players /or in the positions he wanted.
He scored with his man management and motivational skills and often criticised for not getting the best from defensive organisation he had 5 shutouts in the season prior to his departure. Pardew left when we were in ninth position in the league; behind Chelsea, ManC, Arsenal, ManU, Liverpool, Spurs….. . We collected 40% of our points last season in October and November. A Pardew less toon ended struggling to avoid relegation. In fact until the very last day.
I have always thought ALan Pardew was an average Premier League manager but he is way ahead of the merry go round of managers operating in the PL and Championship.
Your statistical average for time in charge of NUFC and a 5th placed finish, I would suggest can be favourably viewed alongside our performances over the post SBR period.
Rotonda heights
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:24 PM
Comment #43Mag 52
are you still banging on about pardew. ffs give it up and change the record. Even before he left, the everton game apart, we were in the middle of yet another awful run and still playing rubbish football. time to move on, please!
toon22
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:26 PM
Comment #44AP was one of the worst managers the toon has ever had,just how many record worsts did he achieve with our club?
We had almost 4 years of rubbish football allong with those unsavioury incidents.
He has always ended up on a club worst run at every club he has managed.
jimmysmith
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:29 PM
Comment #45“……….a player who is neither tall nor blessed with electric pace. But he has appeared comfortable, using intelligent positioning and anticipation to get out of awkward situations. Perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s not often teams play with two big strikers up front any more. Providing a side has one big centre-back and other tall players to pick up on set pieces, a smaller, ball-playing centre-back can be protected and prove invaluable when building play from deep. “You can no longer deploy the old-fashioned, solid type of defender in these positions,” Van Gaal said of centre-backs in the 1997 book The Coaching Philosophies of Louis Van Gaal and the Ajax Coaches. “You have to use technically and tactically gifted players.”
Description of Danny Blind, playing well at CB for Man U, but could easily describe Collocini alongside a quality big CB, even Taylor, if he could stay fit. The potential problem is the lack of height in the Mbemba Collicini partnership, but you have to give McClaren time to sort out his best pairing, but Collocini has the skill set to still play a significant role alongside the right partner.
Alternative Headline
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:32 PM
Comment #46“Colo … has a David Beckham kind of leadership – he leads by example” lol
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:32 PM
Comment #47toon22- We’ve had more than our fair share of dross managers at the toon. Dalglish, Souness,Allardyce,Kinnear and Carver .
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:38 PM
Comment #48Jimmy- I read your piece last night and the potential for effectively balls coming into the box causing problems to our back four.
The Tony Green post Hereford video- observations. Aside from Hereford pitch the pitches generally made life more difficult for slick passing. Also noticeably there is far more compression of space and closing down of players today than back in the 1970’s.
Tsunki
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:39 PM
Comment #49Ian that’s a nice soft bristled brush you’re using to gloss over Alans record. There’s no way you could say he had any consistency, the same team could do well one week and be thrashed the next. I remember the the. Up to one derby we were looking good value with a few tidy wins, along come the mackems dragging there sorry chins on the floor of the league and what happens? Pardew’s wonder kids serve them a lifeline, completely against the form book of both clubs. And forget statistics, they just average out some pretty up and find terrain. If his history keeps getting the satin finish like this in a few years time he’ll be getting a statue outside the Nine Bar
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:40 PM
Comment #50Jimmy – Many would see Blind as a Manu weakness which is why they are after a CB. It will take time for our CB pairing to work in tandem.
Tsunki
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:42 PM
Comment #51Mclaren certainly has misjudged the popular conception of Colo the Captain. He may well be the softly spoken voice of respect and dignity, but the nufc public don’t really get that. He’s an undercover captain , no good in a town where it’s expected the captain has a bit of character and imposing stature about him.
Blackley and Brownlie
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:43 PM
Comment #52Jimmy
It’s a fair bet Mitrovic will be embarrassing Colo in training when it comes to physicality in the box. That will be the way no matter which beef cake holds Colo’s hand and chaperones him.
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:46 PM
Comment #53Tsunki – it’s a more balanced account than provided to mag 52 by Leon Robert. You lived through it – if you provide a lazy trite condemnation then I felt Mag52 just needed some more ammunition.
I am not expecting a 5 th placed finish just yet or a place in the Europa.
JamesToon
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:46 PM
Comment #54Anyone seen the lads training on periscope. Seems they are all getting on really well, nice to see. Highlight has to be dummett being terrified of giving mitrovic a bib in one of the drills!
Changed my mind about are lineup a bit, hope we keep the CB partnership of mbemba and colo as it is going to take time to gel and don’t want to break the partnership already so start anita at RB
spaghetti bandit
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:47 PM
Comment #55Re 2 goal tino
I think tht is a great initiative by th club,, wonder if we are th first?? Mitro is going to be eventful to say th least
jimmysmith
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:48 PM
Comment #56I’d be very happy with the option of an Abdenour Collocini pairing, with Taylor and Mbemba as alternates. I imagine Mbemba could also play well at rb, and provide some competition for Janmaat, and at twenty shouldn’t necessarily be a walk up start.
B1GSTEVE
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:54 PM
Comment #57Has Tiote ever played right back?
lesh
Aug 21, 2015 at 12:55 PM
Comment #58Ahhhh a little trip down Ed’s memory lane (“My parents were at Wembley that day, and I watched the game on TV when I was just a wee lad – the first time I had ever watched anything on TV at my Aunts – we didn’t get electricity in our home until 1959.”)
Ed’s house didn’t get electricity until 1959? He’s lucky – the electricity board cut ours off in 1960 and still haven’t reconnected. Mind, the bill’s still not been paid!
Hey ho
Munster Mag
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:03 PM
Comment #59Ian, good analysis of Pardew. I am glad he’s gone, but you are reflecting what every balanced journalist around the Uk said about him. Guys like Tsunki just want to write off the 5th as an aberration but thats just not possible. There are loads of fair things that you can say which are negative about Pardew but you wont convince, even though Im sure u know that. When we were doing well under him it was all a fluke according to some. And if we stop being all parochial about it, whilst the Makems games were a shocking disgrace, when are people going to blame the players and not the manager for what goes on on the pitch. The makems games have to be included in the whole league results, including the 5th place. Believe me, i am sad enough to want him to mess up at Palace because he is a bit of a tit, but to call him a total failure at NUFC is just plain silly. And no, i dont want him back, but am having concerns re Steve Mc !
Toonfan8
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:05 PM
Comment #60We should quickly offload Williamson,Gouffran,Vuckic,Marveaux and bring Abdennour, Rolan and in winter transfer window bring J. Willems and Byram….and it would be ouverhaul for this year and we will see what we need in next summer when our squad should look like this:
GK: Krul, Darlow, Woodman
RB: Janmaat,Byram
LB: Willems,Haidara
CB: Abdennour,Mbemba,Collocini,Dummet,Lascelles,S.Taylor
MC:Wijnaldum,Colback,Anita,Tiote,Kemen
AM:De Jong,Thauvin,Sissoko,Aarons,Obertan
FW:Mitrovic,Perez,Rolan,Cisse,Riviere,Armstrong
I think next summer we will offload Tiote, Cisse and Riviere and bring one great holding CM for big money and one striker
Tsunki
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:08 PM
Comment #61Fair enough Ian tbf I do tire of the tirades that overstate Pardew’s damaging tenure but in perspective with the previous post-SBR incumbents, they were awful for specific reasons. Trying to fix a team wholesale that wasn’t really that broke, wars of personality, or a percentage & stats man who used to be a mackem defender. And mostly all who wanted to be somewhere else but this paid better than the dole. Pardew was totally different, a terrible tactician whose only saviours came in the form of whether his players wanted to turn up on the day or not.
I hope with Mclaren that we see first of all stability in working practise, a properly disciplined defence and defensive midfield who can press constantly off the ball and restrict better opponents. Proper speed, control and service from any attacking midfield. And opportunities at goal. it’s not asking too much of such an experienced man. And in at least the top eight I expect by year end. Of course his bosses can throw him under the bus. But we will at least know by the end of the season if he tried.
Tsunki
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:15 PM
Comment #62Munster thanks for the thorough blow down, but guys like me do blame the hot and cold players as well. I don’t see the 5th as an aberration, I can’t recall saying that, what I do think is that season was an oddball. I think Pardew’s ‘style’ only lasted so long, and the killer blow for his capability is he couldn’t bring himself to demand his team not be messed about with by transfer deals and opportunism or he would leave. Neither could he fashion his team to be a busy, fogged, defensive unit and bang the averages out. No, he took the money and because of that accepted the responsibility of being the front line chump. Thus he deserves the criticism, one way or another. Let’s see how many times he takes Crystal Palace into Europe shall we?
Our Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:15 PM
Comment #63Munster
Pardew is his own biggest enemy, we finishing 5th any sensible manager would continue with the system that made him successful, the striker who took us to 5th was cisse and he got pushed out to the wing so pardew could keep Ba happy. Ba left in January leaving us with an out of form and unhappy player in cisse, add to that HBA, injured playing in a EL game when we’d already qualified and the bought back on a plastic pitch.
Pardews biggest enemy is pardew, he starts believing his own hype and things go tits up, Dummett at RB, Santon as DM, Cisse as a RW. Then look at his man management skills, the way he treated Jonas when made aware of his situation, his favourite player outlasted because he questioned the kings training methods.
He’s a manager who needs time to prepare his teams, give him limited time and things go belly up for him, hence why the 2nd half of the season is so much harder than the 1st half of the season for him & his teams. If he makes it there
Toonfan8
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:16 PM
Comment #64imagine this
……………………Krul…………………….
janmaat,mbemba,abdennour,willems
………………new DM…………………….
……wijnaldum……..sissoko……………
thauvin…….mitrovic………perez
………………………………………………….
………………..darlow……………………..
byram,lascelles,dummet,haidara
……………….anita……………………..
……..de jong……..colback…………
rolan……..armstrong……..aarons
………………………………………………
we are 5 players from this team and it should be done in this and next two windows…It looks really promising, with some great talents there….
will die for the toon army
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:18 PM
Comment #65Toonfan8
We DARE to DREAM.
Our Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:18 PM
Comment #66It’s a shame to see Abeid go, he offers more centrally than Colback and Anita but they are both versatile players.
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:29 PM
Comment #67Munster- I have to say I do read Tsunki’s material. Much is incomprehensible but I knew what he was getting at this time- LOL.
LGFUAD21
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:31 PM
Comment #68I don’t think there’s anything wrong with colo being captain.
He’s certainly not vocal but that doesn’t matter as we have other players that will be. And they can rally the troops without an armband. And the Dutch players willow that.
So in some respects. Taking the armband away could risk doing more harm than good. It’s not a “I’ve got the conch” in Lord of the flies situation.
That said. I worry that with being the captain we have damaged ourselves at the back. Either cool plays with a tall CB like we want. And I think he is capable but limits mbembas time who ends up being another Mapou or we have a captain in the bench.
I do think it’s more of a figurehead position.
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:35 PM
Comment #69Munster- Being serious it’s the random rants which are often puzzling. I think I’ve missed something so I look back again reading posts. I suspect it’s a substance induced / alcohol – or pixxed as in angry.
Not all of us can look forward,
It’s a bit early to have issues with Macca- he and the squad need time.
I was in support of the suggestion yesterday for just that.
Good your still socking it to them.
Rotonda heights
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:41 PM
Comment #70our toon
would much rather have kept abeid than colback. i just don’t see what colback he creates at all, especially on set pieces.
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:47 PM
Comment #71Munster- the 5 th placed finish led to Europa football which was a further drain on an already small squad. Where managers don’t have faith in certain players to “do a job” you are left with square pegs in round holes.
Ibizatoon
Aug 21, 2015 at 1:55 PM
Comment #72Ian…Can I ask what you aim to achieve with these poster critiques of yours?
Is it part of letting Ed deal with it and moving on, or are you hoping people may see the light?
It seems off to play the victim and make calls to “move on” and then persist with these constant criticisms. If you don’t mind my saying.
Yours
TPFOI (The popular front of Ibiza).
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 2:09 PM
Comment #73Y
Ian Toon
Aug 21, 2015 at 2:10 PM
Comment #74Ibiza – I don’t understand.!
Ibizatoon
Aug 21, 2015 at 2:22 PM
Comment #75Ian…As you will be aware, there is some history surrounding you on this blog. Many times you have claimed it to be made up, which you say Ed has confirmed.
At the end of it, you always say you don’t want to get involved and wish people would just move on.
Yet, you then seem unable to stop giving these blog critiques of blog posters. I’ve had one, Tsunki, Belfast, even Jib recently.
My question is why you do them? What is it you expect to happen? Surely you aappreciate it’s hard for people not to move on, when you mention them?
I just find it amazing you come on here, preaching that people should be focused on Newcastle, yet you persist with the personal.
You’re not alone, but for someone who claims to be emotionally and intellectually advanced (perhaps not a direct quote there), should you not be leading by example?
dazza
Aug 21, 2015 at 10:48 PM
Comment #76Shame we got rid of Abeid?? Please stop with the fantasy. He was pants. It’s a miracle we were able to offload him. ‘offers more than Colback and Anita’?!