There is a big question mark over Fabricio Coloccini’s future at Newcastle as he has one year left on his contract – that’s the year he was given by head coach Steve McClaren last August when Steve decided he would remain Newcastle’s captain.
It was an odd decision by McClaren, who did that a few days before the first game of the season against Southampton and had Colo in the side even though he hadn’t played one minute in pre-season.
An odd decision indeed and a poor one by the then head coach.
Fab Coloccini with Rafa Benitez when he first arrived
With Newcastle relegated and Colo on massive wages, whoever the new manager is for next season will need to decide whether he wants to use Colo in the Championship or let him go this summer.
Colo has been talking to the local press today about the good things Rafa Benitez has done at Newcastle since he joined the club a short nine weeks ago today:
“We changed a lot of things. We changed the right way.” “Maybe it was too late, and that’s why we are in this position.”
“It’s not one thing – it’s a lot of things.” “Maybe I’m not the right person to speak about that.”
“I know I’m the captain, but I think it’s more for the club to speak about those things.” “Now we are in this situation.”
“We just have to try to win the next game. Nothing else.” “That’s all I can do,” “I can’t even train with them. I can’t go outside.”
“I can just be around the training ground and with them in the dressing room.” “When you have a grade two, it’s really difficult.”
“It’s not a grade one, it’s a grade two.” “I tried to come earlier because of the situation we were win.” “I tried to push. That was maybe a mistake.”
“Now I think it’s impossible for me to be fit.” “I’m in the middle of the treatment? So I don’t think that I can play against Tottenham.”
It took four games for Rafa to sort out the players at Newcastle and he didn’t really have that time and we picked up just one point from those first four games.
That wasn’t enough, although in the last five games we have 9 points – not enough again – with Sunderland’s two successive wins that has saved them.
It’s a tragedy that Newcastle have been relegated and is simply caused by not taking action when it looked like Steve McClaren was way out of his depth.
He started badly with 3 points from 8 games and most other Premier League clubs – in fact all Premier league clubs – would have fired him long before Newcastle did.
Steve kept telling everybody he could bring Newcastle around and he was kept in the job far too long and Newcastle paid for that dithering with a very costly relegation.
McClaren got 24 points from 28 games and as it turned out – we were doomed when Lee Charnley and the incompetent Board finally fired him.
We hope that Mike Ashley brings some accountability to the club for the loss of £100M in TV revenues next season, but it’s looking like he wont.
What a terrible way to run a football club.
Let’s hope Rafa stays – he’s our one and only hope.
The Chronicle have an open letter to Rafa and a petition for fans to sign – here’s where you can read the letter and sign the petition.
If you want to send a message to Rafa asking him to stay, here’s all the contact information for Newcastle United – here.
Here’s Rafa’s twitter account associated with his web-site.
Comments welcome.
48 comments so far
Ibizatoon
May 13, 2016 at 9:34 AM
Comment #1Okay, before we can move on, is Colo in the middle or his treatment or not? The suspense is killing me.
Jail for Ashley
May 13, 2016 at 9:37 AM
Comment #2Did Mclaren give him the contract personally?
Jib
May 13, 2016 at 9:41 AM
Comment #3I’m with Jail on this one.
It was Charnley who extended Colo’s contract !
magscar
May 13, 2016 at 9:41 AM
Comment #4Repost
magscar // May 13, 2016 at 9:40 AM
“At AshleyOut.com we have laid low but we have not gone away. We have tried to remain active on social media but as individuals we cannot devote all of our time to this campaign – we have families and jobs like everyone else.”
Extract from Ashley Out statement referred to earlier which contains nothing that hasn’t been said on here and elsewhere by many over the year never mind last 18 months
Why was this campaign so muted after the Pardew one?
Why after near relegation last season and three managers since Pardew went has there not been more than social media activism?
Can it be that taking on Ashley even in the crises we have endured is not as easy as made out and funds to do so are no longer as forthcoming to an anonymous group?
Motivating those who go, who aren’t just long term ST holders but apparently include foreign students and boys out on a jolly, to not go is an impossible task. They simply do not think as “one” to order but when they reach their individual line in the sand they will respond as they feel necessary.
Without the Raga saga we all can probably guess what would happen on Sunday and nothing to do an anonymous group who have laid low.
WWSBRD
May 13, 2016 at 9:42 AM
Comment #5Ibiza
If the contract is detrimental to NUFC and purely in favour of pushing SDs ventures which was set up by the owner of both then there would be grounds to cancel it
If SD are paying a fair rate then it could be iron tight but who thinks they are? Alternatively if Ashley wanted he could accept the SD contract to offset the overall price tag of the club
Who knows but if Ashley wants out (he can’t possibly not imo) there’s reasons to do it now
WWSBRD
May 13, 2016 at 9:44 AM
Comment #6Jail
I heard SM asked for a international experienced CB and Charnley gave Colo a new contract then ticked that request off as being fulfilled
Bobbybee
May 13, 2016 at 9:51 AM
Comment #7Flores gone at watford. First season comfortably survived not good enough apparently. Careful what you wish for.
ToonRich
May 13, 2016 at 9:52 AM
Comment #8Flores to leave watford at the end of the season, would you take him if Rafa doesnt stay??
BandB
May 13, 2016 at 9:52 AM
Comment #9magscar
People need to stop telling other people what to do, and sing for Rafa!
magscar
May 13, 2016 at 9:52 AM
Comment #10Rafa saga!
….although Raga saga has a pleasing Eastern and Norse ring to it 🙂
magscar
May 13, 2016 at 9:54 AM
Comment #11BandB
Very droll
BandB
May 13, 2016 at 9:55 AM
Comment #12And very true…
Jail for Ashley
May 13, 2016 at 9:56 AM
Comment #13WW…,
Sounds about right.
magscar,
Unfortunately there are simply too many people like you who want to see any type of protest group fall flat on its face. Everton actually mentioned the fact that fans had organised a protest against Martinez as a reason for sacking him, Lpool, albeit under different circumstances forced owners out through organised protest. AshleyOut.com went quiet last year due to 50M being spent. Maybe we should have had an organised protest to ask for Mclaren to be sacked in January and that lune in the sand might not have been against Bournemouth when it was too late.
Spoof
May 13, 2016 at 10:01 AM
Comment #14Putting the curly haired waste of space to one side, which should have been done at least 3 seasons ago, what about Sundays game, not that it is important in terms of the match result but I dare bet that unlike the normal doom and gloom with the hissing that becomes a side already relegated I recon that SJP will be bouncing, bouncing to such an extent that it could be believed that we had just won something, there seems to be such a desire to keep Rafa here that I believe that the stadium will be bouncing in an effort to show there feelings towards him, for possibly the first time in history an already relegated team will have a party atmosphere for their last home game, I jacked by season ticket in two seasons back and I have never been back since, but I am seriously considering going to this one as the prize if we can convince Rafa to stay could be well worth my hypocrisy when I said I would never go back if Ashley is the owner !
jimmysmith
May 13, 2016 at 10:01 AM
Comment #15Collocini, for all of his suspected shortcomings, you would imagine would be an imperious player under Benitez in the Championship.
SPRINGY
May 13, 2016 at 10:02 AM
Comment #16morning all
BandB
cheers for that article on the last page,very interesting,does leave us with a better chance of promotion if im reading it right,it suggests that mike ashley has to guarantee promotion to keep himself out the shite,cut his ties with rangers or sell us….so 2 of these things are good for us…on the flip side though,knowing this tool bag he’ll dig his heels in and upset the powers that be and get us booted out of the league for some backward stance against therm…like he has done with the politicians on his case.
Hail Wor Ashley
May 13, 2016 at 10:03 AM
Comment #17We kept the wrong Argentinian. They couldn’t be more different in character.
thejokethatisnufc
May 13, 2016 at 10:03 AM
Comment #18we are the laughing stock of football.
Jib
May 13, 2016 at 10:04 AM
Comment #19Jail
I think the antipathy towards the various NUFC
?out.com groupings is the secrecy and backdoor skulking.
You mention other clubs – but their protest groups are up front and happily talk to the media to get their point across.
magscar
May 13, 2016 at 10:05 AM
Comment #20Jail
Wanting something to fall flat and suspecting (from a historical and current take) that it inevitably will are not the same thing.
I won’t shed a tear if Ashley goes but when he does he will have made the decision not Ashley Out.
Are you saying it is ASHLEY OUT …unless he (club) spends 50M or signs Rafa?
So it isn’t really an “Out” campaign but a sort of “we will be satisfied with some signs of change” instead.
Are you one of the social media activists that have gone unheralded?
BandB
May 13, 2016 at 10:05 AM
Comment #21How many usernames have you had Jibbers?
Jail for Ashley
May 13, 2016 at 10:09 AM
Comment #22Jib,
I believe the people from NUST who have experience with public speaking and dealing with the media should have fronted it, but they didnt.
jimmysmith
May 13, 2016 at 10:10 AM
Comment #23Collocini is part of the spine. A most significant role. In hindsight, both he and Jonas might have proved valuable. Collocini got injured, possibly questionably, although that seems unlikely, but he was not why we went down. He’s top half player.
SPRINGY
May 13, 2016 at 10:11 AM
Comment #24with regards to the article BandB found,who do people on here feel ashley would rather have, were he to have to make a decision between the clubs,rangers or Newcastle?
Bobbybee
May 13, 2016 at 10:11 AM
Comment #25Mags, jail used the money spent as a reason to go back to games, despite his earlier claims. Therefore all is rosy in the garden. Suddenly we are relegated and it’s back to anti ashley. You’ll get no sense there marra! 😉
WWSBRD
May 13, 2016 at 10:12 AM
Comment #26The NUFC group is anonymous because of the history between the various groups and the personal issues between people
They don’t want the message diluted by that
ToonTiger
May 13, 2016 at 10:12 AM
Comment #27The moment Colo had his contract extended I feared the worst. He should’ve gone and been replaced at the end of last season
hibbitt
May 13, 2016 at 10:12 AM
Comment #28jimmysmith
have you seen the goals against column when colo played
Charlie in the Gallowgate
May 13, 2016 at 10:13 AM
Comment #29ToonRich
Flores – I would take him if Rafa leaves
SPRINGY
May 13, 2016 at 10:13 AM
Comment #30bobby
did you read the rangers article on last thread highlighted by BandB?
jimmysmith
May 13, 2016 at 10:15 AM
Comment #31He was at fault? How so, exactly.
Jail for Ashley
May 13, 2016 at 10:16 AM
Comment #32magscar,
There wouldn’t be an OUT campaign if he had not have made himself one of the four worst owners in the football league, there you go scorning on the fact that people want change whether it means him going or spending, I’d much rather it was him going but if he’d tried to make us successful why would you want him gone. Saying he’ll sell when he wants to is just an opiniin of yours, contrary to the saying, all publicity isn’t good.
magscar
May 13, 2016 at 10:16 AM
Comment #33WWRSBD
What message though?
Of the statements released the one that I was more in tune with was that from FF then NUST then AO
Bobbybee
May 13, 2016 at 10:17 AM
Comment #34Morning springy! Personally i reckon he’ll stick with us, simply because of the amount of money he’s put in. Compared to us, his investment in rangers is minor. Not sure they could kick us out either, because he is a seperate entity to NUFC. His dealings with rangers aren’t connected to NUFC in any way. Are they? He still needs a buyer if he chooses the rangers path and there’s no queue of buyers.
jimmysmith
May 13, 2016 at 10:18 AM
Comment #35Put him behind Tiote and Colback, and watch him mop up, and stroke it about, if players are good enough to make themselves available.
WWSBRD
May 13, 2016 at 10:18 AM
Comment #36magscar
Message isn’t clear? It’s the name of the campaign bud
SPRINGY
May 13, 2016 at 10:19 AM
Comment #37jimmy
colo’s time has past now,we need to start looking forward,lascelles and mbemba (if they stay)will make mistakes but they are young and will get better hopefully,colo would make as many and will get worse….he may be a squad member and play when needed and his experience would be a bonus to the team but we need to start a fresh….the defence has been the biggest ball every year without a doubt.
YouCouldn'tMakeItUp
May 13, 2016 at 10:19 AM
Comment #38Our ‘Goals against’ did not get any better when colo got injured. However, we became a bit less leaky at the back when JANMAAT got hurt, and anita came in. Not saying colo is suddenly blameless, but maybe Janmaat was a bigger part of the problem
reilly
May 13, 2016 at 10:21 AM
Comment #39Lets hope the club have a plan B if Rafa decides the job isnt for him,the last thing we need is this dragging on all summer.
YouCouldn'tMakeItUp
May 13, 2016 at 10:23 AM
Comment #40Reilly,
As long as plan b is something better than Steve “bagpuss” bruce.