Unbelievable

A poor captain could have a negative effect if he was disruptive, I probably over simplified what I said. I still don’t think being a captain these days is much other than being a figurehead. Every player on the pitch should be talking to each other, one person can only do so much. I've seen nothing to make me think that Coloccini is anything but a good captain other than his current personal problems which don't seem to be doing anything to his game. I have no complaints about his on the field captain duties, but you can't find any fault at all in a captain who wants to jump ship in the middle of a relegation fight and doesn't communicate (about this) with the fans..?

Nice try at shifting some of Pardew’s failings onto Coloccini. The job of a captain these days is mainly symbolic as no team should have to rely on one player for anything once the game kicks off. What?

Hadn't shaved too in one of the interviews I watched.

Should stop listening to idiots on twitter even if they are journalists ( actually that is even more reason to ignore them) To be fair on the one vid I watched he didn't look like your typical DM, more like an Abeid type, quite tall and quick. I find this link completely mystifying btw, as he doesn't seem to be highly rated, and we aren't exactly short on (defensive) central midfield players.

I don't even think the price tag is in the region of 6 million, probably closer to 4. Still, he would be on significant wages, and turns 28 this upcoming summer. I would much rather spend that sort of money on a young, promising forward if we can't get that first team player in now, if we really feel we need cover in case Cisse gets injured.

We got Gouffran too, plus all these players would get in the way of Campbell getting match day experience. I wouldn't want Graham unless we managed to shift Xisco and Ranger. Shola may not be good enough for first team duty, but he will do as third choice for now, until we get in somebody significantly better than a solid backup option.

Don't need more backup up front, need a first team player imho.. Ideally yea, but now we really need more numbers for the front line. Ranger is f***ing s***, both mentally and as a striker, Campbell is deemed to young/light weight, and Shola is not good enough. That leaves the unproven Gouffran behind Papiss. So I agree that we need players to compete about the starting position, but i disagree about us not needing more back-up Backup players are "not good enough" (to be first team players) by definition. We have 4 already, 5 if you count Xisco. We don't want to be stuck with backup players for years on end, unless they're young and promising, which Graham isn't.

Don't need more backup up front, need a first team player imho..

Another central midfield player? Can't see it..

For what it's worth I quite like the idea of older players helping out their "boyhood club" to end their career. We get it quite a bit in Holland, for ex. Rijkaard at Ajax, Van Bronckhorst at Feyenoord, etc. Robin van Persie has always said he will one day play for Excelsior Rotterdam, a club of minnows if there ever was one, as that's where he started his career as a little boy, although he never got to play for their first team. In that sense, I could understand where Colo is coming from, but it seems a bit early in his career and begs the question why he signed a new contract in the first case if indeed this is what's behind his desire to move clubs.

Ok, learned something new.. Guess we don't really have a word for youngsters who play for one team and support another. We just call them traitors..

Fair enough. Wouldn't surprise me if his "personal reasons" amount to nothing more than a burning desire to play for the team he actually supports. Aren't San Lorenzo on the decline, i.e. faced with relegation and in substantial financial trouble?

San Lorenzo are his boyhood club. Not according to Wiki (I know)? http://www.somoscuervos.com.ar/media/galeria/72/4/8/2/7/n_san_lorenzo_historia-2057284.jpg Doesn't that make San Lorenzo Osvaldo Coloccini's (boyhood) club, rather than Fabricio's? Everything I can find suggests Fabricio Coloccini has only ever played at San lorenzo for one season on loan from AC Milan. Edit: I appreciate this question is completely irrelevant as he seems dead set on joining them sooner rather than later, I just wanted to point out he does not seem to have a long history with them other than apparently his father having played for them and he apparently being a fan.

San Lorenzo are his boyhood club. Not according to Wiki (I know)?

I wanted some sort of statement when it was not clear whether he was staying or leaving, not so much now there is clarity. That letter to San Lorenzo fans is a bit strange though in context, considering he's the captain of THIS club, and has only played there for one season on loan, so it's not like it's his boyhood club and he would die to end his career playing for them (or at least, it shoudn't be).

especially the bit in bold. He's never been amongst our better players in terms of creativity and end product, yet his work rate and willingness to sacrifice himself have been invaluable for us in the not so distant past. To me it seems since we have been doing less good collectively as a squad of players people look at the people least likely to create some magic as the ones that are dispensable. A good team needs work horses just as much as it needs show ponies to stay in the glue factory theme. I would be looking to replace him, because I agree we can do better long term, but not let him go now without a replacement coming in.

Imagine what it's like being a Newcastle fan..

I think he's just resigned, well according to Dutch wiki he has.

He's giving advice to plenty of parties. Ajax for one, where he cost the executive board their jobs last year, a shortlived spell in Central America if I'm not mistaken and no doubt he's also an advisor to Barcelona (maybe VI can confirm) as he still lives there predominantly. I just find it a huge shame that he's not managed a team or nation since 1996, besides from a couple of matches as the national manager of Catalonia. He has had some heart problems during his time at Barcelona, so maybe he's decided he can do without the daily pressure of being a manager, but it's a real shame for football in general, and Dutch football in particular, that our best player has never managed our national team, despite having had the opportunity to do so more than once.

That's what I reckon will happen. Would honestly be baffling for him to start Taylor. Yanga-Mbiwa has exactly the right type of temperament to come in to things straight away. I think a factor will be how s*** Villa are at defending corners and that Taylor is probably our biggest threat from them. Plus Taylor already has a decent understanding with Colo and they've always done very well as a partnership. Not saying I fully agree, just that I can see where he's coming from if that's how he plays it. Everything depends on whether Saylor is fit to start obviously. No point risking him of course, but it would be good for him to get back in amongst it, whilst taking a little bit of pressure of the Yanga-Mbiwa debut. I would be happy to see both get some playing time ahead of the tough fixtures coming up.

I thought he was spot on with his criticism of Van Marwijk in the last World Cup. Maybe so. Easy to criticise though if you've been offered the position yourself a few times and refused to take it for being afraid to tarnish your reputation.

Well, obviously, but I have always found it quite frustrating to see him slagg off other managers as a pundit, especially for the Holland national team, knowing he wouldn't dare to risk his reputation and do it himself.

Bit of a coward really

Yep, Saylor gets 70 minutes, then Yanga-Mbiwa on for his debut.