http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/newcastle-skipper-fabricio-coloccini-says-6635625
Newcastle skipper Fabricio Coloccini says relegation is NOT an option
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• 22:30, 14 OCT 2015
• BY SIMON BIRD
Defender who experienced the heartache of the Toon going down in 2009 is upbeat despite their still-winless start PLUS He explains why he almost quit the club
Fabricio Coloccini grimaces, and shakes his head, when asked about the last time Newcastle were relegated.
Painful memories of the 2008-09 season are haunting Tyneside at the moment.
The Toon are currently bottom of the league, without a win, and in danger of being cast adrift by the rest of the Premier League unless they beat Norwich on Sunday.
Coloccini has felt the anguish of relegation. He was part of the rebuilding job. Could history repeat itself with even more painful ¬financial consequences, including the loss of £100million of TV income?
“No, completely different,” says the centre-back belligerently. “We have quality in our squad. We need more experience, and the new players need time to settle in. But the mood is different.
“In that season we started better, then had bad times in the middle of the season. Four managers. This time we have enough time to turn this around. We’ll finish strongly.
“To go down was very, very hard. But it helped the club to start again. We rebuilt everything.
"But this time we can’t afford to go down. This club has to be in the Premier League.”
Skipper Coloccini’s leadership has been criticised. The commitment of United’s foreign recruits is under scrutiny. Do they understand the language, the culture, the city?
The Argentininean faced all those problems himself when he signed from Spain's Deportivo La Coruna for £10m.
Too many foreigners?
Coloccini said: “I can understand that criticism.
"It is difficult when you come from other leagues and there is none harder than this one. They take time to adjust, and to give their best form,” he said. “But it is the policy the club has and we respect that. But of course we need more experience in the Premier League, results show that.”
So are there enough strong ¬characters in the dressing room?
“Sometimes it is very ¬difficult, because many do not speak English,” said the 33-year-old. “I am not perfect, but I can ¬understand and express myself. So ¬sometimes it’s difficult.”
He is a thoughtful influencer, not a shouter.
Concerning his ¬leadership style, he said: “I could go to the pitch and start to shout and put my hand up, but that is not the way to lead a squad. It is like being a small child then.
Geordie sore: Newcastle players have been doing plenty of soul searching
“I try to be with the players. If they need something on the pitch, or in life outside football, I try to be close to them to get what they need and help.
“We have to be close on the field. I try to give confidence. Here in the changing room, I say, 'Are you OK? Wife? Kids?' It is a nice group. We just need little things to improve.”
Coloccini was in his first season in England, adjusting to a new life, like many of his ¬team-mates are now.
Kevin Keegan was forced out, Joe Kinnear came and went, Chris Hughton and Alan Shearer took the helm, and the worst happened.
Never again?
He said: “Everyone knows we are not in the best moment. There is a lot of criticism. But I am not worried. We had a lot of difficult big games – Man United, Man City, Chelsea – but I am really trusting this squad.
“See our level of play in the first half against Chelsea [Newcastle led 2-0 before being pegged back to a 2-2 draw], or the game against Man U [a 0-0 at Old Trafford]. Man City - first half [The Magpies scored first, but shipped five goals in 13 second-half minutes to lose 6-1]. There are elements there that we can trust.”
The Norwich game is followed by a trip to local rivals Sunderland, who are also in the bottom three.
He added: “Now is when we start our league. We need points. It doesn’t matter playing well or bad. We need a win. We need characters and confidence.”
The defender has played for eight years on Tyneside and has had several chances to leave, including a reunion with ex-Toon boss Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace in the summer.
Coloccini said: “I have the opportunity to move, but I preferred to say here because the people in the street are kind with me. I feel part of this city and this club.
“People didn’t understand what happened when I wanted to go back to Argentina, in January 2013. My family moved to Argentina. My kids were there and it was a bit difficult.
“It was the first moment I have been separated from them. Then you have to separate work from family. It was difficult because I want to be very close to my kids.
“I had a lot of love from the club and the city at this time. They said, ‘Colo stay’. That was a big part in my decision to look forward.
“Then this summer I had a few opportunities to leave. I spoke to the club and said, ‘I have this opportunity, what do you want? I prefer to stay’.
“They say, ‘No, we want you to stay with us’. For me, that is part of the love that I take from the city.
“I enjoy Newcastle very much. It is not a big city so there is no traffic, 10 minutes to go anywhere and you have everything here. You don’t need to go to a big city for anything.
“We have everything. We have a theatre and it is very nice.
“I live in the present. Sometimes people say, ‘You are going to be a manager’. I say, ‘I don’t know, I have a game on Sunday’. I live and enjoy the present. A career is short and I like to enjoy every day.”
