Fabricio Coloccini

[Pav]

I reckon he's a bit like the biblical Samson; he derives his powers from the perm. If he cuts his hair he'll suddenly become completely s*** at football.

 

It's his song, he hasn't had a bad game since we started to sing it.

 

Anyone else see him give a thumbs up to the away end during the game at West Ham when our lot were singing Oh Coloccini?

[garth]

The defence got no protection from midfield either,when we went down.

We didn't need one last season,as Colo found it so easy.

And this year the defence has protection with Cheick.

 

I would blame Colo's first season on the likes of Butt not protecting them/him.  

 

 

 

This.

[Guest Heneage]

The only people who should consider themselves 'wrong' are those who said we should have tried to sell him.

[Stu]

By all means continue in your "oh but its a WUM" mode as if that negates the horrendous summing up in your "first post in this thread" - basically, you're saying that Coloccini was the main reason why we got relegated?

 

You could at least answer me this: If he was so obviously out of his depth, why was he the last player to get dropped? (when the results continued to be poor)

 

Only a moron would say he was the reason alone... Jesus wept. Learn to read.

 

Now, are you sure you're not just on your high horse? Presumably that comment is deliberately laced with irony?

 

 

as an individual player on the pitch - one of the main culprits for our relegation. I stand by that

 

 

 

But my issue isn't even with the subject at hand. It's with how you turn your nose up at posts from yesteryear with the benefit of hindsight. You're worse than Ronaldo when it comes to personal little "i was right all along" victories. You're not a superfan so don't act like one.

 

No-one's claiming to be a superfan, but after two years of being slated for defending several of our players, who are now key figures in the squad, it's understandable that I (along with others) are saying "hey, lads, remember when you derided us for our earlier comments...turns out players X,Y,Z weren't the anti-christ after all" - seemingly, you're such a sit-on-the-fence, wishy-washy type of opinionator that you're immune from such criticism

 

Then again, Ronaldo probably hit the nail on the head.

 

I still get regular hammerings for slagging Jose off something rotten in the aftermath of Brambles last minute equaliser in the Wigan 2-2 game. I stand by the comments I made AT THE TIME. I had no idea he would go on to be the Titan he is today.

 

Surely that would depend, were you coming out with "that Enrique wants fucking shooting before he ever gets near our team again, he's always looked shit and has never hacked it in the premiership, etc" or did you come out with a "bloody 'ell, Enrique needs to cut out that shite if he wants to make it at this club, what the fuck was he playing at?!" type of post?

 

Both are pretty reactionary, the latter at least relates to the incident in question rather than take one poor performance and overwrite the rest of the lad's efforts. You also won't get any "know-it alls" quoting it months down the line once the player turns it around.

[Yorkie]

I'm not saying he was the main reason - understand man. I'm saying, purely from a playing-staff perspective, he was one of the worst - therefore being one of the biggest playing-staff culprits. In terms of the full list of 'individuals who got us relegated'; Mike Ashley, Joe Kinnear, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen would all come before Colo.

 

Fair enough re: the superfan stuff. If you're so bothered and so affected by reputation to be all "i told you so" in the face of extreme comments of years ago, that's your prerogative. I've never been a fence-sitter though, by the by, not sure why you're labelling me as such.

[Stu]

I'm not saying he was the main reason - understand man. I'm saying, purely from a playing-staff perspective, he was one of the worst - therefore being one of the biggest playing-staff culprits. In terms of the full list of 'individuals who got us relegated'; Mike Ashley, Joe Kinnear, Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen would all come before Colo.

 

Fair enough re: the superfan stuff. If you're so bothered and so affected by reputation to be all "i told you so" in the face of extreme comments of years ago, that's your prerogative. I've never been a fence-sitter though, by the by, not sure why you're labelling me as such.

 

I got the playing-staff bit. I also got the bit when you said Coloccini (and Jonas) were completely gash in their first season. I just happen to disagree with you. As I put above, Colo looked like a good player (which you even stated yourself), he just took a helluva beating mentally and physically from October onwards and was offered absolutely no protection from the fans, media, manager(s) or his own team-mates.

 

From a playing-staff perspective, I would have thought Messers Owen, Viduka and Martins would be somewhere near the top of your list, we didn't get relegated because we couldn't keep a clean sheet, we got relegated because we couldn't score. Boro match aside, we never troubled the scorers in the last 8 or so games. Clean sheets on their own are only worth a point.

 

Obviously, everyone is singing his praises now because he's regained (and surpassed) his initial form and has been playing almost impeccably this season, it just seemed pertinent to remind certain sections of our fans/the people on this board that good things come to those who wait (aye, it has been 40+ years).

 

Didn't understand the vitriol with which you lambasted me

[John P]

Love how he celebrates all of our goals, looks like he absolutely loves it. He always seems to be in the box when we've scored recently as well and is the first one to celebrate with the scorer! There's been some great pics of our goalscorers with a beaming Coloccini in the background this season.

[Yorkie]

I'll agree to disagree, Stu, with regards to Coloccini's form in the first season. But i still think it's a gash way of forming an argument to bring up posts from ages ago.

 

We'll leave it at that cos we're just going round in circles.

 

love you x

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I can't speak for others but my main criticism of Colo during our relegation season was at times his complete lack of heart which I can never let slip regardless of whether the player is a youngster, a foreign player new to our game or whatever. He had many a poor game during that season with one or two complete shockers thrown in too. He's turned it around now though and in some style. Not many players recover from a poor first season at Newcastle which is quite an unforgiven environment and indeed so too the position he plays. He's a role model and someone we as fans should remember the next time one of our boys is having a mare or taking time to settle. The environment helps mind, he's clearly in one that has helped him to regain his form, confidence and with it his game. We must take some credit for that too by the way because we let those players off at the start of last season, wiped the slate clean and got fully behind them when it would have been easier to remain angry and resentful.

 

My own take on Colo is that the goal he scored against Cardiff was more important than it may appear. That was the moment where he gave a little bit back, scoring a goal to win a game. Defenders don't normally win a game, not individually anyway, unless of course they score the winning goal in a game, which he did. It was like he was more than just a defender at the club, that he was someone who could help our cause more, for me that day was the start of his turn around. I thought he was very good that game too, up against tricky forwards.

[KaKa]

As if you'd play with any heart with Butt ahead of you. Surprised he didn't top himself.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Professional pride comes before all, without it you cannot perform.

[Stu]

I'll agree to disagree, Stu, with regards to Coloccini's form in the first season. But i still think it's a gash way of forming an argument to bring up posts from ages ago.

 

We'll leave it at that cos we're just going round in circles.

 

love you x

 

Coloccini from August to mid-October looked a good player...we're clearly in agreement that post-October his form was far below that. You just seem reticent to accept that he initially did well.

 

There was one moment where the ball looked like it was heading for a corner near the corner flag, and most defenders would have either given up, or tried sliding to stop it going for a corner and conceding the throw-in instead....but he slid for it and kept it in, scooping it round and standing up in pretty much in one movement, and then played it off the Bolton player for a throw-in. Was pure quality.

 

Bumped for a quality showing once again.

 

Looks like we can really build our defence around this chap, Bassong slipped into the team without a single problem.

 

Thought Coloccini was class again today under extremely difficult circumstances, read the game well won the ball ahead of the opposition and looked cool in possession, completely at a loss how anyone could believe he was poor

 

Colo 6

(Imo he did more positive stuff in the match than will be apparent from the lowlight reel, with some important interventions in the 2nd half; virtually impossible to look world class with what was around and in front of him)

 

Coloccini was looking really good before West Ham i thought , hardly good circumstances to get settled. I don't think Xisco will cut it and Guthrie is average i think. Hardly seen any of Nacho looked sharp but unfair to comment really.

 

Coloccini - So good at defending on the deck, lost a lot in the air against Yakubu as you would expect

 

and just to show that I'm not giving both sides, here's a post of you slagging off Colo when the rest of us were beginning to think he might have something about him.

 

Special mentions to:

 

Coloccini - thought he was genuinely outstanding this evening. Won absolutely everything. First time he's looked like a £10m CB tonight, for me. Very encouraging, i thought he was garbage when we first fell into the myre but he's picked up and, well, i just like this guy a lot tbh.

 

 

[Yorkie]

That's not true - i have accepted that. That first post i quoted of me at the start of this whole debate... i said... "I know there's a good player in there because i've seen it". I've never denied he had a good spell - which is what it was, a spell - but for the majority of the season he was garbage. My stance on that hasn't changed at any point, and he got a shitload of justified stick. I even said at the start of our debate "the daft thing is i actually agree with you" (ie, i too knew there was a good player in him somewhere).

 

Urgh, it's all very convoluted. You're putting so much effort into a point i wasn't initially arguing.   Can we just leave it.

[Stu]

:colo:

[Cronky]

Colo is making far fewer mistakes than before, and his ability to read his opponents and nick in with important tackles and interceptions is coming to the fore.

 

It's also noticeable that we're protecting him from the weaker areas of his game. He's not being asked to mark the opposition's stronger players at defensive set pieces, and he's being allowed to move out of the defensive line into a sweeper position in some situations, so that his lack of pace isn't exposed. At first, he seemed to be frequently caught in no man's land, or on the wrong side of his opponent.

 

Another triumph for Hughton, I suspect.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

He has tweaked his game to adapt to the Premiership.

 

When he first arrived he was throwing himself in to every header and the ball often ended up behind him.

 

Now he is more confident and is timing his headers really well, often letting the ball drop over the head of the attacker and heading it up and away. Can never understand how defenders do that, but it works well for the ones that aren't 6'3" monsters.

[Ronaldo]

When he first arrived he was throwing himself in to every header and the ball often ended up behind him.

 

 

Myth. He was far, far more passive in his first season. He's asserting himself far better now. Against Arsenal he was throwing himself in to every header, and it worked.

 

It's also noticeable that we're protecting him from the weaker areas of his game. He's not being asked to mark the opposition's stronger players at defensive set pieces, and he's being allowed to move out of the defensive line into a sweeper position in some situations, so that his lack of pace isn't exposed.

 

 

This is also wrong. He's our quickest starting CB, so that wouldn't work, obviously. He's been playing higher up the pitch, and with good results.

 

As for set pieces, he has marked the opposition's stronger players, on a number of ocassions.

[Doug]

Argentina must have some fantastic defenders for him not even to make their squad.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

Still blame Steven Taylor for making Colo look shite last time in the Premier League. 

[ponsaelius]

Still blame Steven Taylor for making Colo look s**** last time in the Premier League.   

 

I blame the midfield of doom.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

Still blame Steven Taylor for making Colo look s**** last time in the Premier League.   

 

I blame the midfield of doom.

 

[jdckelly]

Still blame Steven Taylor for making Colo look s**** last time in the Premier League.   

 

I blame the midfield of doom.

i blame jfk

[Thespence]

He was very poor last time in the PL as were all of the players in the relegation team. He got better last year & is playing well in decent team this time around.  I would imagine he is big enough to admit that & he knows he is playing better now.

[NG32]

Still blame Steven Taylor for making Colo look s**** last time in the Premier League.   

 

I blame the midfield of doom.

 

 

Aye, Skeletor wouldn't have even played that midfield.

[Guest BlacknWhiteArmy]

Colo is making far fewer mistakes than before, and his ability to read his opponents and nick in with important tackles and interceptions is coming to the fore.

 

It's also noticeable that we're protecting him from the weaker areas of his game. He's not being asked to mark the opposition's stronger players at defensive set pieces, and he's being allowed to move out of the defensive line into a sweeper position in some situations, so that his lack of pace isn't exposed. At first, he seemed to be frequently caught in no man's land, or on the wrong side of his opponent.

 

Another triumph for Hughton, I suspect.

 

I disagree with him being slow, he beat Darren Bent in a sprint to the the ball against the Mackems!