Injuries NEWCASTLE UNITED M Abeid Thigh Muscle Strain 5th Apr 15 P Cisse Knee Injury 5th Apr 15 R Aarons Thigh Muscle Strain 5th Apr 15 M Haidara Knee Injury no return date P Dummett Knee Injury 9th May 15 S De Jong Collapsed Lung Jun 15 C Tiote Knee Injury Jun 15 S Taylor Calf/Shin Injury Oct 15 SUNDERLAND W Brown Knee Injury no return date R Alvarez Knee Injury 5th Apr 15 E Giaccherini Ankle/Foot Injury 16th May 15 W Buckley Knee Injury 5th Apr 15 Suspensions Newcastle Fabricio Coloccini : Start 15.03.2015 - Ends 13.04.2015. Matches 3 Papiss Cisse : Start 06.03.2015 - Ends 02.05.2015. Matches 7
Newcastle's Jack Colback can prove how far he has come at the Stadium of Light on Sunday Alan Pardew once told reporters he 'couldn't see' what Jack Colback did but the Newcastle midfielder proved him wrong - can he do the same on Sunday? Of all the players to pull on black, red and white in the last 17 years, Jack Colback was a decidedly curveball candidate to break the taboo and swap one North East rival for the other. It is not that Colback is not a decent player – and he has certainly come on this season, adding attacking intent to his tidy ability to retain the ball – but he has always been so unassuming. Perhaps the following anecdote explains some of it. Alan Pardew, who came to admire Colback’s talent, had sat down with reporters in an off-the-record briefing before the 2012/13 and when the Sunderland midfielder’s availability was mentioned his response was not a positive one. “Well, what does he actually do well?” Considering he had lavished praise on Darren Bent and Phil Bardsley during the same lunch, it is fair to say eyebrows were raised when Colback eventually pitched up on Tyneside and Pardew said he thought he could play for England. However, let’s consider this: Colback is a much better player than he is given credit for. A personal opinion is he does not have the profile or strength of personality – just yet – to push his game through the gears. A week today, Colback will play in the biggest game of his career when he mans the Newcastle engine room at the Stadium of Light. A ground where he is sure of an even hotter reaction than Steven Taylor received two years ago after his infamous “stamp-collecting” interview. Sure, the League Cup final last season was a big game However, in terms of measuring how far the quiet man of North East football has improved, whether he can prosper when 45,000 people are wishing nothing but the worst for him will be interesting. Sunderland were hurt when Colback left last season but supporters were quick to claim he too often disappeared when the going got tough. That felt unfair on a player who gave his all to help Gus Poyet complete his “miracle” last season. It takes a certain type of personality to make the move Colback did: a decent performance on Wearside would answer those critics. So he's going to prove to the world how much he's come on by putting in a good performance against the team who's presently the worst in the league. I this reporter a smackhead? Mark Douglas is clearly an idiot if thinks play well against us will prove anything. I bet it's the same old might as well not be there Colback, tidy as he is he's not good enough to control games from midfield, never has never will be. Just my opinion of course.
