The problem with Colo

I'm struggling to get my head around how Colo has gone downhill so quickly in the past 12 months. We've technically had 3 managers in that time so it can't be coaching.

He seemed as though he was really committing to us with his new deal and since has gone backwards IMHO.

Is he doing a 'Shola' in signing a new deal and talking a walk on easy street?

Is he genuinely past it and has the club just thought... 'the fans sing about Colo.... let's given him a new contract which will please them'?

Is he decent but suffering from the wrong partner.. is he having to bail Chancel out?

I saw worrying signs at the weekend when they got their first goal. His head dropped and he just walked away. It honestly looked as though he couldn't be arsed.

No matter what the situation a captain should be in his players ears, vociferous and demanding.

If we were to take the armband off him his head will surely drop further... if he keeps it... we effectively don't have a captain.

Concerning times.

 

I think the contract extension was inevitable because we needed some continuity and experience with a number of new players joining. I like Coloccini - he is an intelligent player. He lacks the physicality required for a centre half in the PL and now his speed is going he is vulnerable. I would prefer him to play sweeper behind Mbemba and Saylor or Dummett and go to 5 at the back. Both Janmaat and Haidara get forward enough to justify one more at the back.
Maybe from there he would be able to exhibit more of a Captain's presence although it's more genetic than taught and I don't think he is an in your face type of player. Trouble is we don't have many of those - Saylor maybe but what's the point if he is hardly ever on the field.

 

Massive issue with him and Haidara. With Colo it has been a fairly gradual process for me. If you look at honestly, take out the good season when we came 5th, he has pretty poor aside and has been regularly injured.

We shot ourselves in the foot not replacing Colo (for all he could have been retained as experienced back up) in the summer. We are still sat with him, Willo, the injury prone Saylor and Dummett. Therein lies the problem. We could go to 3 at the back and it would suit our full backs. However it would also defeat the object of having signed Thauvin, and leave a question mark in terms of restricting Aarons (though McClaren is doing a handy job of that on his own). You could of course use Aarons as a left wing back and he would be easily better than Haidara, but to be honest I just think you'll sicken him like Rodgers did with Sterling.

I think we are stuck with it. Personally as soon as Saylor and Dummett were fit I'd play them ahead of Colo and Haidara. It won't solve the problem more than likely, but it can't really get any worse.

Just picking the likes of Anita, Aarons, SDJ and Perez ahead of Colback, Cisse, Sissoko will help though, as the defence would have less pressure on it. To be perfectly honest though we are dominating possession in quite a few games, which shows we are indeed vulnerable at the back, and teams are just knowing they can sit and wait for mistakes.

 

Colo is a CB and he's afraid to head the p*ssing ball. Haidara was poor but not due to lack of effort, he's tries but doesn't have a football brain.

Second half Gini played well, he was deeper but was receiving the ball on the half turn and regularly released Moussa and Janmaat down the right which is where our main threat came from.

McClaren has to realise that Cisse is finished along with the fact Colback is woefully out of form and needs to be dropped.

Players that have to start are Krul, Janmaat, Mbemba, Colo (he's captain so bound to start), Gini, De Jong, Perez and Mitro. I make that as we have Dummett if fit at LB with Moussa, Aarons, Anita, Jack and Thauvin fighting over two places.

 

It makes no footballing sense whatsoever that Coloccini and Williamson are still here. If Ashley was true on his promise, we'd have sold them or just let both go on a free and brought in some actual experience alongside Mbemba to start again. We should have been busting a gut to take Ashley Williams, Ryan Shawcross, maybe even go for the likes of Lovren, Dunk or Van Dijk. They may be risks, but I'd sooner take a risk than knowingly bet on the losing horse.

We remain hamstrung by our purple players system. We have banked on Dummett being our first choice LB, for some reason. Again, not a lot of footballing sense, just a cost saving exercise. I imagine the Newcastle board room to be just spreadsheets - it's almost like picking your fantasy football team, you have a finite budget and sometimes have to take a punt on James Tompkins to make sure you've got Hazard.

It goes back again to Ashley and his teeny-tiny circle of trust. We have a very small pool of decision makers and the lot of them are punting above their station. Carr is no Director of Football, Charnley is no MD and McLaren is not a manager. They are scout, financial accountant and coach respectively and are all benefiting from the benevolence of Ashley's extraordinarily limited and short-sighted "leadership".

That said, there has been a little bend in the old model. Let's not forget there's no Carver, no Stone, no Woodman - no-one cried when they left. We have Black, Cathro and Simpson - a well regarded backroom team who need some time. McLaren MUST be able to see the problems, but he is right when he says it won't be fixed overnight - the board need to be convinced that Tiote, Cisse, Colo should go, which will take time in itself. The likes of Perez, Mitrovic and Aarons will need time to settle in properly, SDJ needs time on a football pitch, as will Saylor when fit. The problem with Colo is he's part of a dwindling old way, that has to change. We all just have to sit tight and hope/pray that it changes in time.

 

Colo's heart has gone.

 

Its not colo its the lot of them ffs they are all absolutely hopeless.

 

Apparently Williamson turned down a move to Preston. Guess thr money is better here so why move.

 

Assuming there will be no miraculous upturn in Colo's form, the ideal scenario is that he gets a long term injury because he won't be dropped despite it being obvious he should be. When he was given an extended contract and confirmed as captain I was utterly bewildered, bordering on furious. Two problems with the team perpetuated, not rectified.