Colo keen on keeping stars at NUFC

toonsy

Colo - Keep the spine of our team!
Newcastle Captain Fabricio Coloccini has urged Newcastle to build on the foundations they have in lace rather than having to rebuild following the departure of one or more key players.

I wrote an article earlier on today suggesting that I wouldn’t be against letting go one of our star names, providing any funds raised were used to bolster the squad in any number of areas where we are light. Colo believes differently though…

Instead he wants to keep the spine of the team together as the squad prepare to conquer Europe next season. then he wants additions to the squad to help them to compete on four fronts next term, which would be nice as it might give us a decent stab at actually progressing to the latter stages of a cup competition, although after 29 years of waiting I won’t be holding my breath…

Anyway, back on track, here is what Colo had to say when asked about the transfer window and possibility of losing a key player over the summer.

“Of course I would like the team to stay together,” he told The Journal. “I think the most important thing is to keep the spine of this team together, then hopefully we will bring in some players to help us.”

“It is very important that we keep that backbone for Europe next season. And of course having some new players would be very welcome.”

Colo has taken to the role of captaincy very well since last summer, although I still have reservations sometimes about his ability to really give the lads a real rollicking when the need arises. I do realise he tends to lead by example rather than shouting, but sometimes you need to tear it up a little bit to get the message across.

He is now the latest in a line of NUFC players who are urging for this group of players to be kept together and added to. Yohan Cabaye has said it, as has Cheik Tiote, but until the window closes we won’t really know what we have to work with. Speculation will be intense as we’ve done so well which will have alerted some dangerous clubs with deep pockets, but what does Colo make of it all?

“There is always speculation in the summer but it will be nice for it not to be about me this time,” he said.

“It happens when the transfer window is open. Sometimes because there is no football to talk about, people just want to talk about transfers when there is nothing there. It is football, it happens but I have always said I’m happy at Newcastle United.”

In a sense, Colo is right. The best way to improve is to build on what we have already. However I do believe he should have a bit of faith in our scouting system which has basically turned up trumps time and time again. Even Fat Freddy was praising Graham Carr earlier on today…

What do you make of it?

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

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65 thoughts on “Colo keen on keeping stars at NUFC”

  2. Sky Sports News ‏@SkySportsNews
    At 5pm, we will announce Newcastle’s first summer signing.

    WOOP WOOP.
    😆 😆 😆

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  3. Official: Newcastle have signed 22-year- old French midfielder Romain Amalfitano on a free transfer on 4 year deal from Reims.

    😆 😆

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  4. HITMAN aye thats better some were saying 3yr deal,that was throwing me off,makes sense noo

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  6. i know we need more HITMAN but c/b and striker in before euros and i would happy to wait for more 🙂

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  10. Anyone seen the new lad play ? i should imagine at 22 he is one for the first team and not the development squad . Guthrie’s replacement ?

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  11. Who was the last player to where # 7…Barton, right? So, we have an unfilled number. We have 1-11 now don’t we? I know it’s not important, but perhaps they want to have that all buttoned up…not numeric gaps.

    1. Krul
    2. Colo
    3. Santon
    4. Cabaye
    5. Simpson
    6. Williamson
    7. Now Amalfitino
    8. Guthrie
    9. Cisse
    10. Ben Arfa
    11. Lovenkrands

    So, new striker will get the #11 kit after July 1.

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  12. Oops…that was in response to Ice @ 9.
    Also Amalfitano….just saw my spelling error.

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  13. NorCal Toonfan

    Not being picky mate, but isn’t Krul still number 26??? Harpers still number one till he leaves in the summer. 😮

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  15. i have just read that he plays on the right or through the middle . A bit of competition for obertan . Jonas left , Ama Right and Cabaye and Tiote holding with Hba acm behind Cisse .

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  16. D’oh…completely right, Floydy…but I think you get the logic.

    I know that Klinsman is using that logic for the USMNT…no names on shirts…just numbers 1-11 (and so on) for the positions.

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  18. Are you sure he’s got the no.7 shirt? I can’t find it anywhere on the NUFC website and his shirt doesn’t have a number in the pictures which leads me to believe he’ll take Guthrie’s number just like Cabaye and Nolan last summer.
    They’d print his name and his number surely if it was a free number?

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  21. Really pleased about the signing of this lad like, as much because of what it signifies. We aren’t just sitting around patting ourselves on the back.
    Hopefully a very promising sign.

    Re Colo, I wouldn’t read too much into it to be honest. I mind it’s not like he was going to say, well I hope we sell Tiote to Chelsea and Ba to PSG and while were on Krul can sling his hook as well!!

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  22. 12 games , that means Hughes won’t be able too sell him in the summer . I agree with ICEDOG he got off too light , the bloke has not exercised his demons yet and probably never will .

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  23. Pleased we got rid of the muppet, not our problem 😀
    p.s. wonder what **** he will post on twatter now 👿

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  25. One signing down, six more to go :mrgreen:
    New young GK
    Debuchy
    M’biwa
    Another CB(for academy/reserves)
    Midfield youngster
    De Jong/Giroud/A.Johnson (If Ba goes) /J.Rodriguez(If Ba stays). 😎

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  26. Ice – I couldn’t agree more mate, they obviously keep repeating the incident on SSN and it’s just a disgrace. He’s just a thug and it would be good to see QPR take a hard line with him aswell to show that they are not in support of what he did.

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  27. Looks like a good list Andymag. Surely with Pardew saying it will be very difficult to repeat as fifth place next season we should expect to sell at least one of our current starting 11. I think more likely 2 if we are really to bring in 5 or 6 decent players. We have no idea how Amilfitano will fit in but it will likely be a slow process as with Abeid (is Abeid going to be a decent player or not?). Not sure what Ashley will get up to this summer but we may not like all of it. On the other hand we have improved steadily in the last 3 seasons so can’t really complain unless we do nothing more at all.

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  28. What do people think of Carlos Cuellar, realeased by Villa this week? Would he be worth picking up as cover at CB? He seemed pretty decent on a very poor Villa team and his wage wouldn’t be too high. I realize we still want another CB in as well to give us 4 or 5 decent choices. I see Cuellar as on par with Williamson or slightly better but didn’t see him much last season. Just a thought as we always seem so thin at the back and Kadar is probably going to be released.

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  29. GT
    Reckon he would be good backup to the backup, whether he’d want to be that far back in the choice is another matter, as would be his wages which would probably be more than what we’d be willing to pay for a non first teamer.

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  30. GT @27
    On Abeid, I reckon he’s promising and I believe Pardew and the coaches believe so too, he was apparently very good in the reserve games and could hit it from distance, for some reason though gosling was preferred ahead of him, as was Vuckic. If we want him to progress he’s either got to be played more, coming off the bench and playing cup matches, or be loaned out to a Championship team. The same goes for Vuckic and probably amafalino.

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  31. GEORDIETWO, didnt we try for Cuellar a few ago?? and he knocked us back for Villa then ??
    if am right bout that, fuch him, had his chance and didnt take it 😐 😐

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  32. Could be right Andymag but I know Ashley loves a bargain as well. Would he really be backup to the backup? Not so sure as Williamson is so slow on the turn and it is only Colo’s brilliant coverage that makes Willo look as good as he does. Most often Colo handles the dirty work and then gives Willo a beautiful pass with at least 15 or 20 yards of clear space around him. I don’t think Willo would be even on the bench for any of the other top 5 or 6 squads in the Prem. No offense to Willo but I think he would be excellent at Championship level, nothing more.

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  33. If Carlos Cuellar got toasted by Villa then he’s not good enough for us… 🙁

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  34. TS9 wasn’t that when Roeder was in charge mate? Isn’t Roeder the one who said Kuyt wasn’t good enough to play? I think I’m saying Roeder might not know what he is talking about. It seems to me he isn’t managing anymore, couldn’t even handle the Norwich job so maybe worth having another look at Cuellar. I’m not convinced but good CB’s don’t fall out of trees an he would be on a free.

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  35. What Colo says isn’t rocket science as he’s a smart bloke.
    A steady increase in quality purchases whilst KEEPING your best players is the only way to gradually get a better squad each season with more chance of winning something. That kind of situation shouldn’t mean a huge outlay either.
    This ‘one in and one out’ policy stinks as all you get there is player turnover and who’s to say that the person(s) you are replacing your best player with, will be a hit (although admittedly we’ve got it right so far).
    Get it wrong though and you’re on a downward slope.
    It’s a risk that does NOT need to be taken in my opinion.

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  36. I think the biggest problem Villa had was the manager Munich Mag. It looks like the consensus is Cuellar is not good enough however. I hope we come up with 2 very decent CB’s this summer as I think Saylor will continue to have injury problems with his style of play and we let the Ridgewell deal fall through. Just not sure what we are looking for in terms of cover. A super cheap fantastic CB that someone is willing to give away?

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  37. GeordieTwo
    Alright, he’ll be ahead of willo, but I doubt he’d be ahead of a backup like M’biwa/Alderweild if they sign, that might discourage him from choosing us, that’s why I’d go for some youngster who’d be happy to get the chance when he’s needed. Someone like Streete or a new junior CB that we might buy(Good from Melbourne?).

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  38. Providing they sell for a price that most wouldn’t turn down and reinvest it then I see no problem.

    Nobody wants the star players to leave but if the price is right then what do you do?

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  39. Agree with you there Andymag, those 2 are definitely better and would be competing with Saylor to start and eventually to replace Colo. Streete may have a chance eventually although I think he is 6 foot 2 and 13 stone so a little small but you never know if he might put on another inch or 2. All in all the squad is improving every season so let’s hope it continues. We’re at the top end now though so it will get much harder competing against clubs with bottomless purses.

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  40. I don’t fancy Cuellar much personally, plus he’s well the wrong side of 25 for our transfer policy.
    I thought Steven Chaulker looked good for Swansea last season (on loan from Spurs), he’s 20yrs old so would be one to develop but played most of the season for Swansea so proved he can handle the league already.
    Not sure how willing Spurs would be to sell him to us though.

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  41. Very practical approach Troy. That sounds exactly like what Ashley will do. It’s just setting that price that is difficult. The buyout clause really hurts us with Ba and we won’t pay top wages so he is probably gone without getting a top price. For anyone else we should be asking top prices however and then comes the risk that we will eventually make a mistake about who we bring in. Didn’t we sign Sol Campbell at one point?

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  42. Villa fanscant believeCuellr has been alllowed to leaveand see him as probably their best defender. A fewsuggesting its purely financial as hewasapparently on huge wages and theclub ar cutting costs… Think he’d bea great squad player for us imo, but may want 1st team footy and more dough than wewold be willing to hand out…

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  44. Sooner or later we will have to bring in some cover at CB and probably not too young so that he is useful right away. We are so thin at CB with Kadar not wanted, Willo is iffy at best, Saylor is frequently injured. I would prefer a player in his mid to late twenties with Prem experience but it doesn’t have to be Cuellar, it just has to be someone who can be inserted in the lineup right away if we have injuries. I think Pardew knows this but wrestling with Llambias and Ashley for dosh is never going to be easy.

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  45. Does anyone know of any other CB available on a free or with a release clause? What about going back for Mariappa again with an improved bid? I hope Llambias is thinking about this carefully and makes the right offer for the right player. With our organization at the back it doesn’t have to be the greatest CB of all time but an improvement over Willo would be most welcome. 😀

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  46. this comment if for rod when he comes on in the early hours of the morning talking bollocks –
    rod
    please tell me a story. the story must involve a walking stick, a jelly mould, 3 types of egg (of your own choice), 17 mice and a norwegian horse. thanks x x

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  47. Nobby I think the story should include Troy’s plastic cow as well (I always say you can’t tell a good story if it doesn’t have a plastic cow in it).

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  48. Nobby
    Don’t do that to him, you know he’ll spend hours on it, not getting any sleep and end up posting at 7 in the morning 😕 😉

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  49. Andy ,I think Nobby is right ,we need to give Rod something to fill the wee small hours with . 😉

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  50. What does anyone think about Stiensson freed by Bolton ,i reckon he would be a good squad signing on a free .

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  55. A French journalist on twitter confirmed that GIROUD does have an escape clause in his contract of £12.5m. 😯
    I’m sorry but my journo lad has been spot on so far but I shall remain calm 😆

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  56. BTW, Toonsy
    I’ve got an article brewing (will actually do this one 😀 ), my last exam’s friday so will have it sent at some point during the weekend.

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  57. LST
    Surely we will only get him if Ba leaves, and if Ba doesn’t leave till say August it will have been too late and a team like Arsenal will have found out about the clause and will replace VP with him 😡

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  58. LST
    Not to say I would need a few tissues if we signed Debuchy, M’biwa and Giroud( 😈 ), but I just don’t see the latter signing, will be happy to be proved wrong :mrgreen: .

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  59. Andy the GIROUD move will only happen if the ba deal happens. Thats what was told anyway. But the bit I’m excited about is my journo pal is proving right at the mo and that means the lad from the Dutch league really could happen.
    Great times.

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  60. LST
    Is that Narsingh? As I said before regarding Giroud it could be late August when Ba goes and by then it could be too late for Giroud.

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  61. Wow my last post seemed very ominous towards Giroud, “it’ll be too late for Giroud” 😆 meant to say “it’ll too late for us to sign Giroud(as he’ll probably go elsewhere)”.

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  62. Well Man U might scupper our chances of getting Giroud, they’re now being linked with him. However the report says that they would want a sale being agreed before the Euros to avoid an increase in his price, meaning either the paper or Man U(or both) don’t know about his clause.

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  65. Liam..Not sure I’m to keen on the Giroud thing, good player but don’t think he’d fit in a 433 so if we sign him it looks like that system is out the window…mind I could be wrong 😉

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