I was expecting yet another summer patiently anticipating Newcastle to make some astute transfer business, only to be left disappointed that we’d failed to replace key parts of squads past. Thin in some areas, and unnecessarily deep in others, mainly compiled of perennially injured stars holding the club back from making that leap back into European contention. Ashley & Co. again failed to address the Cabaye-shaped void in the team, and don’t get me started on how we lack any competent forward since Demba Ba left.
So here I am, again, praying for a Clement Grenier while expecting Shola to be brought back because he’s the cheap & cheerful option. You could imagine my surprise when I see that Ashley opened up his wallet, with air emanating from it that hadn’t seen the light of day for three years to splash over £35m on eight new players. While most were over the moon that the flashy Remy Cabella had joined the Toon, or that we have an exciting forward by the name of Emmanuel Riviere to hang our hopes on, it was the free transfer of Jack Colback, from our host hated of rivals Sunderland, that I found most intriguing.
I was flabbergasted by the audacity & cojones of Colback to make this move. Who was he to make this move after his ‘shushing gestures’ only 4 months before?! Once the news started to settle in & I was more level headed, I began to admire the moxie shown by the lad, who is a Geordie at heart after all. He didn’t have to do this, he could’ve left the North- East altogether onto pastures new. But he didn’t, he wanted this move, & took it without hesitation. A footballer that desperately wants to play for Newcastle United is quite scarce these days.
Since watching Newcastle this season 5 times (Villa away, Southampton away, Palace away (League Cup) Stoke away & Sunderland home), The Ginger Pirlo (not my idea, but I don’t not condone it) & Ayoze Perez (more on him another time) have always come out of games having left everything on the pitch. Even after being turned over at St. Mary’s for the 3rd consecutive time, Colback was already winning over much of Tyneside with his tireless running, tackling, driving forward. Even after the last minute, smash & grab defeat to Sunderland, Colback looked dead on his feet. He couldn’t have done anymore, & fans appreciated that. I appreciated that, even if I couldn’t turn my proverbial frown upside-down for the next few days.
His first England call-up, his six second assist v Spurs, his devastating display against the then undefeated Chelsea, his first goals for the club. No disrespect to Sunderland, but in 4 months Jack seems to have come on leaps & bounds, simply by having more drive & dictation to control Newcastle’s play across the pitch.
In his own words, Jack described playing for Sunderland as ‘a job’ whilst playing for his boyhood club is a ‘dream’. This statement is being proven on the pitch, the dark day of February 2014 is becoming a vague memory.
The personifying moment of forgiveness would be a goal & revenge against the old enemy in April. However, as I know his goals are fairly scarce, I won’t be relying on that as his one & only chance of redemption. I don’t see myself in a new Newcastle shirt anytime soon with ‘Colback 14’ on the back (although I have seen that already, each to their own), partially because of his past but mainly because of the tacky blue Wonga logo across the shirt.
That said, they say if you live in the past, you’ll never be happy in the future. Wounds take time to heal, & with each week that goes by & Jack puts in 10/10 effort & his minimum of 7/10 quality, I hold nothing against him.
Whether he’ll receive another England call-up this March remains to be seen. With no Pardew & a new coach or John Carver to work under, perhaps Jack will be given more license to drive forward. Given the recent retirements of Lampard & Gerrard, the lack of form for Henderson, Barkley, Lallana & Oxlade-Chamberlain, injuries to the likes of Wilshere etc, the centre of England’s midfield seems to be a free for all.
Colback’s Achilles heel is playing in the North East, which as we all know gets zero to minimal attention. His last call up seemed to have come from convenience of playing at Villa Park against one Fabien Delph, whom Roy Hodgson had initially gone to watch. If Roy is looking to build for the future, & is looking to give fresh faces a chance to play for the shirt, look no further than the only footballer in Europe to beat Chelsea twice in the same year. Or Will Hughes, he looks quite canny too.
Just remember Roy – No Ginger Pirlo, No Party.
