Source: Northern_Echo
Coloccini sets survival target as two more wins
FABRICIO Coloccini claims Newcastle have to win two of their remaining eight matches to avoid relegation from the Premier League.[LNB] Despite last weekend's 4-0 defeat at Stoke having extended the Magpies' recent poor run to one win in nine games, Alan Pardew's side still find themselves in 11th position as they head into the final two months of the season.[LNB] In most years, such a position would have guaranteed mid-table security and all but ruled out the possibility of a protracted battle against the drop.[LNB] This time around though, things are different, and with Newcastle just four points above the drop zone ahead of next weekend's relegation showdown with Wolves, Coloccini admits at least two more wins are required before safety can be assured.[LNB] "The table has become very close and after everything that happened at Stoke, the Wolves game is obviously a very important game for us now," said the Argentinian centre-half. "Personally, I think we need two more wins to make sure we are safe.[LNB] "Looking at the table, I think five or six more points will probably do it, so we still need two wins. There are plenty of games to get them from, but it would obviously be a massive help if we could get one of those wins against Wolves."[LNB] With no game this weekend because of the international break, Pardew has been putting his players through their paces in a series of focused training drills at Darsley Park.[LNB] The defence has demanded particular attention, after Stoke's attackers ran riot in the second half at the Britannia Stadium.[LNB] Jose Enrique remains a serious injury doubt for next weekend's game with Wolves, but this week's break has come at a timely juncture given the need to iron out some wider defensive deficiencies.[LNB] "Training has been a little bit more relaxed this week because we do not have a game at the weekend," said Coloccini. "That has been good though. It has given us a chance to work on a few things that the manager wants to get right.[LNB] "It has allowed us to go into things in a bit more detail than we might have been able to if we had a game this Saturday.[LNB] "It has been a little bit strange. We have only played two games in the space of one month, then in the next month we have five. It's not really what you expect in English football because there are usually a lot of games all the time.[LNB] "I think we maybe needed this rest a little bit. It has given us a chance to have a bit of break. Most of the players do not have anything wrong with them physically, but I think we have all been a bit mentally tired and this has given us a chance to get our heads right again."[LNB] In particular, Coloccini is urging his players to remember their strong performances at the start of the season in order to rediscover some of the consistency they were displaying in the first half of the campaign.[LNB] "I think we started the season very well," he said. "But in the last couple of months we have struggled for consistency. We have been playing two games well and then two games badly. Our form has been much too up and down."[LNB] * With James Perch suspended for next month's games against Aston Villa, Manchester United and Blackpool, full-back James Tavernier has been recalled from his loan spell at Gateshead.[LNB] The 19-year-old, who made his senior Magpies debut in this season's Carling Cup win over Accrington Stanley, has made 18 appearances in the Blue Square Premier and FA Trophy since temporarily leaving Newcastle at the turn of the year.[LNB]
