Source: SKY_Sports
Dog fight not fab for Toon star
Newcastle star Fabricio Coloccini admits he was not expecting to be involved in a relegation battle this season.
The Argentine defender signed for Newcastle from Deportivo La Coruna in August in a deal worth around £10million.
Coloccini arrived in England expecting a European challenge; instead he is faced with the prospect of trying to help The Magpies stay in the division.
"When I joined, I never thought they were in danger of relegation, having to win their last two home games to stand a chance of staying up," he told The Sun.
"I was sold a club that would challenge in the top half with a good chance of doing well in the cups.
"But the reality is we're in the relegation zone and have to fight to get out of it. We must show we're ready to fight to stay up."
Coloccini was even dropped by Toon boss Alan Shearer, but he admits he has no complaints.
"Alan left me out and I had to accept it. I just had to work hard to get back into the team," he continued.
"The boss feels the pain more than anyone as he has been at Newcastle for so long. He was brought up here and is a fan.
"He wants us to be feeling like the fans are feeling. He wants us to share his passion and know how vital these games are."
Newcastle face a huge match on Monday as they entertain local rivals Middlesbrough and with both teams sat in the bottom three, defeat for either of them would likely mean relegation.
