Source: Northern_Echo
Hughton hails his Argentinian duo
HAVING worked with two of the most successful South Americans ever to play football in this country, Newcastle boss Chris Hughton is confident Jonas Gutierrez and Fabricio Coloccini will live up to a pair of Argentinian legends from the past.[LNB] In the late 1970s and early 80s, Hughton played for Tottenham alongside Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa, two of the first overseas players to ply their trade in the English game.[LNB] The pair were a major success, with Ardiles winning two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup as he made more than 200 appearances for Spurs, and Villa scoring one of the most celebrated goals in FA Cup final history during his five-year spell at White Hart Lane.[LNB] Three decades on, and Hughton is in charge of his own Argentinian duo at Newcastle, with Coloccini and Gutierrez playing pivotal roles in the Magpies' first team.[LNB] The pair are still to achieve the same success as their compatriots, but Hughton sees similarities between their importance to Newcastle and Ardiles and Villa's significance to Spurs.[LNB] I've spoken to them (Gutierrez and Coloccini) about Ardiles and Villa, said the Magpies manager, who will welcome a fit-again Coloccini back into the starting line-up for tomorrow's game at Swansea.[LNB] I still speak to Ossie Ardiles on a regular basis and he always asks about them.[LNB] They're aware of who Ossie is and what he meant to English football.[LNB] They're both very good characters who work hard in training every day and have a very good work ethic.[LNB] They both showed a great desire to want to be here in the summer, and they enjoy being here at this club and appreciate what a big club it is.[LNB] They're both extremely settled, and I'm sure they'll be important players for us in the rest of the season.[LNB] Back in 1978, Ardiles and Villa both arrived in England a matter of months after helping Argentina win the World Cup final.[LNB] Gutierrez and Coloccini are hoping to do things in reverse, as a strong showing in the next few months could see them force their way into Diego Maradona's squad for this summer's finals in South Africa.[LNB] Gutierrez is an established member of Maradona's starting line-up, but while Coloccini has barely figured for his national side since moving to Newcastle in the summer of 2008, Hughton insists he is capable of making a late push for a World Cup place.[LNB] I definitely think it's possible,[LNB] he said. It's not for me to pick anybody's side, but although we're playing in a different division, I would think he's playing as well as any other Argentinian centrehalf.[LNB] He's looked excellent this season, and I don't think that's just because he's playing in this division. I think it's because of the settling-in period as well.[LNB] It's his second season and that makes a difference. He was always a tough individual, but I think he's got used to the pace of the game over here.[LNB] He's also got to grips with things like the language as well.[LNB] Particularly in the position he plays, when a team's not doing so well, you're going to be under pressure and have a lot to deal with.[LNB] The first year was always going to be difficult, but since then, he's been excellent.[LNB] At the end of last season, few expected Coloccini to still be a Newcastle player at the midway point of the current campaign.[LNB] A number of Spanish clubs inquired about the centrehalf's possible availability, and with Mike Ashley wanting to cut Newcastle's wage bill in the wake of relegation, it was widely anticipated that Coloccini would be one of the players jettisoned last summer.[LNB] Hughton admits that he feared the 28-year-old could be sold, but his fears turned to delight when he was informed Coloccini would be staying at St James' Park.[LNB] I was absolutely delighted to keep him, he said.[LNB] In the summer, when we didn't know who would be coming and who would be going, he was one we were concerned about.[LNB] He was an international, so we weren't sure if he would be here or not, but he was definitely one we wanted to keep.[LNB] Thankfully, he showed no signs of wanting to go and we were able to move on from there.[LNB]
