Source: Northern_Echo
Magpies cause for concern
FABRICIO COLOCCINI admits it is imperative Newcastle arrest their recent slump in form when they take on relegation-threatened Wigan and West Ham this week.[LNB] The Magpies have won just one of their last seven matches, and successive festive defeats to Manchester City and Tottenham have plunged Alan Pardew's side to within three points of the Premier League's bottom three.[LNB] Their total of 22 points from 19 matches is identical to their tally at the same stage of the 2008-09 season, a campaign that ended in relegation to the Championship.[LNB] The circumstances at the club have changed in the last two years, but just as a post- Christmas slump sent Newcastle plunging down the table in their last stay in the top-flight, so this week's defeats have sent the club tumbling towards the drop zone.[LNB] The situation would look brighter if the Magpies were to win at Wigan on January 2 and with 19th-placed West Ham due to visit St James' Park three days later, the next two matches could play a crucial role.[LNB] The league table is tight,[LNB] said Coloccini. If you win, you can go up two or three positions, but if you lose you can go down the same. It is all close so it is important not to get on too long a losing run.[LNB] We have lost two games in a row and we all know we cannot afford to make it three.[LNB] We have played against two very good teams in the last two matches, so we cannot be too disappointed. Manchester City and Tottenham both have very good players and I expect them to be up near the top of the table at the end of the season.[LNB] Hopefully, the next two games will be a little bit easier, although every game in the Premier League is hard.[LNB] We have to make sure we are at the right level when we play against Wigan and West Ham because we need to start winning again. It is very important that we start moving back up the table again now.[LNB] Coloccini has started both of Newcastle's festive fixtures, but the Argentinian admits he is still regaining his best form after a month-long lay-off disrupted his season.[LNB] He was dismissed for violent conduct after clashing with Johan Elmander during November's defeat at Bolton, and missed subsequent matches against Chelsea, West Brom and Liverpool.[LNB] The postponement at Birmingham extended his hiatus, but two games in the space of three days have helped him recover some sharpness.[LNB] It has been a difficult period for me, said Coloccini.[LNB] I felt really good at the start of the season and thought I was playing quite well. But then I had to be out for a month and it was hard to watch the other players playing.[LNB] Thankfully, I haven't had too many periods here at Newcastle where I haven't been playing. I came back into the team and felt well, and I feel as though I'm starting to get back to the levels I was showing at the start. The more games I play, the better I will feel.[LNB] After starting the season in partnership with Mike Williamson, Coloccini finds himself back alongside Steven Taylor after Pardew retained the latter in his first team.[LNB] There were hints of a lack of understanding when Carlos Tevez scythed through the heart of the back four to score Manchester City's second on Boxing Day, but the centrehalf partnership appeared more solid during Tuesday's defeat at White Hart Lane.[LNB] Coloccini was delighted to see the 24-year-old sign a new five-and-a-half year deal on Tyneside earlier this week.[LNB] I have played with Steven quite a lot in the past so I know his game well, he said.[LNB] I was pleased when I found out he had signed a new deal.[LNB] He is a good player, but I have also played with Mike this season and he is a big player as well. It is all about the team here and it doesn't really matter who is playing next to me. I know they are all good players and they will all help me do my job.[LNB] The most important thing is that we need to start keeping clean sheets again. We were doing that at the start of the season and it helped us get some good results.[LNB]
