Asked to perform at left-back with our whole left-sided defence obliterated through injuries (Paul Dummett, Massadio Haidara) and madness (exporting Davide Santon for no good reason), Jack Colback did little to assure Newcastle fans that he was comfortable in a position that he was often asked to play at for Sunderland. Hesitant to simply clear the ball when no obvious option was available to him and with less time and space to operate and pick out a pass, Colback's shaky start led directly to the first goal Newcastle conceded after the pressure of Giroud's pressing forced him to give away a silly foul. Probably the quietest game he has had in a Newcastle shirt, his few notable contributions were his link ups with Sammy Ameobi but his defensive and positional frailties in the first half will worry Toon fans ahead of the derby as all these uncomfortable issues will remain, along with a hostile crowd wanting his blood.
Matt Holmes is the co-founder of What Culture, formerly known as Obsessed With Film. He has been blogging about pop culture and entertainment since 2006 and has written over 10,000 articles.
