Coloccini To "Carry On" As Captain So Newcastle Squad's Not "Unsettled", Insists McClaren

Steve McClaren insists Fabricio Coloccini will "carry on" as Newcastle United skipper, despite admitting the captaincy has been "up for debate" since the moment he first arrived at St James' Park. Speaking during an hour-long radio fans' phone-in on BBC Newcastle on Tuesday night, McClaren gave a long, convoluted answer before declaring that he did not want to "unsettle everything and everybody" by stripping Coloccini of the captaincy. The Argentine defender failed to play a single minute of pre-season football and has consistently been linked with a move to Olympiacos and, most prominently, a reunion with Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace this summer. However, McClaren is adamant Coloccini will continue to wear the captain's armband at St James' Park because the Argentine is "proud" to do so and wants to continue being skipper going forward. Speaking on BBC Newcastle, McClaren said of whether Coloccini would continue as skipper:

"He's always said from day one: 'Look this is the place I want to be, I know there's speculation but this is the place I want to be. I want to be at Newcastle United Football Club, I've been captain, I'm proud of that, and I want to carry on doing that.' "So we've had two or three weeks and we've sat down, and his choice is Newcastle United. He wants to stay here, he wants to commit to the club, commit to the team and (that's) what we're trying to do - so I'm absolutely delighted with that. "Do I need to change the captain? Why do I need to unsettle everything and everybody? He's (Coloccini's) our most experienced player and he carries on."

During the hour-long show, McClaren spoke about various things - including the problems of pre-season and the American tour, as well as whether or not the Magpies would do any more business going forward. However, his most conclusive answer - albeit eventually, after all the long spiel listed below - was confirmation that Coloccini would remain his skipper going forward. Before his confirmation of Coloccini as captain, McClaren said (BBC Newcastle):

"That's been one for debate and obviously coming from the outside I always knew that was kind of a question mark. "We've gone through pre-season, Coloccini's always been the captain - I think for seven years (actually four years) - and he's the most experienced player. "My dealings with him have been tremendous. I think what's disrupted this pre-season especially for Colo is the speculation about Crystal Palace. Is he going here? Is he going there? The speculation of this, the speculation of that. "I've just said to Colo: 'Look, let's work with each other for two or three weeks, see if I like you, see if you like me, see if we can get on.' And we have done despite him not playing. "We've had to nurse him through but we've had long, long talks with all this speculation about Crystal Palace - he's looking after his own future but from my understanding from all the talks he wants to be here."

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