Fabricio Coloccini Must Focus On Defending At NUFC And Not Management

Fabricio Coloccini is captain of a side who have lost eight-straight Premier League matches and who are imploding as they speed towards the drop - yet the Magpies skipper believes he is suited to handle the "pressure" of management. The 33-year-old Argentine's leadership skills have been found wanting in recent months, but he still maintains that coaching is a career he is likely to pursue once he hangs up his boots - however he accepts needs to focus on the here and now, which is guiding Newcastle to Premier League survival. Since the 39-cap Argentine international got himself needlessly dismissed for a reckless challenge on Everton's Aaron Lennon in March, Coloccini has missed three matches through suspension and then returned to a Newcastle side who have conceded 11 goals in their last four games.

Coloccini also allowed two players, Mike Williamson and Daryl Janmaat, to add to Newcastle's defensive crisis by getting themselves stupidly sent off during the 3-0 capitulation at Leicester City - before allegedly becoming involved in a heated argument with goalkeeper Tim Krul on the coach after the match. Yet the centre-back has permitted his gaze to switch beyond his current playing career and towards management - when he should be focusing on preventing Newcastle from sliding further towards relegation trouble.

Speaking to the Shields Gazette, Coloccini revealed that he would love to one day move into management - and that the "pressure" is "not something that concerns" him. He said:

"It's something I have always liked the idea of, so one day, maybe. There's a lot of pressure in management, but that's not something that concerns me. "Being a manager is a job in which you have to use your brain and knowledge to help the players and the team, and that's something I would enjoy. "If it happens, though, it's a long way in the future as I still have time left to keep playing. All I'm concentrating on at the moment is keeping fit and being ready to pull on the Newcastle shirt every week."

Coloccini was reportedly close to being stripped of the captaincy by interim head coach John Carver, but due to the fact he is the only senior defender available for West Bromwich Albion's visit to St James' Park he is likely to survive this embarrassment for at least another week. If Carver has lost faith in Coloccini's captaincy - as Krul so obviously has - then it is fair to assume the majority of the Magpies first-team squad have as well. Coloccini must prove he has the leadership skills necessary to become a manager - by saving Newcastle's season. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCultureNUFC on Twitter and Facebook.