As England struggled to live with Italy at the Juventus Stadium on Tuesday night with an especially weak central midfield, the name all over social media in Newcastle was Jack Colback.
Where was the Geordie terrier best known for his defensive work yet who has scored and created more Premier League goals this season than Fabian Delph, Michael Carrick and even attacking midfielders like Ross Barkley?
Phil Jones was hopelessly out of his depth in the midfield anchor role, Delph provided the anonymous display expected of a player whose Premier League club are deep in the relegation mire and Jordan Henderson once again choked in the more rarefied international air.
Until Carrick came on and restored some order, the Three Lions midfield was inept and I, for one, would love to see the Geordie duo of Colback and Carrick providing a central midfield bedrock upon which an attacking force like Barkley could flourish.
In The Premier League this season, Colback has won more tackles, made more blocks and intercepted more opposition passes than Henderson, Carrick, Delph and Wilshire, players who have all been used at the base of a diamond or in a similar defensive role by Hodgson.
He’s also scored three goals and set up four more and created 34 chances – far more than Carrick (1 goal – 2 assists – 6 chances created) , Barkley (2 – 1 – 22 ) , Delph (0 – 1 – 22) and Ryan Mason ( 1 – 3 – 19 ) the same players who keep him out of the squad.
Yet “The Ginger Pirlo” as Roy Hodgson popularly used the nickname invented by Adrian Durham, when he called him up to his first squad of the season back in August, has not had an international look-in since he withdrew from the group with a calf injury in September.
Instead, the ineffectual Delph is an England fast-track that works against sides like Lithuania who are the standard of the Scottish Championship according to The Daily Mail’s Martin Samuel, yet is severely found out when the competition level is raised to that of Italy and co.
The lessons of The World Cup – where England were outplayed and bullied off Italy and Uruguay as Captain Wayne Rooney called for The Three Lions to be more ‘streetwise’ were not learned as a Geordie warrior of 100 Premier League games was ignored.
Colback is a big game player at his best against the best.
He was at his exceptionally tigerish when Chelsea’s supposed Invincibles came to St James’ Park with a proud unbeaten record in December and left vanquished by an awesome display of Geordie power in the engine room alongside Cheick Tiote and Moussa Sissoko.
Colback’s crunching tackle, which dispossessed Belgium’s Eden Hazard, in his own half before he embarked on a 30-yard run that culminated in him slipping the ball to Sissoko who set up Papiss Cisse for the winner, deserves many a YouTube repeat watch.
Ignoring big reputations and teams – by destroying their attacks and kick-starting Newcastle’s advances – was by no means a one-off.
Colback was instrumental at The Etihad in The League Cup against Yaya Toure, David Silva and Fernandinho as Newcastle knocked the holders out of the competition in October, the first time Newcastle have won at The Etihad in 12 attempts.
Colback rises to the challenge to match himself against the Premier League’s best and often emerges victorious.
Indeed, Newcastle’s opponents on Sunday, Sunderland, owe their very Premier League survival over the last couple of seasons to Colback’s tenacity especially the starring role he had in The Mackem ‘miracle’ wins at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge in the 2013/4 run in. In former boss Alan Pardew’s words:
“Jack gives us that ability we didn’t have last year, to be able to get back into games when you are behind.
“He can score a goal, he’s going to get better…and I know Sunderland’s results last year, you only have to see his name on the team sheet and they seemed to get a result, so that tells you something.”
His goal and Man of the March performance at St James’ Park in the 3-0 win last February under Gus Poyet on the ground he dreamt of playing on as a boy was a chief factor in his move across the 12-mile divide betwixt Wear and Tyne after a Gallowgate celebration best forgotten.
Now, the Geordie boy from Killingworth signed on the 9th of June, that famous date in the Newcastle calendar, is a proud foot solider of The Toon Army who has made it onto the pitch and plays with the same passion, desire and fight as any cheering in the crowd.
Yet it is his football talent that sets him apart not just from his own fans but most of The Premier League in a battling career which makes a mockery of his lack of a cap hitherto.
Colback Must Play Central Role
In the derby at Sunderland, in his first return to the Stadium of Light since becoming a Newcastle player, Colback must play central midfield so he can affect the game in the best possible way.
Against Arsenal, he filled in at left-back in the absence of the injured Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara yet it wasn’t an unqualified success.
A player of Vurnon Anita’s stature is more suited to the full-back role, where he enjoyed good spells with Ajax, which would allow Colback to star in the centre.
Goals against Everton, after he robbed Barkley, and against Burnley and Stoke have showed a valuable attacking side to his game in line with his growing influence.
Colback is left-footed and would bring balance and a stiffer resolve to the England midfield. Sunderland will be reminded what they and England are missing on Sunday.
