Can Fabricio Coloccini be the man to lead Newcastle?

Jun 26 2011 by Mark Douglas, Sunday Sun

THE King is dead, long live the King. Only in this case, there isn't one outstanding candidate to inherit the captain's armband that former skipper Kevin Nolan wore with such distinction last season.

That is the verdict of a cross-section of former Newcastle United leading men that the Sunday Sun spoke to – and also the feeling inside the camp according to St James’ Park insiders.

Nolan’s departure might have ripped the main goalscoring threat from United’s midfield but bigger than that, it took away the dominating influence from the Newcastle dressing room. Some inside St James’ Park think that was required.

They point to a bonus dispute at the back end of the season which saw Nolan lead a rebellion against the hierarchy that saw them refuse a lump sum if they finished in the top 10 – a cash prize that a scolded Mike Ashley then offered to training ground staff instead.

But his exit still leaves a void in a squad where no player could take on the leadership role without some question marks surrounding them.

The Sunday Sun understands that Fabricio Coloccini is currently one of the leading candidates to assume the armband next year, with strong support for Steven Taylor making the homegrown defender another possibility.

Coloccini, of course, has been linked with a move away from St James’ Park over the last seven days.

But in fact he is one of the players that Alan Pardew is now stressing MUST NOT be sold if the team is to fulfil the top-10 finish that the hierarchy have demanded of him.

Taylor is maybe the next cab off the rank in terms of captaincy, but he is still young to be a skipper – and is not as central to things as Nolan was.

In addition to that, there is a feeling that he may need to just concentrate on playing a full season after two injury- ravaged campaigns.

Who does that leave? Joey Barton would be the obvious candidate if it were not for his contract dispute and subsequent politically incorrect Tweets.

Can Pardew really risk handing the skipper’s armband to a player who might not be at St James’ Park at the end of August?

And knowing that the hierarchy feel mortally offended by some of his public utterances, is it really a wise move under a regime who do harbour a grudge?