It doesn’t happen often, but Jack Colback once made the almost forbidden choice of leaving Sunderland for Newcastle. That “takes a bit of b******s” to quote the man himself, so would he advise other players to do the same? Say, Chris Rigg, for instance, the talented 16-year-old Sunderland player?
“It depends on how long the contract is,” Colback deadpans.
“Sunderland fans will hate you for the rest of your life, but it is certainly not something I regret doing,” Colback continues, before Tribalfootball.com allows him to turn back to what we are really meant to talk about which is Queens Park Rangers.
His current club, who are finally making some strides in the Championship after the emergence of Marti Cifuentes. Their fourth manager since the start of last season and the Spaniard is off to a very decent start, although he was not a name on Colback’s radar before rocking up at Loftus Road.
“But when you hear a rumour in the dressing room a Spanish manager is set to sign, you kind of assume he’s going to want to play nice football, so that went down well,” says Colback.
The players responded well to the new regime by winning as many points in the first six games under Cifuentes than in the 14 matches under his predecessor, who was the one who lured Colback to QPR in the first place.
“Gareth Ainsworth showed me around the training ground and was a big factor in me signing. He also discussed what his ambitions and plans for the club were. Obviously, it didn’t work out but that’s football, it’s the nature of the beast,” Colback continues while shrugging his shoulders as someone who’s seen it all before. Which he has.
The QPR supporters never seemed to take a liking to Ainsworth, but one assumes Cifuentes could end up being a big name at Loftus Road, should he manage to keep the “Super Hoops” in the Championship.
“He’s very detailed in what he does so there’s a lot of information, but I think he’s almost drip fed us so far. Once we get used to one dynamic, he moves on to the next and that started to bring results which is what it is all about.”
Apart from a stint at Ipswich, Colback has spent his entire career no further south than Nottingham. Why the sudden move to London at the ripe football age of 33?
“The weather, to be honest!” Colback says before offering a slightly less ironic answer.
“I thought of it as a project to get stuck into after meeting the old manager. QPR have been away from the Premier League for a long time now, which is similar to when I went to Nottingham Forest. They were actually away from for the Premier League even longer. To come here and be part of a journey which could hopefully get us there at some point would be an amazing journey.
“Obviously, we’re nowhere near that. We need to step by step, game by game, get out of where we are. And then hopefully consolidate this season before looking to then make a push maybe for it next season.
During his career, which started back in 2008, “Colback has played for Newcastle, Sunderland and Forest. All three are massive clubs in their local area who get a huge amount of attention. Is there a different feel at QPR?
“The biggest difference on day-to-day terms is walking around London and no one knows who you are. You might get the odd QPR fan, whereas with Newcastle, Sunderland and Forest, there is a fan everywhere you go, so you get stopped or noticed a lot more.
“But I have come here as an opponent, and when the stadium is at full capacity or there’s a good feeling around the club, it’s a really, really difficult place to come. The fans can generate a lot of energy which we have obviously felt during the last few games. We’ve had positive results which has created a more positive atmosphere.” states Colback who knows only too well not the lean back now expecting all is well amongst the supporters.
“We have to earn the right to their support. We as players know we haven’t been good enough. And I it’s our responsibility to create that atmosphere as well. But it’s a club I’m really, really enjoying being at so far. I’s not gone as planned, but it’s a club that can really go places,” says Jack Colback before returning to the anonymity of the London streets.
– Jack Colback was speaking to Tribalfootball.com courtesy of www.copybet.com
