Jack Colback

Jack Colback

Colback playing for Sunderland in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Jack Raymond Colback[1]
Date of birth	24 October 1989[1]
Place of birth	Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Newcastle United
Number	4
Youth career
1999–2008	Sunderland
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2014	Sunderland	115	(4)
2009–2010	→ Ipswich Town (loan)	37	(4)
2010–2011	→ Ipswich Town (loan)	13	(0)
2014–	Newcastle United	75	(5)
National team^‡
2009	England U20	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:27, 21 November 2016 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 April 2012

Jack Raymond Colback (born 24 October 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Championship club Newcastle United.

Colback began his career at Sunderland in 2008, having graduated from their academy, and broke into the team following loans at Ipswich Town of the Championship. After 115 Premier League appearances with Sunderland, his contract expired and he controversially moved to their biggest rival, Newcastle United.

He played once for England at Under-20 level in 2009, and was called up for the senior squad for the first time in August 2014.

Club career

Sunderland

Early career and loans

Colback in the match against Manchester United on the final day of the 2011–12 Premier League season.

Colback was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear^[1] and joined the Sunderland academy at the age of 10.^[2] On 30 May 2008, Colback signed his first professional contract with the club.^[3]

After manager Steve Bruce announced his intention to loan out Colback,^[4] He signed for Ipswich Town on loan on 6 August 2009 on a deal that would expire in January 2010.^[5] He made his debut for Ipswich in a 3–3 draw with Shrewsbury Town after extra time in the League Cup, which was won 4–2 in a penalty shootout.^[6] His Football League debut came in a 2–0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion after being introduced as a 46th minute substitute.^[7] He scored his first goal for Ipswich against Blackpool and scored against them again later on in the season in the FA Cup. His form meant the loan was extended until the end of the 2009–10 season in January 2010.^[8] He was voted Ipswich's Players' Player of the Season 2009–10.^[9]

He returned to Sunderland from a loan spell at Ipswich Town at the end of the 2009–10 Championship season and made his Premier League debut as a 76th-minute substitute against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was later sent off for two bookable offences,^[10] his debut lasting just nine minutes. He made his home debut against Colchester United in the League Cup on 24 August 2010 as a substitute. Colback went out on loan for a second spell at Ipswich, confirmed on 15 October and which lasted until 6 January when he returned to Sunderland.^[11][12]

Breakthrough

Following his second loan spell at Ipswich, Colback returned to Sunderland in January 2011, and his appearances became more frequent. Colback started for Sunderland in their FA Cup 3rd Round defeat to Notts County on 8 January. He then came off the bench as Sunderland drew 1–1 against local rivals and the team Colback supported as a child, Newcastle United, on 16 January. He also appeared as a second-half substitute as Sunderland drew 0–0 with Arsenal on 5 March. Colback made his first Premier League start for Sunderland in their 2–0 defeat at Birmingham City on 16 April.^[13] Colback also started the following week as Sunderland beat Wigan Athletic 4–1. Colback had arguably his best performance in a Sunderland shirt in their 2–1 win at Bolton on 7 May 2011.^[14] Colback demonstrated his versatility by being deployed at left back in the final game of the season at West Ham.^[15]

Colback started the first game of the 2011–12 season, as Sunderland drew with Liverpool at Anfield. Sunderland drew 1–1 with Colback playing alongside Lee Cattermole in central midfield.^[16] On 26 December 2011, Colback scored his first goal for the club, a deflected effort, in 1–1 draw with Everton in the Premier League.^[17] Colback was deployed at left back on New Year's Day 2012 against Manchester City, and helped Sunderland to a surprise victory against the Premier League leaders. He again played at left back in Sunderland's 4–2 win at Wigan two days later, where he sustained a knee injury which ruled him out for a few weeks. On 5 January 2012, he signed a 2-year contract extension which expired in June 2014.^[18] Colback returned from injury as a substitute in Sunderland's 1–1 FA Cup draw with Middlesbrough, and returned to the starting line up in central midfield as the Black Cats beat Norwich 3–0 on 1 February. He scored his second goal for Sunderland with a left footed strike in the replay against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, as Sunderland won 2–1 after extra time to reach the fifth round.

The 2012–13 season saw Colback play regularly at left back due to injuries to Danny Rose, and right back in the Tyne-Wear derby as Sunderland defeated Newcastle 3–0.^[19] Following this, Colback is willing to play out in position, so it will help the club's solve their issue.^[20]

Sunderland players celebrate Colback's last-minute equaliser against Cardiff on 28 December 2013.

Following Rose's return to Tottenham, Colback began the 2013–14 season as Sunderland's first choice at left back, before being moved back into central midfield by Gus Poyet.^[21] On 28 December Colback scored a last minute goal in the fifth minute of injury time to salvage a 2–2 draw at Cardiff City.^[22] Colback made his 100th Premier League appearance on 1 January 2014 in a 1–0 home defeat to Aston Villa. He scored his second goal of the season on 1 February 2014, scoring the third goal in a 3–0 away win against Newcastle United.^[23] He scored his third goal of the season on 7 May 2014, scoring the first goal in a 2–0 home win to West Brom, to retain Sunderland's top division safety and relegating Norwich City to the Football League Championship.^[24]

With his contract about to expire at the end of the 2013–14 season, then-manager Paolo Di Canio urged to Colback to make a decision on his future at Sunderland.^[25] In November, Colback confirmed that talks of a new deal had started after initially rejecting a new contract in the summer under the management of Di Canio.^[26] Further talks over a new contract continued in February.^[27] In April, it was reported that Colback had turned down a new contract with the club and was set to depart upon the expiry of the contract.^[28] Several Premier League clubs made contract offers to sign Colback, but Sunderland refused to give up on Colback and hoped he would stay at the club.^[29][30]

Newcastle United

Colback marking Willian in a 2–0 loss against Chelsea on 10 January 2015.

On 9 June 2014, Colback signed for Newcastle United on a free transfer. He is the first player since Lionel Pérez in 1998 to transfer directly from Sunderland to Newcastle.^[31] As a supporter of Newcastle he admitted that due to the rivalry between the two clubs, Sunderland fans would "hate [him] for the rest of [his] life".^[32] Sunderland criticised Colback's move to Newcastle United, and described the transfer as leaving a "bitter taste".^[33] The Daily Mail described Colback as the "most underrated player in the Premier League" and compared his move to the rival as Sol Campbell joining Arsenal from Tottenham Hotspur.^[34]

He made his competitive debut on 17 August as Newcastle began the season with a 2–0 defeat at home to Manchester City, playing the full 90 minutes.^[35] Colback scored his first goal for the club on 28 December in a 3–2 win over Everton, intercepting a Ross Barkley clearance to score Newcastle's third of the match.^[36] Four days later he scored in the second consecutive game, a 25-yard strike in a 3–3 draw against Burnley.^[37]

International career

Colback has received one cap for the England under-20 team, he played in a 2–0 friendly win against Italy at Loftus Road in March 2009. He replaced Marc Albrighton in the 79th minute as a substitute.^[38]

On 28 August 2014, Colback received his first call-up to the senior team for the matches against Norway and Switzerland,^[39] but had to withdraw from the squad with a calf injury.^[40][41]

Style of play

A former left-back, Colback is a left-footed central midfielder known for his versatility and efficient playing style; due to his technical skills, passing range and physique, he is neat in possession and rarely gives the ball away, which along with his athletic ability and defensive work-rate, allows him to link-up the defence and the attack effectively. Former England manager Roy Hodgson has likened his abilities to those of Andrea Pirlo.^[42][43]

Career statistics

Colback playing for Ipswich Town in 2010

As of 20 November 2016^[44]

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sunderland	2008–09	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ipswich Town (loan)	2009–10	Championship	37	4	2	1	2	0	41	5
Sunderland	2009–10	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Ipswich Town (loan)	2010–11	Championship	13	0	0	0	1	0	14	0
	Ipswich Town total		50	4	2	1	3	0	55	5
Sunderland	2010–11	Premier League	11	0	1	0	1	0	13	0
	2011–12		35	1	4	1	1	0	40	2
	2012–13		35	0	2	0	3	0	40	0
	2013–14		32	3	4	0	5	0	41	3
	Sunderland Total		114	4	11	1	10	0	135	5
Newcastle United	2014–15	Premier League	35	4	0	0	3	0	38	4
	2015–16		29	1	0	0	1	0	30	1
	2016-17	Championship	11	0	0	0	3	0	14	0
	Newcastle United Total		75	5	0	0	7	0	82	5
Career total			240	13	13	2	20	0	273	15

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
2. "Jack Colback". Sunderland A.F.C. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
3. "Sunderland tie up academy deals". BBC Sport. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
4. "Bruce loans out starlets". Sky Sports. 5 August 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
5. "Ipswich sign Sunderland's Colback". BBC Sport. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
6. "Shrewsbury 3 – 3 Ipswich". BBC Sport. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
7. "West Brom 2 – 0 Ipswich". BBC Sport. 22 August 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
8. "Ipswich Town extend loan for Sunderland's Jack Colback". BBC Sport. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
9. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21042010/63/colback-earns-plaudits.html
10. "Match Report: Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 – 1 Sunderland". Sunderland A.F.C. 9 May 2010. Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
11. "Colback seals Ipswich return". Sky Sports. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
12. "Colback returns to Black Cats". Sky Sports. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
13. "Colback's keen to prove his class after full debut". The Northern Echo. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
14. Jolly, Richard (9 May 2011). "Boudewijn Zenden shows his staying power to give Sunderland hope". The Guardian. London.
15. "Sunderland stroll to a top-ten finish at last". The Northern Echo. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
16. Hunter, Andy (15 August 2011). "Liverpool need a few more like Suarez". The Irish Times.
17. "Sunderland 1 – 1 Everton". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
18. "Jack Colback signs contract extension" BBC Sport. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
19. "Newcastle United 0 Sunderland 3". BBC Sport. 14 April 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
20. "Premier League: Sunderland midfielder Jack Colback happy to play out of position". Sky Sports. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
21. "Premier League: Jack Colback happy to be back in Sunderland's midfield". Sky Sports. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
22. "Colback late show rocks Cardiff". ESPN. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
23. "Newcastle 0–3 Sunderland". BBC. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
24. "Sunderland 2 – 0 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
25. "Paolo Di Canio calls on Jack Colback to decide over his Sunderland future". Sky Sports. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
26. "Midfielder Jack Colback in talks over a new contract at Sunderland". Sky Sports. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
27. "Premier League: Sunderland discussing new deal with Jack Colback". Sky Sports. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
28. "Transfer news: Jack Colback and Phil Bardsley set to leave Sunderland this summer". Sky Sports. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
29. "Transfer news: Battle for Sunderland's Jack Colback is hotting up". Sky Sports. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
30. "Transfer news: Sunderland still hoping Jack Colback and Phil Bardsley could yet stay". Sky Sports. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
31. "Jack Colback: Newcastle sign midfielder from rivals Sunderland". BBC Sport. 9 June 2014.
32. "Jack Colback: Sunderland fans will hate me after Newcastle move". BBC Sport. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
33. "Transfer news: Sunderland 'bitter' as Jack Colback seals Newcastle switch". Sky Sports. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
34. "Jack Colback is the most underrated player in the Premier League... Sunderland fans should thank him and move on". Daily Mail. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
35. Chowdhury, Saj (17 August 2014). "Newcastle 0–2 Man City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
36. Chowdhury, Saj (28 December 2014). "Newcastle 3–2 Everton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
37. Oliver, Pete (1 January 2015). "Newcastle 3–3 Burnley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
38. "LIONS' LOFTUS ROAR". TheFA.com. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
39. "Roy calls up four new faces for Norway and Switzerland". The FA. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
40. "Colback ruled out for England". FIFA. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
41. "Jack Colback out of England squad with calf injury". BBC Sport. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
42. Louise Taylor (28 August 2014). "Roy Hodgson's 'Ginger Pirlo' Jack Colback tipped to make England impact". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
43. Luke Edwards (28 August 2014). "Mocking Jack Colback's England call-up is nothing but ignorance and stupidity from armchair fans". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
44. Jack Colback career statistics at Soccerbase

External links

• Jack Colback career statistics at Soccerbase