John Carver has identified Jack Colback as a key weapon in Newcastle United’s attempt to end Sunderland’s run of four successive north-east derby victories.
It is a winning sequence Newcastle United’s head coach is desperate to bring to an end at the Stadium of Light on Sunday and he has pumped Colback, a former Sunderland midfielder who arrived at St James’ Park last summer, for inside information about the local enemy.
“Jack’s been in their dressing room when they’ve won the first three of the four in a row,” said Carver. “I’ve certainly had a word with him about things behind the scenes at Sunderland and the in-depth analysis they use. I’ve asked him about how they used to work, what they used to concentrate on and how they’d approach derby games.”
It promises to be a tricky afternoon for Colback, a product of Sunderland’s academy who provoked considerable anger on Wearside when he defected to Newcastle. “I’ll be having a chat with Jack about how he deals with the situation but he’s a big enough character and personality to cope with the whole things,” said Alan Pardew’s successor. “I’m sure he’ll deal with the occasion as long as he plays the game not the occasion.”
A study of match data from the past four derbies has shown Carver that on each occasion Sunderland contributed vastly superior work rates. “I won’t accept that again,” he said.
“To be honest, I don’t really understand why it’s happened. I always give 100% in everything I do and for professional footballers that should be a given. It’s damning. It’s a damning situation on them as professional footballers.”
It is Dick Advocaat’s second match in charge of Sunderland and, by uncanny coincidence, both his immediate predecessors, Gus Poyet and Paolo Di Canio, faced Newcastle in their second game at the Wearside helm.
“It’s as if their owner decides the derby is coming up and he needs a new manager,” said Carver. “God help the next guy, if it’s not Dick. He’ll look at the fixture list and think: ‘We’ve only got three games until we play Newcastle! I must be on my way out.’ It’s amazing, isn’t’ it? It’s a coincidence, that’s for sure. Ellis Short must be planning for next season.”
The 3-0 win celebrated by Di Canio’s Sunderland on Tyneside in April 2013 arguably left Carver, a lifelong Newcastle fan, with his most painful memories – particularly as Di Canio celebrated with a dramatic, highly provocative, touchline knee slide.
“When Paolo was sliding on his knees, I’ve never been so agitated in my life,” said Pardew’s then assistant. “I wanted to take the law into my own hands that day because of what I was watching in our stadium. It was very, very difficult to take.
“It was in our own stadium, our home and it was embarrassing. It was an embarrassing performance and I was embarrassed to be part of that. Paolo doing that pissed me off, I’ve got to be honest, but I was embarrassed about the way we played.
“I won’t let it happen again. The derby either makes you or breaks you – and we’ve got to cope with the heat of it.”
