Captain Colo completes the turnaround

Alan Pardew has chosen defender Fabricio Coloccini as his new Newcastle captain

When Newcastle United were relegated in 2009, Fabricio Coloccini was ridiculed by fans and experts and was described as one of the main reasons the Magpies slipped into the Championship.

Just two years on though and he has rebuilt his reputation in spectacular style and has now been appointed captain after the departure of Kevin Nolan.

In those dark days of Newcastle's relegation season, no-one could have predicted the Argentinean would ever wear the captain's armband. The fact today's announcement to confirm him as skipper seemed inevitable and was greeted with positivity shows how well Coloccini has done over the last two years.

He shouldered much of the blame for the relegation and was heavily linked with a move away in the uncertain summer which followed, but he remained committed to the club and has been well rewarded for doing so.

He struggled to adapt to English football after joining for a reported £10.3million from Deportivo in 2008 and a number of costly errors undoubtedly contributed to Newcastle's relegation. Some of the criticism of him at the time was harsh but fans were angry and looking at figures to blame.

Coloccini must be credited for how he came back from this.

Coloccini's popularity among fans grew and grew as the promotion-winning campaign progressed

It would have been easy for him to slope off to another club after that season - like so many of his then-teammates - but he refused to shirk his responsibilities and set about proving his doubters wrong.

He knuckled down and became a lynchpin in Newcastle's subsequent promotion season.

That season in the Championship was when Coloccini truly settled in English football and it was probably a blessing for him that the Magpies went down as it allowed him to rebuild his confidence and reputation.

He was Newcastle's Mr Dependable all season and became a real cult hero with the fans, with whom he has built up a tremendous relationship, with the Toon Army inventing the 'Oh Coloccini...' ditty in his honour.

Following that tremendous season, his status among Newcastle fans was incredibly high and not many of them doubted his ability to prove himself in the Premier League.

Some 'experts', however, believed that Coloccini would again struggle in the top flight but this is a man who has been capped 34 times by Argentina and played for clubs including AC Milan.

He again proved any lingering doubters wrong with a superb season in the Premier League and must surely be one of the first names on Alan Pardew's teamsheet. This has been some turnaround from a player lambasted just two years ago and the captaincy is a fitting reward for him.

Coloccini's fantastic strike against Tottenham was one of the highlights of last season for Newcastle fans

His confidence has visibly grown over the last two years and fans have enjoyed seeing his solidness at the back and composure on the ball - he often brings the ball out of defence to start attacks - as well as his ability to pop up with goals.

Coloccini has arguably been the Magpies' most consistent performer for the last two seasons and he was seen by many as the most natural choice to take over from Nolan.

Joey Barton will be disappointed to have been overlooked but his contract situation meant it was never realistic Pardew would have appointed him captain. Steven Taylor missed out due to his lack of experience and because he is not guaranteed a regular starting spot while Cheick Tiote's style of play may have scuppered his chances as the club cannot afford to have their skipper missing through suspension for large chunks of the season.

Coloccini's appointment will certainly be popular among Newcastle fans and this is crucial as it ensures everybody will be pulling in the same direction with a fans' favourite leading the side.

Making the Argentinean captain also puts to bed any fears he may leave this summer, as fans had grown worried he may follow Nolan and possibly Barton through the door.

There are, of course, doubts about Captain Colo though.

Some are worrying Coloccini's English is not good enough for him to be captain

Many fear he still does not have a good enough command of the English language to lead the club while others feel he will be a 'yes man' in comparison to Nolan.

It is well known Nolan was one of a group of senior players who arranged meetings and made demands to Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias over the last two seasons, with many doubting Coloccini would confront the board and cause them headaches in this way.

It will be crucial that he is able to stand his ground and express the views of the dressing room as a happy squad will be vital to sustained success at St James' Park.

His influence off the field will be just as important as his influence on it. While he may not be the sort of person to confront the ownership, he is said to be extremely professional and that is key as the younger players will truly have a captain to look up to.

On the field, he is likely to be more of a captain who leads by example with his actions than a captain who shouts and drives his team on.

Coloccini - who described being handed the captaincy as "like a gift" - seems quite a calm individual when playing and that captaincy style has worked for teams in the past, so he should not try anything out of his comfort zone and act as naturally as possible.

Manager Alan Pardew can now put the captaincy issue to one side and concentrate on the new season

The announcement to make Coloccini captain came as something of a surprise as many had expected Pardew would not make his decision until close to the season's beginning.

However, appointing him now ensures stability for the players as they all know where they stand and the speculation can now fade.

Coloccini is thought to be well-liked by the players, and he has particularly good relationships with Jose Enrique and Jonas Gutierrez, so his appointment should go down well with the playing staff.

Coloccini has struck up a great friendship with fellow Spanish speakers Gutierrez and Enrique

One thing the club should be keeping an eye on though is Coloccini's contract situation.

His deal runs out in 2013 so next summer he could be in the same situation as Jose Enrique and Joey Barton find themselves in now, with just one year left to run on his contract.

Coloccini should be given a new contract now as he will be eager to stay long-term now he knows he will be captain and the club cannot afford to be in the same uncertainty they are in now next summer.

There is hope Coloccini's appointment could lead to Enrique signing a new deal, although few Newcastle fans will be holding their breath on that one.

Keeping hold of the curly-haired defender will delight fans though as he provides familiarity and the supporters have grown attached to him over the last two seasons.

This appointment should be a great one - despite some reservations - and most fans will be feeling Pardew has made the correct decision.