"It wasn't ideal" - Jack Colback makes Sunderland admission & reveals what Newcastle fans "deserve"
The Geordie midfielder has been speaking ahead of the derby clash at the Stadium of Light
Jack Colback admits that the build-up to his move from Sunderland to Newcastle United in 2014 was far from ideal.
The Killingworth-born midfield battler netted for the Wearsiders at St James' Park wearing red and white in a 3-0 win on Tyneside, just months before leaving Sunderland for his boyhood heroes. Colback, now plying his trade for Queens Park Rangers, will feel that his career is being played amid a more tranquil backdrop compared to the crazy derby days in the North-East.
The midfielder's return to the Stadium of Light proved to be a painful experience as Lee Cattermole's horror challenge left him floored on the turf in a 3-0 win over Sunderland. Reflecting on the derby and what it means, Colback told Live Score: "It's a fixture I can't compare to any other I've ever played in.
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"It was just intense and meant everything to both sets of fans. They will be buzzing. Obviously it wasn't ideal scoring at St James' Park for Sunderland and then signing there that summer but that's football. It'll be a huge game.
"We [QPR] are playing but if we hadn't been this is a game I'd have loved to be in the stands for. I don't think it would have gone down very well, though, so I'll just catch up with it on the telly!"
Colback admits Newcastle is a different club to the one he left in 2018 to join Nottingham Forest. He said: "It's completely different from when I was there. They've got the investment and they've got all the power they need to get where they want to be. Finishing in the top four last season was probably a bit ahead of schedule, it was a huge achievement.
"The fans deserve it — and you can see from their reactions when they went out of the Champions League that they're not demanding too much. They were happy to be there for now and they believe more success will come.
"Even when I was there, they were difficult times but the support was unbelievable. We'd have 5,000 or 6,000 fans for 300-400-mile away trips in the Championship on a Tuesday night. It's nice to see the mainstays at the top of the Premier League getting mixed up a bit."
When asked who he was tipping to win the derby this year, Colback said: "I fancy Newcastle, the way they're going. Their form may not be great but as a club they are in a good place. They will be up for it, particularly as they haven't got one over on Sunderland in years. But you can't rule out Sunderland in front of their supporters. "It's going to be a special game."
Jack Colback was speaking to LiveScore. To read his full column, click here