Coloccini – Newcastle are united behind Carver

Coloccini led the team to a 3-0 win over Hull City last weekend.

The result at the KC Stadium was the club’s first win under Carver, confirmed as head coach until the end of the season last week after several weeks in caretaker charge.

And Coloccini, United’s captain, is looking for the club to claim another three points on Sunday, when Stoke City visit St James’s Park.

“I tell you, we trust in the staff that we have now,” Coloccini said.

“We are with them – we are going to push all together. Everyone is happy now.”

Newcastle are 11th in the table, and two points behind 10th-placed Stoke.

The club finished 10th last season, and the challenge is for Coloccini and his team-mates to better than achievement.

Carver spoke last week about finishing as high as seventh, though the squad remains vulnerable to injuries after a January transfer window which saw Davide Santon loaned to Inter Milan, a quintet of players farmed out to Rangers and NO arrivals.

Coloccini, however, feels Carver can get the best out of what he has at United.

The long-serving 33-year-old – who has played under seven managers in his six and a half years at St James’s Park – feels the work Carver and first-team coach Steve Stone are doing on the training pitch was evident against Hull.

“When he took over, it was not the best situation for us,” said Coloccini, appointed skippers by Carver’s predecessor Alan Pardew.

“We were losing, but now it is different. We have got a result.

“We are working very hard during the week – about tactics and shape – and I think we showed that on the pitch in the second half against Hull.

“We took advantage of the space they left, when we counterattacked.

“We know him and the staff. We have confidence in them, and it’s important that the players have confidence. We are going to work together.”

Carver hopes to take the job on beyond the end of the season, though the club, which “deferred” a permanent appointment, according to managing director Lee Charnley, seemingly has other candidates in mind.

“It’s not my choice if he stays,” said Coloccini. “The club have to decide that. We know him and the type of personality that he is.”

Remy Cabella, Sammy Ameobi and Yoan Gouffran scored against Hull, and Coloccini – who has only netted one Premier League goal for the club – almost netted at the other end.

“It’s very important to win, playing away,” he said. “We got that result.

“It was very good to get the clean sheet. I nearly scored (an own goal). It would have been my second goal in the Premier League! We are happy that we got the clean sheet.”