NEWCASTLE United may have hit a mid-season buffer but Fabricio Coloccini insists they are still performing well. After all, he was concerned about relegation before the campaign kicked off.

Following a tough summer of change Coloccini believed that Newcastle’s priority was racking up as many points as they could early on. Hitting the 40-point mark, and guaranteed safety, was on his mind rather than any potential European challenge.

That they hit Christmas in seventh place is a pleasant surprise, even if the run of six games without a win has dulled the festive mood at the club’s Benton training base somewhat.

“I have been surprised at how well we have done. A little bit but, yes, it has been a surprise,” he told The Journal.

“When we first started the season we were thinking ‘Let’s take points quickly’ because we were thinking of relegation and staying clear of the bottom of the table. But then we started to play, we played well and got results and now we look at the other end of the table.”

Coloccini’s own future has been the subject of some uncertainty after a contract offer put to him in October is yet to be signed.

But he remains remarkably sanguine about the situation. His only official comment is “we’ll see what happens”, but he continues to emphasise his love for the club and the respect that he has for both his manager and the club’s supporters.

Just as crucially, his wife is enrolled in a college course in the area and his children are fully integrated in the English way of life. That means no more siestas for the Latin American defender.

“I feel I have more of an English mentality now,” he said.

“We live here, my family live here, my kids go to school here. Maybe in Spain our dinner was at 10, 10.30pm. Now at 7, 8 in the evening we have to have dinner because the kids are so tired.

“It is a big change in my life – there are no more siestas! I love living in England, I love the English people and the culture too. It is a fantastic country and I am lucky to be in a city I love.”