Cape Town - Newcastle United captain Fabricio Coloccini has written an open letter of apology to fans for the club's woeful form that has left them battling to retain their Premier League status.
A run of eight successive league defeats has left Newcastle two points above the relegation zone, with three matches remaining of what has turned into a nightmare run-in.
"On behalf of the squad we would like to apologise for the moment we are going through. Needless to say this is not anything intentional," Argentina central defender Coloccini wrote on the club's website (www.nufc.co.uk) on Tuesday.