The Toon defender has always insisted he is happy at the club, and Alan Pardew wants to show how highly he rates him by giving him the armband.
Although, let's be honest, it didn't stop Ashley selling Kevin Nolan to West Ham, and it doesn't matter 'Jack shit' what Pardew says ... Ashley does the selling!
Nolan told the West Ham website: "Pardew tried to keep me at Newcastle."
Fabricio Coloccini: “It was a big surprise to get the captaincy but it is also a big present.
“The club has a lot of leaders and I am sure the manager could have chosen any of them to be captain.
“That’s why it’s a surprise he picked me, but I’m really, really happy to have been chosen.
"I do not want to leave Newcastle after that.
"My agent spoke to me earlier in the summer and told me that there were maybe some clubs that were interested in me – but I am very happy here.
“I love the Premier League and I love playing for this football club. I always wanted to stay because leaving this summer never entered my mind.
“Being a captain in England is different.
“It is a much bigger responsibility and I am ready for that.
“In other countries, the captain is not really any different to the other players at the club. But in England, they have a different role.
“The fans and the Press give the captain more importance and you are seen as a much more of a figurehead for the club.
“Off the pitch, I know my job will change a bit. But on the pitch and the training ground, I will be trying to keep things the same.
"As for any language barriers, I spoke with my teacher last week because I have to start my lessons again.
“I left my course last year because my English had improved to a certain level, but now I am the captain, I think it needs to be even better.
“It is my responsibility to improve. Now I am the captain, I will have a lot more speaking to do, and I want to be able to do that properly.”