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Taylor’s passion for Magpies undimmed
IT has been a week for outpourings
of emotion at Newcastle
United, and after Obafemi Martins'
tears on Monday, Steven
Taylor last night delivered a passionate
address underlining his
commitment to the Geordie
cause.
Taylor, one of only two players
raised in the North-East to have
started Monday's 1-1 draw at
Birmingham, is a childhood Newcastle
fan, and the centre-half
was a season-ticket holder at St
James' Park before signing
trainee forms with the Magpies.
His relationship with the club
was soured slightly this season,
however, when a failure to agree
contract terms led to a threat to
walk away in the summer.
The timing of the dispute was
ill-judged given that it coincided
with Newcastle's slide into a relegation
battle, but Taylor is at
pains to stress that his affection
for the Magpies remains both
genuine and enduring.
It is a fondness that drives him
to succeed whenever he wears a
Newcastle United shirt, and one
that has caused him a considerable
amount of pain and embarrassment
this season.
"I hate to see where we are in
the table," said Taylor. "In fact, I
can't even look at a league table,
it is that embarrassing. As one of
them myself, the last thing I want
to do is send the supporters home
unhappy.
"I know how much passion
there is on the terraces so I want
to show them every minute of
every game just what it means to
play for their club.
"There is no greater honour
than wearing the Newcastle shirt
and I hope the fans realise that. I
see people around the town and I
realise I am a lucky lad."
Cut me', Taylor seems to be
saying, And I bleed black-andwhite'.
Such emotional attachment
is to be welcomed in an era
in which footballing loyalty
seems to stretch to nothing other
than the next signing-on fee, but
affection cannot be an adequate
substitute for ability.
Taylor's position in Newcastle's
starting line-up has to be dependent
on performance alone,
and there have been times this
season when the 22-year-old has
looked a shadow of the player
that earned a call-up to the senior
England squad last August.
In fairness to the centre-half,
he has been no better or worse
than the majority of Newcastle's
other defenders.
But despite his burgeoning
reputation, he has been an everpresent
in a back four that has
conceded 21 goals in nine matches
under Kevin Keegan.
An inability to keep clean
sheets is one of the key reasons
why Newcastle currently find
themselves only four points
above the drop zone. But while
James McFadden's strike for
Birmingham on Monday made it
eight games without a shut-out,
the Magpies' second-half solidity
augured well for the final eight
games of the season.
"There was a lot of unity in the
defence, especially in the second
half, and that is how it should be
every week," said Taylor.
"I know the defence has been
criticised a lot lately, but we didn't
really given them a sniff after
the break so I think it's a case of
credit where credit is due.
"We know we have to improve
at the back because what we have
been delivering for a period has
not been good enough, but we are
learning to play with each other
and I think everyone saw definite
signs of improvement at Birmingham."
The challenge now is to maintain
that improvement for the entire
90 minutes against Fulham,
in a match that could go a long
way towards determining Newcastle's
Premier League fate.
A win would take Keegan's
side seven points clear of the relegation
zone if Bolton lost at
home to Manchester City.
Lose, though, and they could
drop to within a point of the bottom
three ahead of a testing
game at Tottenham.
"It will be a massive game and
we have to make sure we finish
it with all three points," added
Taylor. "Anything else would be
unacceptable."
■ Newcastle have appointed former
Luton Town and Peterborough
manager Lil Fuccillo as
their new chief scout.
Fuccillo, an Englishman who
was born to Italian parents, has
previously worked as a scout for
Leicester City.
9:00am Friday 21st March 2008
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