Former Newcastle player Steven Taylor has been reflecting on his time at the club, touching on his infamous red card against Aston Villa as well as what could’ve been in regard to international recognition.
The defender was twice called up to the England squad but failed to make a cap. However, he was a key presence in our team for several years, and although we suffered two relegations with him in the side he should be fondly remembered by the fanbase.
After all, he was a Newcastle lad and a no-nonsense centre-back who always gave his best for the team, even if his ability did let him down on occasion.
He should look back on his time at St. James’ Park with pride after making 267 appearances, scoring 15 goals, and he credits his first manager – Graeme Souness – for having an influential effect on his career.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said:
“I made my home debut under Souness against Everton. I was up against Kevin Kilbane and Souness said to me, “If you don’t lay one on him early on, I’ll drag you off”. He was hard on me but I liked that.
“He always used to say, “You look like a player, but are you really? Can you do it in front of 52,000?” It got the best out of me.”
Although Souness was one of our less successful managers, he deserves praise for instilling the mindset that Taylor carried in his career, as it ended up serving us well for several years.
The 34-year-old had a lot of old-fashioned type figures to learn from like Alan Shearer and Lee Bowyer, though it was perhaps the traits he knew not to replicate that served him best.
It is a shame that injury troubled Taylor throughout his spell with us, as he only made more than 30 league games in a single season once – in 2007/08.