Breaking news that Newcastle United center-back Steven Taylor has been called into the England squad for Friday’s World Cup qualifier against San Marino, after Chelsea’s Gary Cahill was ruled out of the match.
Steven Taylor called up by England
Gary is not available for the game on Friday, but he is will be looked at later this week – and could be available for England’s qualifier against Montenegro next Tuesday.
Steven is now 27 and played for the England U21 side 29 times under Stuart Pearce, and he was captain and the local lad also has one cap for the England B side back in 2007.
This is what Steven said today when he was given the news:
“It’s a dream come true.” “I am so happy to have received a call-up to the full squad. It is every player’s ambition to represent their country and it is the greatest honour in professional football.”
“If I am lucky enough to be given that chance over the next seven days, it will be one of the proudest moments of my playing career.”
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew had this to say:
“This is a fully deserved call-up for Steven.” “He missed part of the season but since his return has been outstanding.” “He has a great chance, on this form, of going to the World Cup. “On behalf of all the squad, staff and supporters, we wish him all the best and hope he is given the chance to win his first senior international cap.”
This is really great news for Steven and he deserves the call-up – now as long as he doesn’t come back injured next week. 🙁
We need Steven for our tough run-in to the season.
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31 comments so far
Charlie in the Gallowgate
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Comment #1Hope the incident makes the Club/Players stronger and spur us on to climb up the table.
And the fans to get behind the team and players instead of finding someone to criticise.
NUFCarter
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Comment #2finally!!!
toonarmydownsouth
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:24 AM
Comment #3Well done stevie lad Completely deserve it this season good on ya!
From a selfish point of view though hope you only get a 5 minute run out 😉
seasons
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:24 AM
Comment #4should of been in from the start
Joe Blog
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:32 AM
Comment #5Re: Mark Halsey
Why wasn’t he in a position to see it? Incompetence – that’s the long and short of it.
These refs waddle around with their podges, in a game that’s simply way beyond them in terms of speed, agility and have been protected far too much, time to hang one out to dry, maybe the others will then shape up, or kindly relieve themselves of their duties and allow a younger, fitter generation step-up. Can’t be any worse.
jeraziah
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Comment #6Well deserved! Steven Taylor has been massive for us. Hope he grows even more after this.
ToonDarnSarf
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:40 AM
Comment #7Good for him! But amazing to think that he’s behind Ferdinand, Jagielka, Smalling, Caulker, Lescott, Dawson and Jones! At least he seems to be ahead of Shawcross…
On current form, I don’t see how he’s not in the top 4 of that lot. I’d have picked Ferdinand, Jagielka, Taylor, and Smalling to begin with if they were all fit.
ToonDownSouth
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:40 AM
Comment #8Ed’s increasingly dumb tabloid headlines, and the average readers inability to read properly, have once again duped most people.
Halsey did not receive death threats. Read it properly.
brighter
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Comment #9Please come back to newcastle without injury !
ToonDarnSarf
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Comment #10Joe Blog – are you insane??? He wasn’t in the position to see this because another player ran in front of him and blocked his view.
What I’d like to know is why neither linesman was in a position to see it either…
Joe Blog
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:45 AM
Comment #11Another measure, as I and others suggested on the day, which will at least go some way to correcting bad decisions, is the ref being allowed to review and correct any contentious decisions at half-time. Mx nugget shouldn’t have been allowed on the pitch after half-time and Wigan should’ve been down to 10.
As it were, that whole result was a farce and the numerous others like this throughout a season, really make you wonder, why bother. Why not just randomise the league table with a computer in August, forget the on-field action, obviously giving teams handicaps, like Man U can start off with +20, with say Fulham on 0 as the benchmark.
ToonDarnSarf
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:48 AM
Comment #12ToonDownSouth – it is very frustrating that the media (Ed included) can make people believe in anything just by writing a headline. One message saying that someone deserved a death threat is idiotic, but it isn’t a death threat and it certainly isn’t death threats (plural)!
Lazy…
Rainrix
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:51 AM
Comment #13TDS and TDS :).
I tired pointing that out last article and yet no one seemed to pay attention. But yeah people need to read into things and not take them at face value.
ToonDarnSarf
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Comment #14Correcting decisions at half time would only work if the contentious decision was in the first half, so pointless really.
For extreme examples like the Haidara tackly, I don’t know why another referee who is watching the game can’t alert the referee to the offence within a few seconds. It was obviously a foul so tell the ref to stop play, the video ref can then watch a few replays, and after max 30 seconds, McManaman would have been sent off and Newcastle get the free kick.
We talk about delays to the game, yet there were several minutes due to the injury, and players/refs regularly mess about with set pieces.
chris_g
Mar 19, 2013 at 10:56 AM
Comment #15Joe Blog // Mar 19, 2013 at 10:32 AM
Re: Mark Halsey
Why wasn’t he in a position to see it? Incompetence – that’s the long and short of it.
———————————————
He WAS in a position to see it. Unfortunately one of our players ran across his line of sight at the exact moment that McManaman made the tackle. There’s a photo on here that shows it quite clearly, if you could be bothered to check it:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2294944/Callum-McManaman-horror-tackle-Massadio-Haidara-Linesman-Matthew-Wilkes-view-incident.html
ToonDarnSarf
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:01 AM
Comment #16Rainrix – you know what the mob are like…
It’s why I gave up reading The Sun a hell of a long time ago, The Daily Mail and others are awful too so I don’t ready those either. Even the BBC has been at fault recently.
Joe Blog
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:03 AM
Comment #17Hardly straining to see it is he? I’m sure a few seconds before, he’d have seen McNugget building up a head of steam and the proximity of our player to him, a little duck to the right and he’d see it, but I guess it’s too much to ask of the old plodder.
Rainrix
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Comment #18Sarf… Although to be fair the gutter press have done a decent job at whipping up a storm over haidara so theres one thing. Still i’d rather they didn’t exist. Hopefully these new laws will reign them in a bit 🙂
Joe Blog
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:07 AM
Comment #19ToonDarnSarf
Tell me exactly why it would be pointless? Because all I see in place of your reasoning is blank space. As I said, would go some way to correcting.
I think what you’re asking for has been rehashed over and over. For some reason the FA are averse, so a minor proposal in the right direction would at least be progress.
ToonDarnSarf
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:08 AM
Comment #20Joe Blog – I can only assume that you’re a troll and you’re a little bored today so trying to get a reaction…yawn…
Rainrix – well occasionally their sensationalist headlines have to get lucky and be accurate! With opinions ranging from “tackle was clean as a whistle” to banning the lad for life, there’s plenty of middle ground. You see these tackles quite often though, it’s just every so often they result in a serious injury too…
Joe Blog
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Comment #21Great response. Asking someone to qualify a statement is now trolling? Think you need to learn what the term means, and stop using it as a common term for someone that disagrees with you, like so many do.
barkintoonfan9
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:12 AM
Comment #22Well done lad.
Just dont get injured
ta
ToonDarnSarf
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:19 AM
Comment #23Joe Blog – trolling was referring to your previous ludicrous post referring to the ref as an “old plodder” and suggesting he base a red card decision on the fact McManaman was running first (to make a tackle) and he might have been able to look through the player’s body in the way. No. He couldn’t see enough to make a crucial decision like that, and when he can’t it’s the job of a linesman to help him out.
Your proposal is pointless because it’s unfair and will simply never ever happen. A tackle in the first half results in a red card at half time, but the same tackle in the second half does not? The only option that helps with the game in progress is live video monitoring with a direct link to the ref.
Joe Blog
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:29 AM
Comment #241. I was using McNuggets running speed and his proximity to our player, to suggest the ref should have assessed the scenario quicker, making sure he was alert enough to make a tiny adjustment in his stance, to see around the player, not through him as you ‘ludicrously’ state.
So please, spare me the trite troll line.
2.
So your argument is, 2 wrongs make a right? Until we can eradicate all wrongs instantly, it’s only fair to overlook all until after the event, even though there’s ample opportunity at half-time, to make these amendments? Warped, but fair enough.
Joe Blog
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:30 AM
Comment #25Before you can reply, I’m leaving, because I’ve seen what this has descended into and I haven’t got the time for it.
ToonDarnSarf
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:39 AM
Comment #261. I don’t care how old he is, no referee can 100% of the time keep awareness of his surroundings to the extent that he correctly anticipates the correct collision point of an speeding player and another moving player with the ball, while judging the trajectory of another moving player in order to avoid him. The statement of being able to look around a moving player to accurately see a tackle like that enough to make a decision on a red card is simply ludicrous. These things happen so fast, and how would you react if a Newcastle player got incorrectly sent off because the ref looked around the player? You’d be angry and stating that there’s no way he could correctly see through moving bodies by ducking around one player to see the exact moment the tackle was made.
2. Not warped at all. By your own admission the FA seem reluctant to make a change to what most of us would like to see happen. Something similar to other sports like rugby, cricket and tennis. So a half measure that would create a different sort of injustice is just a pointless change. I’d rather keep the current situation than implement that.
obatoyou
Mar 19, 2013 at 11:43 AM
Comment #27Well done Steven, deserves it entirely, England finally in good hands~
davis_toons
Mar 19, 2013 at 2:06 PM
Comment #28Playing with BETTER English player will only help Taylor to Improve further. Glad that he had the chance now.
thepict
Mar 19, 2013 at 2:23 PM
Comment #29Many congratulations to Stephen Taylor on his call up. Well deserved.
NobbyNolano
Mar 19, 2013 at 2:26 PM
Comment #30No player is more deserving! Hope he gets a run out but praying he comes home in one piece.
http://www.theyoungernolan.blogspot.com
Mark the Mag
Mar 19, 2013 at 2:52 PM
Comment #31‘the greatest honor in professional football ‘ thought that would have been playing Newcastle Steve. Anyway he is finally turning into the outstanding defender everyone hoped he would. Would like to see him captain, it would be great