Taylor targets quick Magpie comeback
Newcastle defender Steven Taylor has vowed to defy the experts and return from his shoulder injury by Christmas.
The 19-year-old has been told the dislocation he sustained on England Under-21 duty last week could sideline him until the middle of January.
However, Taylor – who has become increasingly important to manager Graeme Souness – is determined to be back much sooner to contest a place in central defence with £8m (€11.8m) signing Jean-Alain Boumsong and Titus Bramble.
“I’m gutted. It was bad enough that I was going to be out two or three weeks but to be told it’ll be 10 weeks is very, very hard to take,” he said.
“It was a bit of a surprise. I didn’t think it would be that long and I was very disappointed.
“Now I’ve just got to listen to what the specialist and the physios say and keep working hard to build up my strength.
“Hopefully I can be back quicker, maybe by Christmas. If I do what I’m told I believe I can be back sooner rather than later. I don’t want to miss any more games than I have to.”
It was a collision with Chelsea defender Carlton Cole, whose side host Newcastle in the Barclays Premiership on Saturday, which put Taylor on the casualty list.
“I am going to miss some massive games,” the teenager said. “There’s Chelsea this Saturday and the Carling Cup tie against Wigan. That’s a competition we want to do well in this year, and it’s frustrating to miss out.
“But the most important thing is that the team continues to win games and we climb the table – I’ll be kicking every ball from the stands.
“Craig Moore’s now fit, so I know when I come back there’ll be more competition for me. But I love a challenge and I know I’ll be a stronger player for this.
“The manager has told me to go away and get myself right and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to let my head drop. I’ve been lucky so far with other players getting injuries, and now it’s my turn.”
Taylor will be joined on the sidelines by Spanish winger Albert Luque, whose return from a torn hamstring has been put back by a week.
Goalkeeper Shay Given is determined not to suffer the same fate as he has on his last two visits to Stamford Bridge, conceding nine goals.
“I’m not going to say I’d settle for only conceding three this year,” he told the club’s website, www.nufc.co.uk.
“Chelsea is always a tough place to go and I think we have given too many silly goals away in our last couple of visits to Stamford Bridge.
“But we are going there full of confidence. We have lost just one of our last nine so we are looking forward to the game.
“Chelsea are a fantastic team with some fantastic players, but as a player, you want to test yourself against the best and that’s what they are at the moment.”
