Relegation still a bitter pill to swallow for Taylor

Newcastle begin life in the Championship this evening when they travel to West Bromwich Albion. Steven Taylor told Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson that he is still haunted by his clubs relegation from the Premier League. WHEN Steven Taylor runs out at West Bromwich Albion this evening, he will be thinking of six Newcastle United supporters. He will see their twisted faces and hear their anguished cries, yet for all he knows, they might not even be in attendance at the Hawthorns. They were there at Aston Villa on the final day of last season though, witnessing an occasion that brought a onceproud club to its knees. And amid all the off-field debate that has dominated Tynesides footballing landscape this summer, Taylor, one of the few Newcastle-raised players in Chris Hughtons team, has been unable to erase their image from his mind. I was the last player to kick a ball for Newcastle in the Premier League and there was just a feeling of anger, said the defender, whose wholehearted displays last season ensured he avoided much of the criticism that was hurled in his team-mates direction. I crouched down and put my head in my hands because I just could not believe it. We were in the Premier League and we are a Championship team now. It just sank in. I looked across to the fans and I saw six hard nuts, skinheads and they were crying their eyes out. It just shows you what it meant. They clapped the lads off, but I wouldnt have been surprised if they had booed. I was, and am still, devastated. The worst thing a professional footballer can have on his CV is the word relegation. It is a horrible thing to be part of a team that went down. It is worse than being kicked in the crown jewels. Incredibly, though, the worst was still to come. Relegation was a hammer blow to a club that had been playing European football as recently as two years earlier, but other clubs have dropped down a division and come back stronger as a consequence. In the immediate aftermath of Mays 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa, it looked as though the same might apply to the Magpies. Mike Ashley was determined to find a millionaire investor who was capable of investing in the squad and repairing the fractured relationship between owner and supporters. Alan Shearer was willing to remain in the position of manager, and was talking about the changes that were necessary if Newcastle were to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. And while a number of high-profile players were ready to leave at the end of their contract, the vast majority were talking of returning at the end of the summer with a renewed commitment to the cause. Two-and-a-half months on, however, and all residual optimism has disappeared. Ashley has proved as immovable as ever. Shearer has returned to his former life as a summariser on the BBC. And the likes of Obafemi Martins, Sebastien Bassong and Habib Beye have given up the ghost to move to pastures new. The state of stasis has been incredible. If points were awarded for procrastination, Newcastle would be well on the way to a Premier League return already. It has been a very long summer, said Taylor. We keep hearing it is going to get better, its going to get better and the chairman is going to sell up. Last season, I just wanted all of it to be over as quickly as possible because it was a nightmare. Everyone thought Alan would be back in place at the start of the summer. It might take a couple of weeks, but Alan would be the manager. Thats why I missed the European Championships. I had a knock on my Achilles and I thought it needed rest so I would be right for the start of the season to play under Alan Shearer. When Alan came, he put a smile on our faces again and the lads were enjoying playing their football. When he first came in he told us in a meeting that he had watched some football games involving us, and noticed there werent any smiles on our faces. We didnt look to be enjoying it, but we enjoyed training when he was here, it was fun. Fun, now theres a word that has been in short supply at St James Park this summer. The last two-and-a-half months have felt like a slow, drawn-out death, but while the players are powerless to affect what is, or is not, happening off the field, they will kick off this evening knowing Newcastles on-field destiny is in their own hands. With a complete absence of summer signings, the players that will take the field at the Hawthorns tonight are the same players that failed to keep the Magpies in the Premier League last term. In the eyes of many, the next nine months will be payback time. At times (last season), the place felt dead, said Taylor. There was nothing in the players until we realised we could be going down. We cannot make that mistake again. As players, we have to make sure that if things arent right in training, we stay out there until they are put right. We didnt do that sometimes last season, and we made mistakes because of it. We always thought it would be all right on the day but it is never all right on the day. It needs to get sorted. The players have to do it themselves because nobody else is in the dressing room. All we can do now is get on with it and get this club back into the top-flight.

Source: Northern_Echo