The Greenwich born defender insists that owner Mike Ashley and Chairman Derek Llambias deserve some of the credit for our superb start to the season – a start which has seen us progress to the last 16 of the Carling Cup and soar to the heady heights of 4th in the league table.
Steven Taylor has been in great form for us this season after almost a year of disruption through injury. He’s been an ever present in a what is the meanest defence in the league at the moment which has heralded calls for Taylor to be involved with England in recent weeks.
However Taylor remains focussed solely on Newcastle at the moment and he admits that the settling of a long running dispute over bonus payments to the players could be paying dividends. I wrote about the bonus issue here back on August 12th when Alan Pardew revealed that it had been sorted. It seems as though the players are happy with this development.
“We will definitely benefit from stability,” Taylor, now 25, told talkSPORT. “Last season the chairman and the players couldn’t come to an agreement about bonuses. We had a bit of a divide and that doesn’t help.”
He continued: “At the start of this season we sat down with the gaffer and I think it’s important that you have the chairman on your side. He’s been great with us. He sat us down and gave the lads their bonuses for this season straight away.”
“He has just kept himself to himself, hasn’t bothered the players — has let us concentrate on the pitch and let the gaffer do his job. That’s what you want and it’s been good for us this season.”
There does seem to be a certain level level of stability regarding Newcastle United at the moment. I’m always cautious when I use the words “stability” and “Newcastle” in the same sentence but I’ll enjoy it whilst it lasts. No doubt something will come along to ruin it all but that can be dealt with if or when it happens.
I’m unsure what the bonus payment is. On the surface of it I would tend to believe that money is involved but seeing how Knackas and Crackas work I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a bottle of Cherryade and a packet of Space Invaders on offer. Equally I wouldn’t be surprised if that is why Taylor is praising the Owner and Chairman. He loves a bit of Cherryade does Stevie.
I’ll not delve too deeply into it in all honesty. I don’t like being cynical but sometimes I just can’t help it. What really matters is what we are doing on the pitch right now, and at the moment there can be few complaints about that. Sure the squad is thin in some areas, but in other it is bristling with talent to the point where we can’t actually fit them all in! Competition for places is tough, says Taylor, and the players know that if they play well they will keep their place in the team.
“We will not get ahead of ourselves. Yes, we’ve had a great start but we’ve just got to go ahead and continue it now — the lads will look at the next game and that’s Wolves.”
“We’ve got players coming back from injuries — Hatem Ben Arfa and Davide Santon — which can only boost the squad and the competition the gaffer has. It means he can say, ‘‘Look, if you’re playing well you stay in the side’. That’s what the lads have done and the players have repaid him.”
So competition for places, players happy with bonus payments, determination, last 16 of the League Cup, stability, 4th in the league. Where will the decent feeling end?
On a serious note I’m happy that the players are happy. They may earn obscene amounts of money and they may have lost any touch with the real world, but that is the world they operate in so it’s important that they feel incentivised enough to do well. Personally speaking, tens of thousands of pounds a week would be enough to motivate me, but then again, like I said, different worlds.
It’s important to have the players feel rewarded for their efforts, and it’s important that they are happy with what they will get should they achieve their targets. From what Taylor says it seems as though that is the case.
Now they just have to go out and earn it!
Whey hey ya’ve used my knackas and crackas
I don’t care what they’re getting if they keep going the way they are 😀
I can’t believ only the top 4 have a + goal difference 😯
richietoon(Quote)
When you live on the poverty line like most modern footballers, bonus payments are vital. They would end up on the streets if they didn’t. Glad to hear they have topped up their bank accounts, they can now afford a new set of rims for their Ferrari’s.
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
maybe Saylor is just trying to get in Stardy’s good books by praising the two fukwits.
Very good read wor Toonsy
Big Dave(Quote)
maybe the two fukwits (as Dave calls them) were waiting until some of the big earners were gone before paying up bonuses? Nolan, Enrique and Barton; they would have know that they were going so they held off.
Just a thought….
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
I’d respond to porn bonuses. Love a bit of grot! 😀
nobby(Quote)
rich @ 1 villaaaaaaaa+2
batty(Quote)
Batty… doh! 😳
richietoon(Quote)
double oops….and the scum 👿
richietoon(Quote)
you been on the sauce rich lol
batty(Quote)
I’m still sceptical about the real reason ashley owns our club and wouldn’t trust llambias as far as I can spit. It good that everything on the pitch has gone so well, but wait until we get a bad run of results which is inevitable and we will see how it goes. example man utd away then man city away then Chelsea at home!
some fans will still be mildly disappointed about the transfer window and will be hoping the January transfer window passes with out us losing anyone key
toonAl(Quote)
Funny how the players who left complain about broken promises when really they were just pissed for not getting a good bonus after being promoted… Despite being one of the most expensive teams to ever be relegated.
Sad to see those guys leave and would rather the team built around them but they didn’t deserve a bonus for getting us back to where we should be. At least now they are earning it and the core group seems happy.
One Foot Wonder(Quote)
“The Greenwich born defender”
————————–
Nice one 🙂
MDS(Quote)
Taylor’s quotes are pretty much: “They gave us our money, then fukked off, so I’m happy with them”
MDS(Quote)
I don’t see where he gives Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias credit for our superb start to the season. Not directly anyway.
But obviously they needed to sort out the bonuses. You can’t have the poor footballers playing just for a mere 40K quid a week, that’s just not on. They need to be totally and filthily rich, not just well off. Whey, man, they just wouldn’t be able to concentrate on playing if they didn’t have bank balances in the tens of millions of quid.
Brisvegas(Quote)
Afternoon all. Still tinkering with servers. Quite funny really as troy is on the old site rattling away to himself.
Normal service will be resumed asap 🙂
toonsy(Quote)
lol toonsy
batty(Quote)
Can we leave him there?
MDS(Quote)
MDS – Ufortunately its just a matter of time before everything clicks in. Its quite funny though as on my mobile I’m on one server and on the laptop I’m on the other so I can see all the names he is calling batty 😆
toonsy(Quote)
Gutierrez new contract. So it’s not bye-bye to all the high earners then. Just goodbye to player power and the committee? Well done with the contract, Ash and Dekka. Collo next please and let Lovenpants run his to the ground. Thank you vewy much.
hydeous(Quote)
jonas signes a new deal ,colo next i hope
batty(Quote)
Wow, that’s great!! 😀
Susan(Quote)
The bonus was a cash payment if we finished top half, players couldn’t agree so Ashley pulled the plug and only offered it to the staff. Font suppose ithe second half capitulation v WBA had anything to do with it??
Superal(Quote)
When is Jonas’ deal until?
JJ(Quote)
JJ – 2015
toonsy(Quote)
I saw the Saylor quotes and fully expected the blogs – even this one – to be full of bitching about the “Londoner” Taylor sucking up to the bosses. I was all ready to get annoyed and stuff.
But nope – balanced article, balanced responses. Blimey – are we getting a bit dull with all this success? When’s someone going to come on and have a rant??
To be honest, it’s good to see something suggesting that there is some kind of harmony right through the hierarchy for once – it’s been years since we’ve had any hint of that.
Whumpie(Quote)
It’s a performance business, so to encourage performance, you pay incentives. Not that difficult to comprehend is it?
Shearers Receeding Hairline(Quote)