Steven Taylor’s In Town and the Welly Nix Are Making Moves
It all started with a like on Instagram. Not really, because by that time all the behind the scenes stuff had already been taken care of, but that was the first clue for the waiting public. A cheeky click on the heart button of a series of preseason training pics. Next thing the former Newcastle United defender’s being unveiled in Wellington, waving a scarf and sporting a club jacket.
This is certainly a brow-raiser. One to get the attention. Mark Rudan has finally managed his first incoming transfer and it’s a bloke with 194 games of Premier League football for Newcastle United. Not only that but he’s also a player who has prior experience with the club having played for the Toon in Aotearoa a few years ago on that Football United Tour thing, where West Ham also dropped by the country.
Steven Taylor: “As soon as I was aware of the interest, I knew it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. I was here in 2014 as part of the Football United Tour when we played in Dunedin and Wellington and loved the country then. I know that I am joining an exciting project under Mark as well as playing in one of the best leagues in the world in the A-League.”
Taylor fits a massive hole for the Nix, coming in as a centre-back and squad leader. As Andy Durante enters what’s likely to be his final year as a pro, now there’s another veteran bloke at the back who can carry some of that burden alongside young blokes like Dylan Fox. Plus, unlike Marco Rossi who was an excellent player but struggled to adapt to the culture, Taylor’s going to slide in much easier with the proverbial lads.
That’s all sweet and this transfer’s been met with some pretty positive responses…
However, to keep it real for a second, this is still far from a sitter of a deal. Steven Taylor is only 32 but he faded down the stretch of his Newcastle stint, only playing ten league games in each of his last three seasons there. After he was released by his boyhood club he had a spell in America with the Portland Timbers, playing alongside Jake Gleeson, before joining Tommy Smith at Ipswich Town for a few games. Neither of those gigs lasted very long.
Taylor had more success with Peterborough United last season though. He played as a first XI fella from start to finish, keeping fit and shrugging off the injury dramas that had probably roughed up his chances of lasting with Newcastle and of potentially even turning his England youth internationals into a senior cap. Two Achilles tears and a few hamstring tweaks. He’s not the quickest after those.
But he lasted the entire season with Peterborough and reckons he’s in much better shape now than when he left Newcastle. Peterborough are in that League One stuff so likely a similar standard to the A-League (one of the best leagues in the world according to Stevie’s statement!). Definitely seems like a fair few Posh fans are sad to see him go, which is always a positive sign.
So which Steven Taylor are the Nix getting? Hard to say. But one thing that’s never been said about this chap is that he’s got a bad attitude. Taylor may have failed at a couple clubs but he’s left with goodwill. Sounds like a genuine professional, a nice bloke and a great leader. You can say that’s exactly what the Nix want from an import player but, to be honest, every club in the world needs that kinda thing. Whether or not he can make a Paul Ifill-esque impression on the park is another thing but in the very least he should be a positive influence at the club. And he seems properly enthused about this journey too. Dude loves a big smile.
Bloody good then. It’s a gamble of a signing, import guys often are, but it’s one that a club desperate for stability is probably justified in making. He’s not going to fix everything but it’s a start. Now to sign some more jokers.
Which leads to this nugget from Piney…
See, this is where the reality check comes into play. Mark Rudan has been an endearing appointment so far. Steven Taylor’s signing was a bit of a power play. But you still have to wonder where the Nix stand in the eyes of a lot of kiwi players. Nobody’s wishing them any ill will but when the dream is to make it overseas, making it at home in Wellington isn’t quite the advertised product.
Signing with the Nix can still be a stepping stone and guys like Michael Boxall and Jeremy Brockie have proved that except there are plenty more cases of folks that never got the games they’d hoped for and had to leave to start again. Tyler Boyd’s spent three years in Portugal building up to where he is now. Marco Rojas swiftly left for Melbourne to ramp his career up a notch. James McGarry, Logan Rogerson and Matt Ridenton have all chosen to look elsewhere in recent months.
So if you’re a well-known local player and one of the standouts in the NZ Premiership, a recent All White no less (albeit with a weakened squad), and you’re offered a trial while you’re already earning four figures a week playing for your amateur club up in Auckland (hypothetically, of course…) then is it surprising that it isn’t an automatic thumbs up? Especially when you’re a player who has already tasted the world of professional footy in Britain before. (Again, hypothetically…).
It’s a shame that a player who could clearly offer a lot to the team would want to play the bartering card like that. Piney’s already suggested that Rudan didn’t take too kindly to that demand and the attitude is a little sad… but this isn’t all on the player. The player is also benefitting from some rather slimy and widespread bending of the amateur rules which allow people to be paid as coaches and then play as players. And the Wellington Phoenix themselves need to accept that they haven’t done much in the past few years to make themselves the most desirable location for kiwis with professional ambitions. That’s just the truth of the matter.
But oh well, plenty more fish in the sea.
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