Taylor tied down

Good news of a rather more concrete kind regarding Steven Taylor, who has signed a new four year deal with the club.

Taylor is one of only two players to have come through the Academy and youth team set-up who could currently be considered as a first team regular (the other being Ameobi). The England U21 defender has long been a talked-about prospect, but at the age of 19 he's already beginning to realise his potential.

Tall and strong, he's an excellent reader of the game and incredibly eager and committed in the tackle. On occasions that commitment spills over into recklessness, and he does pick up too many yellow cards for my liking, but with experience he can only improve. I for one am glad to see he's put pen to paper.