Tayl of woe

According to reports, Steven Taylor's non-appearance on Saturday wasn't simply a case of Chris Hughton rotating his squad, but instead was the result of a fairly serious knee injury sustained against the Baggies last Monday night.

With Danny Simpson carrying a knock picked up in the same match, and Ryan Taylor suspended, it gives Hughton a big selection headache to solve for Wednesday's match against Crystal Palace. With Tamas Kadar likely to continue alongside Coloccini our lack of experienced defensive cover once again highlights the importance of strengthening the squad (and the defence in particular) in the handful of days left before the transfer window closes.

In other news, another player to have suffered an injury is Homer, now back at Villa and training with the reserves. Our former loanee is reported to have broken a bone in his foot - presumably wrecking any prospect of him returning here (or going anywhere else for that matter) before his contract expires in the summer.

With the transfer window having only seven days left to go, it is to be hoped that Hughton can get some more players into the club before it is too late.