Just when Newcastle look to be sorting themselves out.......
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Newcastle silent as Steven Taylor suffers 'broken' jaw in Andy Carroll incident
Steven Taylor, the former England Under-21 captain, has suffered a suspected broken jaw in a training-ground incident involving Andy Carroll, his Newcastle United team-mate, presenting the club with an unwanted distraction as their promotion campaign enters its final, pivotal stages.
Given that Taylor only recently had a brace removed from a knee after suffering a long-term injury in January and is not yet participating in competitive physical activity, a facial fracture can be regarded as an unusual development.
Newcastle refused last night to confirm or deny the centre half’s latest setback, let alone the cause of it.
However rumours swept around Tyneside that the pair, both of whom were boyhood Newcastle supporters, had been involved in an altercation initiated by an exchange of text messages. It has also been suggested that Carroll has damaged a hand and will not play in tonight’s league match away to Doncaster Rovers.
Taylor hurt his knee during Newcastle’s 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion in January and Chris Hughton, the manager, stated yesterday that “it will probably be another two weeks” before the defender can resume full training.
It is understood that a meeting, called by the club’s hierarchy, has been held at Newcastle’s training facility at Little Benton, in which players and staff were warned not to discuss the episode publicly while an internal investigation was conducted.
Hughton and his first-team squad were in a Yorkshire hotel last night before the match with Doncaster.
In a marked contrast to preceding seasons, Newcastle have largely avoided controversy since their relegation from the Barclays Premier League, with Carroll’s scheduled Crown Court appearance next month a rare exception. The 21-year-old is accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over an incident in the Blu Bambu nightclub, in Newcastle, in December.
Any return of the negativity that became a regular feature of their spell in the Premier League would be regarded with dismay by fans, who have watched their team perform admirably on the pitch.
They are two points clear of West Brom at the top of the division and ten ahead of third-placed Nottingham Forest. They have a match in hand over both.
At his regular pre-match press briefing yesterday, Hughton was asked about the club’s success in avoiding damaging headlines.
“The fact we’ve been top for most of the season and the fact we’ve shown enough good things on the pitch has allowed the fans to have more good weeks than bad weeks,” he said. “It gives them optimism about next season that we’re going in the right direction.”
Coincidentally Joey Barton, arguably the most contentious player of recent vintage, has returned to the Newcastle squad for their fixture at the Keepmoat Stadium.
The 27-year-old midfield player, who has a chequered disciplinary record and has spent time in prison for assault, has not played since September, when he broke a bone in a foot.
“What we have always said with Joey is that, when he was fit and available, then we would like him involved,” Hughton said. “Now, whether that sees him get parts of games or games from now until the end of the season, we don’t know. But certainly we would rather have him available than not available.”
Steven Taylor, the former England Under-21 captain, has suffered a suspected broken jaw in a training-ground incident involving Andy Carroll, his Newcastle United team-mate, presenting the club with an unwanted distraction as their promotion campaign enters its final, pivotal stages.
Given that Taylor only recently had a brace removed from a knee after suffering a long-term injury in January and is not yet participating in competitive physical activity, a facial fracture can be regarded as an unusual development.
Newcastle refused last night to confirm or deny the centre half’s latest setback, let alone the cause of it.
However rumours swept around Tyneside that the pair, both of whom were boyhood Newcastle supporters, had been involved in an altercation initiated by an exchange of text messages. It has also been suggested that Carroll has damaged a hand and will not play in tonight’s league match away to Doncaster Rovers.
Taylor hurt his knee during Newcastle’s 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion in January and Chris Hughton, the manager, stated yesterday that “it will probably be another two weeks” before the defender can resume full training.
It is understood that a meeting, called by the club’s hierarchy, has been held at Newcastle’s training facility at Little Benton, in which players and staff were warned not to discuss the episode publicly while an internal investigation was conducted.
Hughton and his first-team squad were in a Yorkshire hotel last night before the match with Doncaster.
In a marked contrast to preceding seasons, Newcastle have largely avoided controversy since their relegation from the Barclays Premier League, with Carroll’s scheduled Crown Court appearance next month a rare exception. The 21-year-old is accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over an incident in the Blu Bambu nightclub, in Newcastle, in December.
Any return of the negativity that became a regular feature of their spell in the Premier League would be regarded with dismay by fans, who have watched their team perform admirably on the pitch.
They are two points clear of West Brom at the top of the division and ten ahead of third-placed Nottingham Forest. They have a match in hand over both.
At his regular pre-match press briefing yesterday, Hughton was asked about the club’s success in avoiding damaging headlines.
“The fact we’ve been top for most of the season and the fact we’ve shown enough good things on the pitch has allowed the fans to have more good weeks than bad weeks,” he said. “It gives them optimism about next season that we’re going in the right direction.”
Coincidentally Joey Barton, arguably the most contentious player of recent vintage, has returned to the Newcastle squad for their fixture at the Keepmoat Stadium.
The 27-year-old midfield player, who has a chequered disciplinary record and has spent time in prison for assault, has not played since September, when he broke a bone in a foot.
“What we have always said with Joey is that, when he was fit and available, then we would like him involved,” Hughton said. “Now, whether that sees him get parts of games or games from now until the end of the season, we don’t know. But certainly we would rather have him available than not available.”
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