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Steven Taylor loving it at Ipswich after somebody offered to clean his boots

7 years ago
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Steven Taylor has been impressed with life already at Ipswich Town.

The former Newcastle defender loving it when somebody came u and offered to clean his football boots.

Taylor says he has been ‘craving that sort of environment for years’ saying that this was the case at Newcastle when he was a 16 year old and that things changed when the ‘old heads left’ St James Park – presumably referring to the likes of Alan Shearer, Gary Speed and Shay Given.

Steven Taylor compares Mick McCarthy to Sir Bobby Robson, in terms of them being ‘old school’.

Steven Taylor speaking to the Green Un:

“What happens here has brought back some memories for me.

“At Newcastle, as a 16 year old coming through under Bobby Robson, you had to do certain chores around the place – like cleaning the boots, getting shampoo for the first team, not eating until the first team had eaten.

“When the old heads left it didn’t happen anymore and I’ve been craving that sort of environment for years. I think the game misses that. I think young kids should earn the respect of the first-teamers.

“I came here and a young lad came straight up to me and said ‘do you want me to clean your boots?’ I wasn’t used to that!

“Mick McCarthy is very old school and that was how it was with Bobby Robson too.

“There was a move to a club in Europe that was quite close to happening and a few clubs in the Championship interested.

“I don’t have an agent because I believe in speaking to a manager man to man and cutting out the middle men. There aren’t many managers who ring you up direct, so when Mick McCarthy did that it was a big thing for me.

“For me there is nothing better than the English game. I love testing myself on cold nights in horrible stadiums. Are you man enough to accept that? I relish those sort of challenges, I always have.”

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