Matthew Taylor is a player who has frustrated many in the stands of the Boleyn Ground, a squad player most would’ve liked to see leave the club in every transfer window since our return to the Premier League.
To use the old phrase, he “did a job†for West Ham in the Championship, often filling in at left back when injuries took their toll, and it seemed that he did not complain once, but questions were raised after the triumph of the Play Off Final, can he cut it at the top again?
After several years at Portsmouth and a three-year spell at Bolton, the midfielder arrived at the Upton Park gates with a tag of being able to work wonders with a deadball, something Hammers fans have not seen with Mark Noble continuing as our corner and free-kick taker.
As a winger Taylor proved nothing to West Ham fans, this may seem harsh but his performances on the left flank have never been Premier League standard since donning claret and blue, it is his recent move to one of the central midfield slots that has seen Matty Taylor truly excel. The tattooed arms of Taylor have been seen sliding around the ground in last-ditch tackles recently, highlighted in his performance at Stamford Bridge in what was some terrific 19th Century football from the Irons.
Largely a substitute and cup player for the early parts of the season, many Hammers fans would’ve been delighted to know his contract runs out at the end of the season, but now I’m not so sure. Many fans would flinch at seeing Taylor’s name i starting line up on match day, it reeked of negativity but Taylor has been influential recently and his professionalism is something that we could miss if he doesn’t sign an extension.
His recent performances have kept the likes of Mo Diame and new-boy Antonio Nocerino out of the team which is a shame for those two very talented players but surely no Hammers fan would drop Taylor on current form? The midfielder does the dirty work that often goes unappreciated, with Noble alongside him, the tenacious duo allow Nolan to go forward and support the striker.
His determination to prove himself worthy of the claret and blue has been so impressive that I would offer him a season or two extension to his contract. Perhaps this is what Matty is fighting for but that fight and spirit is something hard to replace in the modern game.
He is a truly old-fashioned midfield workhorse who has contributed to pulling the club away from the relegation zone and is deserving of a reward.
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