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United's Show Of Support
Written by Newcastle Utd
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew explains why his players had a message for Ryan Taylor on their tracksuits on Sunday
By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Club Reporter
If ever the togetherness of Newcastle United's camp needed highlighting, it was done in one simple gesture on Sunday afternoon.
As the Magpies team walked out of the tunnel prior to kick-off against Aston Villa, each player wore a tracksuit top emblazoned with the message 'Ryan Taylor Over The Wall'.
It was a show of support to their teammate, their friend, who has been ruled out for a number of months with an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered against Atromitos last week.
And according to United boss Alan Pardew, it was put forward by those inside the dressing room, led by captain Fabricio Coloccini.
"It was nice - Colo's idea. He called me (on Saturday)," explained Pardew.
"We know there's some really sick people around, and there are people in a lot worse positions than Ryan as a professional footballer, so we didn't want to say 'get well soon'.
"It's just nice to have that sort of spirit within the group, and it was just a little message on the back to let him know we are thinking of him, supporting him and hope he comes back quickly."
Taylor, who is currently on crutches and with his knee in a brace, watched on from the stands as his teammates played out a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday.
And Pardew is hopeful that the utility man could be back sooner than some who have suffered similar injuries.
"He has done a cruciate, but the good news of that particular injury is that usually when you do it, you do some ligaments or you do a cartilage and it really is problematic," said the manager.
"But Ryan looks quite straightforward. There's not a lot of swelling, the cruciate has detached, so it's purely a case of putting it back and I think he will come back a little bit quicker than most cruciate injuries."