Pardew urges Hodgson to pick Taylor
Alan Pardew has once again urged England manager Roy Hodgson to take a look at Newcastle defender Steven Taylor after watching him withstand a battering from Stoke.
The 27-year-old, a former captain of his country at under-21 level, was one of the stand-out performers as the Magpies fought back from a goal down to defeat the Potters 2-1 in the Barclays Premier League at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon.
Magpies boss Pardew said: "He was immense today [Sunday]. Steven Taylor gave a performance of England standard today [Sunday].
"They really do need to have a look at him at centre-half because I think it's a problem position for England and his performance against [Peter] Crouch and everything else that they threw at us today [Sunday] - because we had no height in the team.
"Steven Taylor had to do everything today [Sunday] on that side of it and he was brilliant."
Taylor's hopes of winning recognition at senior international level have not been helped by a succession of injuries over the years, although he has been on the fringes of the squad in the past.
Pardew admitted earlier this season that keeping the Greenwich-born, Tyneside-raised defender fit is something which may require a tailored approach.
However, he has few doubts about his ability and firmly believes he has what it takes to warrant serious consideration.