Newcastle finished 18th in the Premier League last season and currently sit second in the Championship table.
Newcastle United’s Steven Taylor applauds fans after the game
Last season Steven Taylor suffered his second Premier League relegation with Newcastle United before his release during the summer.
Now at MLS side Portland Timbers, the former Magpie believes United deserved their relegation as they failed to deal with the ‘warning signs’ quickly enough.
Newcastle’s Steven Taylor
“The warning signs were there for four or five months,” Taylor told the Shields Gazette.
“We were a 45-minute side. We played well first half or second half. We weren’t a 90-minute side. We had some tremendous players, but we couldn’t get any rhythm. We didn’t play as a team.”
The appointment of Rafa Benitez for the final 10 games of the season did turn Newcastle’s fortunes around slightly as they ended the season six games unbeaten but it ultimately wasn’t enough for them to keep their Premier League status.
Fortunately the Spanish manager chose to carry on in the Championship and despite losing their opening two matches, Newcastle have now won five-in-a-row as they look to make a quick return to the Premier League.
And Taylor believes Benitez has managed to turn things around for his former club.
Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey, Steven Taylor and Karl Darlow are dejected after the match
“One of the biggest things when you’re down in the Championship is building a team spirit,” he added.
“If Newcastle are to get back up they’re going to need team spirit, and I think the last few results and performances show you that they’ve got that.
“One of the big things is set-plays, and you can see Rafa Benitez is working on them. We conceded quite a few in the Premier League.”
Two of the four goals Newcastle have conceded this season have came from set-pieces but an impressive eight of their 10 league goals have come following dead-ball situations.
And Benitez will be hoping to manage the Magpies to a sixth straight victory tomorrow evening as they visit QPR (7.45pm kick-off).
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez
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