Maik Taylor out to damage Birmingham team-mate Joe Hart's World Cup dreams
Published 21:40 31/10/09 By By Anthony Clavane
Maik Taylor has become good friends with Joe Hart – but today he’s out to shatter his mate’s World Cup dreams.
Taylor, frozen out by Birmingham manager Alex McLeish when Hart arrived on loan from Manchester City, gets a rare chance to prove his boss wrong at St Andrews.
Hart is ineligible to face his parent club - which means that last season’s No.1 will return between the posts.
Taylor said: “Joe is a smashing lad. We get on great. We work really well with each other because we are both desperate to be in the team.
“I wasn’t happy at the start of the season when the manager pulled me.
“But I’ve taken it on the chin. I’ve got my head down and waited for my opportunity. Now I’ve got one against City and I’m determined to make the most of it.”
The veteran 38-year-old keeper produced heroics last season to guide the Blues to promotion. But he was sidelined after Hart, 22, left Eastlands to chase first team football and a place in Fabio Capello’s England World Cup squad.
Hart has been prone to the occasional error, with the latest gifting Sunderland a goal at St Andrews last week.
“If I’ve got a gripe it’s with the manager not with Joe,” said Taylor. “I want to win my place back. I’ve never shirked a challenge and I’m not about to start.
“When someone of Joe’s calibre comes in, someone who has been sitting on the bench at Manchester City, hope is taken away from you.
“But I’ve trained as hard as ever and we’ll see where that takes me. This is nothing new to me, I’ve been in similar situations before.
“Playing against City is a great opportunity for me because they are an attack-minded team who create lots of chances.
“Mark Hughes has done a great job bringing in players who fight hard. I think they have every chance of being in the top four this season.
“I think the title is possibly a season too early. I think Chelsea will be too strong.
“But who knows? The top four are dropping points, so anything could happen.”
Maik Taylor is an ambassador for Kick It Out’s One Game, One Community’s weeks of action, which concludes this week.
