Forgotten Newcastle star Steven Taylor appointed as manager of new UAE team in bizarre announcement video
Newcastle cult hero Steven Taylor has landed the role as manager of new UAE club Al Qabila – and fans are loving his dramatic announcement.
The 38-year-old has impressed in the Middle East, where he has guided Gulf United to back-to-back promotions to the second tier of the UAE pyramid.
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He was thus recruited by Al Qabila, a team formed as a project to be built from A to Z in 365 days, which will play in the elite next season.
The club was established by Soheil Varahram, who played under Taylor’s tutelage at Gulf United, and will be a member of his team’s playing squad.
Announcing Taylor’s appointment, Varahram took to social media where he began teasing fans ahead of the former Magpies defender’s arrival.
Sitting inside a blacked-out Mercedes SUV, the 25-year-old spoke to the club’s creative director, Daniyal Sheikh, about Taylor.
Hailing the 2010 Championship winner, the pair described him as being “at the highest level of football”, with his “mentality on a different level”.
Another Mercedes then stops in the desert, with a montage and then a broadcast of Taylor’s celebrations during his stay at St James’ Park.
Wearing an all-black suit, Taylor then exits the vehicle, before shaking hands with Varahram, who reels off his impressive resume that includes over a decade playing with the Toon.
A proud Taylor then told the club’s new fans: “Guys, I’m excited to be part of the tribe, let’s take over.”
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Fans loved the drama of the announcement video, as one user said: “If other coaches aren’t announced this way, I have no interest.”
Another commented: “Steven Taylor with the most hyped head coach announcement video ever.”
A third added: “Steven Taylor with the most hyped head coach announcement video ever.”
This fan joked: “I thought it would be Pep.”
Another simply said: “I thought it was Zidane.”
Taylor spent the majority of his 18-year professional playing career with Newcastle United, having joined the club as a youth following his family’s return to Tyneside following his birth in London.
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He made over 250 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions, playing 12 seasons in the Premier League, before leaving his boyhood club to join Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers in the United States in 2016.
Taylor’s stint across the Atlantic was short-lived, however, as he agreed to terminate his contract after just five months, having made 12 appearances.
He returned to English football with Ipswich in the Championship for the second half of the 2016/17 season, before signing a two-year contract with Peterborough.
The latter years of his career saw him move again, this time to Australia after signing for Wellington Phoenix. He also enjoyed a brief spell in India with club Odisha FC before returning to Willington and retiring in September 2021.
He quickly rose to management taking the job at Gulf United in January 2022, where he won back-to-back promotions, and is now embarking on a new project in the UAE with new club Al Qabila.
Sports
