By James Dall Last updated: 25th June 2008
Taylor: Loves club
Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor has revealed he is encouraged by the recent progress made over his contract talks.
The England Under 21 international's current deal is set to expire at the end of next season.
Discussions over an extension have been under way for some time but, as yet, no agreement has been reached.
However, Taylor has revealed that owner Mike Ashley's keenness for him to put pen-to-paper combined with recent advances in talks have left him feeling upbeat about the situation.
"Knowing the owner wants me to stay means a lot," Taylor told the Sunderland Echo.
"Everyone knows I love this club and want to commit my future here, but the deal has to be right for me, and the club.
"I'm happy there's been some progress, and I hope everything's sorted out soon. It's all in the hands of my agent, and I can't really say any more."

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 15th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Aston Villa vs Wigan |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Man City |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Chelsea vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Arsenal |
| 15:00 | Man Utd vs Birmingham |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Fulham |
| 15:00 | Stoke vs Burnley |
| 15:00 | Tottenham vs Liverpool |
| 15:00 | Wolverhampton vs West Ham |
| Tuesday 18th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Birmingham vs Portsmouth |
| 19:45 | Burnley vs Man Utd |
| 19:45 | Fulham vs Blackburn |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Tottenham |
| 19:45 | Sunderland vs Chelsea |
| 19:45 | Wigan vs Wolverhampton |
| Wednesday 19th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Liverpool vs Stoke |
| Saturday 22nd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Portsmouth |
| 15:00 | Birmingham vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | Burnley vs Everton |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 24th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Aston Villa 1 - 0 Newcastle | |
| Blackburn 0 - 0 West Brom | |
| Hull 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Man City 1 - 0 Bolton | |
| Sunderland 2 - 3 Chelsea | |
| Fulham 0 - 2 Everton | |
| Arsenal 4 - 1 Stoke | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Wigan 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Liverpool 3 - 1 Tottenham | |
| Monday 18th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 3 - 1 Sunderland | |
| Sunday 17th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Blackburn | |
| West Brom 0 - 2 Liverpool | |
| Saturday 16th May | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Newcastle 0 - 1 Fulham | |
| Bolton 1 - 1 Hull | |
| Stoke 2 - 0 Wigan | |
| Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Aston Villa | |
| Tottenham 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Everton 3 - 1 West Ham | |
| Man Utd 0 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Birmingham City | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Blackburn Rovers | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Bolton Wanderers | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Burnley | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Chelsea | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Everton | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Fulham | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Hull City | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Manchester United | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Portsmouth | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Stoke City | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Wigan Athletic | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 0 |
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