Hughton keeping his fingers crossed for Stoke match

Mar 26 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

For once, though, somebody has it worse. The abundance of quality in Chelsea’s squad means they will have far more players travelling the globe this week, and the Magpies will hope the Blues are distracted by a Champions League quarter-final in Liverpool the following Wednesday.

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed we get

all of our lads back safe and sound from international duty,” added Hughton. “But the quality of the Chelsea squad means they have more players away than ourselves so they are at risk of picking up injuries too.”

Although no update was forthcoming from St James’s last night, the indications are that the ankle injury Steven Taylor picked up in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal is not as bad as was first feared. Taylor left on crutches that night, and was forced to pull out of England’s Under-21 squad for Friday’s game against Norway, and Tuesday’s visit of France.

But it now seems the injury may be bad bruising, rather than ligament damage.

Of those fit to train at the moment, Hughton has been pleased with their condition, in body and mind. Beye and Owen have only just returned from injury and Guthrie hopes to make his comeback against Chelsea, so the lack of football will certainly work to their advantage.

Nolan’s appearance against Arsenal, meanwhile, was his first since a three-match ban.

“The tempo of training has been very good and if anything the quality has been getting better in the last couple of weeks, which I put down to the reintroduction of players like Danny Guthrie, Habib Beye and Kevin Nolan, who’ve improved the squad,” Hughton said. “And I am comfortable with the mood in the camp.”

Arsenal’s Andrey Arshavin has absolved Taylor of blame after being caught in the face by the defender’s elbow last week – but only after being persuaded of the Newcastle player’s honesty.

“I thought it was intentional and said so to the referee,” said the 27-year-old “However, others do not believe it was.

“In any case, I want to stress that I have not seen anyone deliberately cause injury in the English league. The style of play is hard but not vicious.”

Meanwhile, Slovakian club MFK Kosice have confirmed 16-year-old central defender Lubomir Korijkov is currently on a week’s trial on Tyneside.