5. Ryan Taylor Is Invaluable
As a squad player, the former Wigan man is worth his weight in gold. Last night he was instrumental in almost every attacking opportunity the team produced, whether thanks to his long throws or his consistently dangerous set-piece delivery, and his particular skills can not be underestimated. That works doubly so in a second string squad as we saw last night, and may well see in any future European and league Cup games - to have someone capable of unlocking attacks is a key link in the Newcastle chain. Taylor also took his goal very well last night, and his impressive free-kick rate is nothing to be sniffed at, and could well offer some opportunity to score more goals when more fickle European referees award free-kicks around the box, even in improbable distant positions. He is rather unlucky not to get into the first-team, but I personally wouldn't trade Taylor in for many other squad players in the Premier League.