Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez shocked Scouse fans when he replaced Steven Gerrard in the Merseyside derby saying he was playing with "too much passion and not enough brain".
It worked out in the end as Liverpool won 2-1 with a late winner, but he was lined up for a strong reaction from the Reds' supporters had it backfired.
But Sam Allardyce could well throw Taylor into the melting pot when we travel eight miles down the road next week.
Taylor's birth certificate says he was born in Greenwich, but he is a Geordie boy without doubt, and Sam knows how much it means to the lad to play in the "big one".
In the last three games he has fielded a back four comprised entirely of new arrivals - Habib Beye, Claudio Cacapa, Abdoulaye Faye and Jose Enrique.
Biggest Hint Yet - Taylor Back For Mackem Game!
"I have had a chat with him and he has taken it very well.
"I know he is very disappointed at not being involved at the moment, but he is a young player for the future for us and I think he will get back in.
"When he does get back in, I hope he keeps the shirt."