talkSPORT host Ally McCoist criticised the stance of Charlton’s Lyle Taylor as the striker has made clear his refusal to play when football returns later this month.
Taylor, who has scored 11 goals in 22 games this season, is out of contract at the end of June and – with the Championship resuming on the 20th of this month – is not willing to play again for the club.
Lee Bowyer revealed on talkSPORT on Monday that Taylor did not want to play as he fears suffering an injury, while two other players, Chris Solly and David Davies, are also refusing to take part in matches.
The news is a big blow for relegation threatened Charlton, who will be fighting for survival when the Championship returns.
McCoist, the former Rangers striker and talkSPORT Breakfast co-host, cannot accept a player refusing to honour his contract – saying he would be ‘livid’ if he was Taylor’s manager.
Speaking on Tuesday, McCoist said: “I’ve got a problem with any player whose contract has not expired and is not playing. I’ve got a problem with that because when you sign a contract, no matter what it is, for any length of time or period, the first thing that any footballer should do when signing a contract is agree to honour that contract for that period of time.
“I don’t care if it’s one year, 12 months, 14 months or five years. If you are happy enough to sign that contract you have to honour that contract!”
“It works both ways,” he continued. “If you want the club to look after you for five years or two years, whatever it is, you have to make yourself available for club duties – and clearly playing for your club is a club duty.
“If your club contract is not up or expired – I would be absolutely livid if I was Lee Bowyer or any football manager or a fan if a player doesn’t want to play.”
Not all the talkSPORT presenters were in agreement with McCoist, however, as some understand Taylor’s decision during an unprecedented time in the history of football.
Darren Gough understands why Lyle Taylor doesn’t want to play
“I think if I was in Lyle Taylor’s situation I wouldn’t play,” said Darren Gough on Drive. “Look at his career; he’s had non-league football, he’s been on loan twice to Partick Thistle, he’s been at AFC Wimbledon and Scunthorpe. Charlton is where he’s really excelled.
“Now this could possibly be his dream move to a proper team who could be competing for trophies. If he played, it’s his frame of mind and he’s more likely to get injured if he’s not going into challenges 100 per cent.”
Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy also spoke out on the issue, saying on Tuesday’s Sports Bar: “If, heaven forbid, he was to pick up an injury that was going to leave him out for six to eight months, broke his leg or something, his career pretty much grinds to a halt.
“I can understand why players would refuse to play because they have to protect themselves.”
Taylor’s injury fears come amid shock reports from the Bundesliga, with a stunning 250 per cent increase in health problems since Germany’s top-flight returned from its coronavirus suspension.
Muscle injuries appear increasingly prevalent, while the general injury rate of 0.27 per game before COVID-19 has more than tripled to 0.88 per game since the resumption of football.
Listen to a clip of Ally McCoist on talkSPORT, above…
