He's been in the Phoenix camp for more than a month and provided an almost immediate and crucial impact on the field, but former club captain Steve Taylor is currently being snubbed by the Wellington club off it.
Taylor, who left the club last September for football in India, might not be wearing the captain's armband this season but he’s still driving the Phoenix in their end of season push.
“We know what's ahead, game at a time, still doing that,” he said.
“We're full of confidence, the confidence is still there, always feel we're in the game.”
Taylor is back to full fitness and enjoying his football after what was a challenging and ultimately short-lived stint in the Indian Super League.
“It was a tough five and a half months,” he said.
”It tests your mindset, tests your character.”
Taylor has been impressed by the rise of the club's youngsters in his absence but says for every Ben Waine or Sam Sutton, you need someone like a Steve Taylor to win football titles.
“You need experienced players in the core of the team – that’s what all managers have said to me in England.
“Young players win games but experience wins championships.”
It would be naive to say Wellington's fortunes have swung solely because of Taylor but the stats do make a compelling case.
In the seven games where Taylor has been involved, the Phoenix have conceded almost half as many goals per game while more than doubling their win percentage.
However, it appears figures like that aren’t enough to sway the club's decision-makers when it comes to extending the former Premier League player’s contract beyond this year.
“I've mentioned I want to stay to numerous people here,” Taylor said.
“There's nothing on the table, no word from upstairs and no feedback.”.
In a statement, the club told 1 NEWS Taylor is one of a number of players in line for contract negotiations shortly.
A true veteran though, Taylor isn’t letting the situation distract him.
“Can't be worried about not getting a contract next year, disappointing yes, if it doesn't happen but for me we'll have to wait and see.”
The focus now is purely on propelling the Phoenix into the top six and whether or not he’ll still be around for future campaigns is firmly in the club's hands
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