Last updated at 12:36, Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Many teenagers would surely shrivel in the face of one of Ken Bates’ withering verbal blasts. It says plenty about Tom Taiwo that he does the precise opposite.

Tom Taiwo

Mention to Carlisle United’s young loan midfielder that Leeds United’s chairman has gone on record more than once to damn his decision to quit the Yorkshire club for Chelsea three years ago, and Taiwo rises in self-defence.

To be clear: Taiwo does not particularly wish to trade headlines with the abrasive ruler of Elland Road. What he is doing here is challenging Bates’ claim that the 19-year-old has slid into anonymity as a result of switching from Leeds to Chelsea, along with fellow youngster Michael Woods, in controversial circumstances in 2006.

The two teenagers’ move from Bates’ current club to his former manor triggered a “tapping-up” controversy eventually settled by an out-of-court settlement worth nearly £5 million. Bates has since argued that Taiwo would have been better served by staying put, rather than accepting the lure of Stamford Bridge.

Hours before the young man finally achieves his boyhood dream by running out at Elland Road in tonight’s League One duel, he issues his response.

“I don’t understand what the problem is,” Taiwo says. “He [Bates] never spoke to me, never came to me and discussed his feelings. I was always very open and explained the reasons why I was looking elsewhere. For some reason he has a problem with what myself and Michael have done. But would we have been any higher or have done any better with Leeds United? I don’t know.

“My decision to leave Leeds was difficult in the sense that it was my home-town club, where I grew up and enjoyed many years. I had been there from the age of 10, when I was picked up from playing Sunday league football with my friends. But from the times when I had been the happiest at the club, the people had since left. And for me, the chance to play for the best team in the country at the time [Chelsea] – to receive the best coaching, to use the best facilities – was a no-brainer.

“I followed what was the best path for myself in football terms, and hopefully it has been the right decision.”

It is put to Taiwo that a defining performance against Simon Grayson’s League One pacesetters tonight would be the best way of re-announcing himself to Leeds, and to Bates.

Again, the former England youth international replies politely but firmly. “My performances are nothing to do with Ken Bates. He’s not going to control my career. I’m in control of my own career and what I achieve. My performances are for me and for Carlisle.”

It is at times like this that it becomes necessary to remind yourself that you are in discussion with a 19-year-old greenhorn of just 16 first-team appearances, not a media-trained football veteran. A quiet confidence shines back from Taiwo’s 5ft 8in frame.

His aggressive midfield attributes we know about. Less widespread, but just as telling, is the tale of the day he arrived at Brunton Park in the summer after completing his six-month loan deal, and purposefully strode from office to office to shake hands with every member of staff at his new, temporary place of work.

Plainly, this is no shy teenager. Having announced himself on the pitch with equal poise, he is one of Greg Abbott’s more obvious picks tonight for a game when competitive snap needs to be right at the top of the visitors’ agenda.

“All my life I’ve wanted to play at Elland Road in front of a big crowd,” says Taiwo, glowing with anticipation. “It was always my dream to play for Leeds United, but playing against them is the next best thing. I’ve been watching Leeds since 1998, through their time in the Champions League beating big teams, and when they were in the Championship losing in the play-off final against Watford. Before I could even look on the fixture list, my mum, dad, family and friends were all talking about this game, getting really excited.

“Who is to say what kind of reception I will get? People’s judgements on me have been clouded by what Ken Bates has had to say. But I’m sure if they were in a similar position with their own children they would look on it in a different light. If the fans get on my back and give me a bit of stick it will just gee me up, so it’s a positive either way.”

From 7.45pm tonight, the eye will quickly drop towards Taiwo locking antlers in midfield with Jonny Howson, another Leeds youth product, in one of many skirmishes which will define a game from which few expect Carlisle to emerge unscathed.

“The gaffer said it is always going to be tough at a place like Elland Road, with all those great fans, but we’ve just got to be focused on our job and not let the occasion take over,” Taiwo says. “We are confident that, when we win the battle first and then get the ball down, we can give anybody a tough time.

“In every game this season we have had spells when we have been on top and could have scored. If we can make those spells more in our favour, we are on to a good thing.”

As if you hadn’t already noticed, Taiwo quickly reminds you of the feeling of enjoyment he is deriving from the first, steady stream of senior football. He says he will “look seriously” at the chance of a longer loan stay with United, something Abbott is likely to pursue soon.

“Every week I enjoy putting on that shirt and playing,” he says. “I just feel at home now. And I love being in that dressing room, pulling as much as I can from experienced people like Ian Harte, Graham Kavanagh and Paul Thirlwell.”

He strikes a pleasing balance of modesty and ambition as he sizes up the biggest match of his young life. “When I first came here I thought I would have my work cut out to get in the team, but the gaffer has put his trust in me and hopefully I haven’t let him down,” he adds. “It’s not been a very easy ride for me, early in my career. There have been a lot of ups and downs. But this is definitely one of the ups.”

You feel his ascent is just beginning.

First published at 11:34, Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk