Graham Taylor
Watford boss who took England's top job
| Full name: | Graham Taylor |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | September 15th 1944 |
| Clubs played for: | Grimsby Town and Lincoln City |
| Clubs managed: | Lincoln City, Watford, Aston Villa, England, Wolverhampton Wanderers |
Club Career
Taylor's playing career never hit the same heights he reached as a manager. He signed for Grimsby Town in 1962 and spent six years there, scoring twice in 189 games from full-back. He moved on to Lincoln City in 1968, but his efforts remained mundane. Perhaps his most noteworthy achievement was winning the Lincolnshire Senior Cup three years in a row, once with Grimsby in 1968 and then with Lincoln in 1969 and 1970. After four years with Lincoln, he suffered a serious hip injury from which he would never recover, forcing him to retire from football at the age of 28.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-68 | Grimsby Town | 186 | 2 |
| 1968-72 | Lincoln City | 150 | 1 |
Managerial Career
Taylor surprised many when he rejected West Brom's offer in favour of Watford of Division Four. The Hornets were on the verge of collapse, yet in the space of five years he guided the side into the top-flight. This miraculous achievement soon earned him the England job, after a spell in charge of Aston Villa. After a troublesome tenure that ended abruptly following the failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in USA, Taylor returned to club management. He took charge of Watford again, gaining promotion to the Premier League in 1999. Watford were relegated however and Taylor announced his retirement from football during the next season. Aston Villa's chairman Doug Ellis managed to coax him back into management in 2002, but his second spell at Villa Park was an unhappy one and ended abruptly in 2002.
Key Games
Everton 2-0 Watford (FA Cup final, May 19th 1984)
Taylor guided the Hornets all the way to Wembley, but defeat prevented Watford from clinching their first major domestic honour. Howard Kendall's side had taken a late first-half lead through Graeme Sharp, but controversy arose from Everton's second, scored by Andy Gray. Watford's goalkeeper Steve Sherwood had collected Toffees winger Trevor Stevens' cross with ease before Gray's dubious input. The forward nudged the ball from Sherwood's hands and into the unguarded net, a move that was deemed legitimate by referee John Hunting. That killed off any chance of a Watford comeback, despite Taylor's side dominating for long periods.
Tottenham 4-1 Watford (FA Cup semi-final, April 12th 1987)
There was nothing to debate this time, as Spurs kept up their quest for a league and cup double. However, Taylor was left rueing his decision to play rookie goalkeeper Gary Plumley in favour of the experienced Steve Sherwood. Plumley failed to deal with Spurs striker Clive Allen's long-range shot that eventually found its way to Steve Hodge, for the first of his double. A family affair saw cousins Clive and Paul Allen expose Plumley yet again, before Hodge completed the rout.
Sweden 2-1 England (Euro 92 group stage, June 17th 1992)
Taylor's failure to win a single game at during this tournament was only worsened by his substitution of skipper Gary Lineker in the final group game. The striker was a goal shy of equalling Bobby Charlton's record of 49 international goals, but was replaced by Alan Smith with more than half-an-hour still to play. An ill-fated decision from Taylor, with England's loss and exit from the competition signalling the end of Lineker's international career, who had announced he would retire at the end of the tournament. That substitution, coupled with England's later failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, left a sour taste over the debacle that was Taylor's reign.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Grimsby Town | Lincolnshire Senior Cup | 1968 |
| Lincoln City | Lincolnshire Senior Cup | 1969 |
| Lincoln City | Lincolnshire Senior Cup | 1969 |
Did You Know...?
Following his retirement from playing, Taylor became the youngest person to qualify as a licensed FA coach at the tender age of 27.
Taylor was appointed as vice-president of Scunthorpe United in 2003.
Taylor was the third manager to take charge of 1,000 games in England, after Brian Clough and Jim Smith.
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