Graham Taylor rip

[podrover73]

Died aged 72

[GazLaz]

Do I not like that.

[Glyn_Wigley]

I always liked him and respected his opinions on the game. Also, he always had a sense of humour, often self-deprecating. You might not have liked how his teams played but I think he stood head and shoulders above a lot of other football people as a man.

[Donnywolf]

rip Wolves old Manager

My fav Graham Taylor story (told on here more than once)


When Graham Taylor failed to get us to the USA World Cup he left England and took over at Wolves. On a pre Season Tour he got off the Wolves Coach way up Norway (Tromso) or somewhere like that

A Group of Wolfies were there to greet the Coach so GT ambled over and during the small talk he said to a couple of them " I thought you lot would have something better to do than be way up here watching Wolves play friendlies "  YES pipes up one of them we WERE going to the World Cup to watch England but you f***** that up for us didn't you "

[rover-n-out]

Sad news for sure. I also liked Graham Taylor, as Glyn says, at least he went about his business with a smile on his face. My condolences to his family, and all his many, many friends in football. RIP.

[ballysbackin]

Yes, I always liked him, good personality and never forget his upbringing, he was always a good speaker and approachable too  R.I.P

[Askern Rover]

I truly hope now that this gentleman of our great game can get treat with the dignity that he deserved RIP Graham.

[telfordrover]

I think he will get the respect he deserves, Obviously did n't happen for him with England but look at his Watford team. The day they came to Belle Vue and put 4 past us. Luther Blisset and Ross Jenkins up front. A proper football man RIP   

[roversdude]

Other than the press nobody seemed to have a bad word about him, even his style of football seemed to be nearly acceptable

[GM-MarkB]

I think he will get the respect he deserves, Obviously did n't happen for him with England but look at his Watford team. The day they came to Belle Vue and put 4 past us. Luther Blisset and Ross Jenkins up front. A proper football man RIP   

I'd agree with that. He cannot be judged on his England tenure. But his legacy will always be Watford

RIP

[streatham dave]

Always came across as a decent man. Also picked players on basis of recent form rather than favourites. Many inside and away from football could learn from this example.

[GM-MarkB]

I hope Koeman has something nice to say about him....

[Sammy Chung was King]

He seemed a nice bloke who was a very effective manager. His teams played long ball but that wasn't a surprise most teams did back then. He also got the best out of a lot of talented players who went onto better things. John Barnes and David Platt among many.
He was treated really unfairly as our media tend to treat anybody that falls short of expectations. The personal stick he took was wrong our press at it's worst. He had one of the poorest England sides in recent times. Just like Steve McLaren when he needed little bits of luck to go his way they didn't!.

We were beaten by a Dutch side that contained Bergkamp, Overmars, Koeman, Rijkaard, The De Boer brothers-England had one player remaining from the nil-nil draw at Italia 90-Paul Parker.
 There were some top names still among our side, Platt, Shearer, Barnes-who never did it for England on a regular basis. We were also missing our best player in Paul Gascoigne while we had a squad containing Dorigo, Sinton and Merson. The previous results were what did for us losing to a Norweigan that was on the upsurge but unknown quantity we were expected to beat.

When you look at that dutch side why did we think we should beat it?-yet but for a dodgy free kick we could have. He got a job similar to that Moyes got at man utd in some ways but without the trophies.
 Bobby Robson another who was treated badly but was rated highly- after he left the job. Robson overachieved with a side that though it had talent was limited in some places in getting to the semi-final of the world cup.
Taylor was left with the pieces of what was left of that side after retirements-with a player like Shearer just starting his international career and a fair few who were barely international class. Good and honest professionals mixed with some class and some quite a way through their careers.

At the time there were not that many who were more deserving of the chance of being England manager. The fa also was very much like it is now but worse.. Restricted thinking in how the game should be played and a foreign manager back then would have been unthinkable.
Without Taylor failing we might not have seen what happened at Euro 96 because Terry Venables wouldn't have got the job!.
 Graham Taylor a good football man who wasn't treated the way he should have been. The 'fly-on-the-wall documentary made him and Phil Neal look stupid-Do the same with many managers and they would also look stupid. It should never have been allowed.
Worked his way up from an ordinary playing career and started at the bottom in management. Eventually leading Watford to an FA cup final and a few promotions. Also getting Aston Villa promoted and got them high up in the premier league one season. Never forgot where he came from helping local football and many different football projects.

A shame a good football man.

[telfordrover]

Did he not take Watford from the fourth to the old first division in consecutive years. Has anyone else achieved that. If that was the case? 

[RoversAlias]

Did he not take Watford from the fourth to the old first division in consecutive years. Has anyone else achieved that. If that was the case? 

Three promotions in five years I believe. Can't take any credit for that, just read it a few times today.

Didn't Northampton do it in as quick a time? Then bizarrely plunged straight back down the leagues in quick succession too...

[The Red Baron]

Graham Taylor deserves to be remembered as a great club manager. Don't forget he came close to winning the League Championship with Aston Villa and he achieved huge things with Watford.

[The Red Baron]

Did he not take Watford from the fourth to the old first division in consecutive years. Has anyone else achieved that. If that was the case? 

Three promotions in five years I believe. Can't take any credit for that, just read it a few times today.

Didn't Northampton do it in as quick a time? Then bizarrely plunged straight back down the leagues in quick succession too...

Northampton Town went from Division Four to Division One and back again in the space of nine seasons.

[Donnywolf]

As Maurice Chevalier said / sang "Ah yes I remember it well"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sISWPzEqHLQ

[BobG]

He set a points record with Lincoln City before any of the Watford and Villa b*llocks too. Helluva bloody side they were.

BobG

[IDM]

He would have been their manager in my first ever game at BV - Boxing Day 1975, Lincoln won 4-2 in that season..

[silent majority]

Most England fans I know held him in high esteem and most have good stories about him. A friend of mine posted his story on Facebook tonight which shows what the man was really like. I'm sure he won't mind if I post it on here.



Just got home (ironically from Watford) and seen the news about Graham Taylor, such a shame.
Back in 2012 I was given the news that the mother-in-law was on deaths door and it was time to get home. This was out in Donetsk, the next flight I could get was Donetsk to Kiev after hours later then a morning flight home from there.
In the airport bar there was afew English ready for the same flight when Graham Taylor turned up (he was doing media work out there). He was more than happy chatting to everybody, he asked where I was from, as soon as I said Rotherham he couldnt wait to talk about how good the new ground was going to be, how good it would be for the town amd how our season had been. The man still watched football at all levels even after leaving the game. Discussed plans for the tournament, I explained why I had to make an unplanned journey home and he couldn't have been nicer.

Upon landing in Kiev, waiting for luggage I received a text message just saying "too late. She's gone". I am not ashamed to say that I blubbed like a little girl. The first person to console me was Graham himself. He collected his luggage, sent the rest of the media team off to their hotels and took me to the airport bar to buy me a pint to console me. Spent an hour of his evening with me at the airport bar just to make sure I was okay until I headed to town for more drinks with the Donny Lads.
For that Ill always hold the gent in high esteem, RIP to a true gent.

[BobG]

I took a girl to that match IDM.... Not the best thing I've ever done! A Denis Christmas special again.

BobG

[Capmeister]

Remember him in charge of Lincoln and the 4-2 game. Great atmosphere. Lincoln had a great team and we matched them for a while mainly cos we had the holy trinity of Kitch, Big Bren and Windy Miller. Shame our defence was crap.

[Draytonian III]

He was born in Worksop and I used to work with his cousin's son who had been named after him,this Graham Taylor had an identical twin brother called Phil.
As others have commented before he was a real football man
RIP

[Lesonthewest]

RIP Graham Taylor, worked his way up from Lincoln/Grimsby to the top level & an amazing achievement at Watford first time around. Only saw him being interviewed but seemed a very knowledgeable guy who loved the game.

[Sammy Chung was King]

I remember him talking about how the press treated him many years after it happened with England. He accepted the football part but was upset at how it effected his wife and kids the ridicule he received.
I'm all for the press being free to print almost anything within reason. Freedom of speech is vital in any countries press but for the sake of a cheap laugh i think they put down a decent honest man who tried his best but failed.
I remember the Villa side he put together without spending loads of money. Signing among them Dwight Yorke. That was a really good side for a time.

[GazLaz]

I remember him talking about how the press treated him many years after it happened with England. He accepted the football part but was upset at how it effected his wife and kids the ridicule he received.
I'm all for the press being free to print almost anything within reason. Freedom of speech is vital in any countries press but for the sake of a cheap laugh i think they put down a decent honest man who tried his best but failed.
I remember the Villa side he put together without spending loads of money. Signing among them Dwight Yorke. That was a really good side for a time.

The FA shouldn't have allowed the abuse he got. They never stood up for him as you'd expect. They always have been a spineless set of bas**rds.

[chrisd_123]

I met him a few years ago at the Doncaster Belles end of season awards where he was a guest speaker.

Absolute gent. It was clearly always a huge regret of his how his England time worked out but my word he was proud to have managed his country. When he was talking about it you could tell how much of an honour it was for him to lead his country. If only we had people like him around the national side today!

[BobG]

Being a Retford lad, did he support the Rovers by any chance?

BobG

[RoversAlias]

Scunthorpe fan, think he had a role there in his later years after retirement as vice president or something.