Former England soccer manager Graham Taylor has died. He was 72.
A family statement on Thursday said: “With the greatest sadness, we have to announce that Graham passed away at his home early this morning of a suspected heart attack. The family are devastated by this sudden and totally unexpected loss.”
Taylor managed England from 1990 until 1993. He was a club manager at Lincoln, Watford, Aston Villa and Wolves, and in recent years a pundit on the BBC and BT Sport.
One of his former England players, Alan Shearer, was among the first to pay tribute.
Shearer tweeted: “Completely shocked by news of Graham Taylor. Always held him in the very highest regard – the man who gave me my first @england cap. So sad.”
The Football Association and the League Managers Association also offered their condolences.
The FA tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former @England manager Graham Taylor.”
Taylor began his career in soccer as a player with Grimsby before having a spell with Lincoln and then moving into management with the latter club.
Taylor took charge at Villa following their relegation from the First Division in 1987 and restored them to the top flight at the first attempt. Two years after that, in 1990, they finished runners-up to Liverpool in the First Division.
That achievement was instrumental in securing him the England position.
Sir Elton John, Taylor’s chairman at Watford, expressed his sadness via an Instagram post.
He wrote: “I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear about Graham’s passing. He was like a brother to me. We shared an unbreakable bond since we first met. We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever.
“He took my beloved Watford from the depths of the lower leagues to unchartered territory and into Europe. We have become a leading English club because of his managerial wisdom and genius.
“This is a sad and dark day for Watford. The club and the town. We will cherish Graham and drown our sorrows in the many brilliant memories he gave us.
“I love you Graham. I will miss you very much.
“My thoughts go out to Rita, Joanne, Karen and the whole Taylor family. @watfordfcofficial #GrahamTaylor #RIP.”
Taylor’s achievements with the Hornets were remarkable. After taking charge in 1977, he led the club from the Fourth Division to the top tier.
They finished second in the First Division in 1983, qualifying for the UEFA Cup, and reached the FA Cup final the following year. He had a second spell at Vicarage Road from 1996 to 2001.
Gordon Taylor, a playing contemporary and chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association since 1981, told BBC Radio Five Live: “It’s a real shock. He was a real gentleman. I’ve known him since we were both 15 at England schoolboy trials.
“It was sad the way that the England job turned out for him, but that’s happened to a lot of England managers.
“He was a real quality human being. He cared about his fellow professionals and the good of the game. He should be remembered as a man who added to the game, who really showed his ability as a manager.”
j binnie
Guest
Nemesis -Thanks for the link. Ron has been around our game for a long, long time and this link has proved to be his forte, the ability to convert a game, or aspects of our game into figures and chart them accordingly. Personally I found Ron to be one of that rare breed in football a thorough gentleman, in fact ,such a gentleman, that he was never cut out for the rat race that modern team coaching has become. Ron's introduction to football, the team Tottenham Hotspur ,ruled the roost in the early 1960's in England, under one of Britain's best long term coaches /managers, Bill Nicholson, who managed the club for 16 years and there is no doubt in my mind ,the young Ron saw this as a worthwhile career. Unfortunately his forays into team coaching never bore fruit, for despite attempts both here and in Malaysia, as a No1 ,the results didn't follow the undoubted talent the man has for the game. So Ron has "drifted" into game analysis and there is no doubt that is where his talent lies. Unfortunately it is a talent that is not always called upon by our present group of managers,who, caught between pressures from their "bosses,their fans, or the media in it's many forms,prefer to dawdle along using their own powers of observation to try and solve problems. I only ever came up against Ron in a game situation once and that was when we arranged a "practice game" between Queensland and the Socceroos squad being readied for the 1978 World Cup. The 2 teams met at Perry Park and Ron ,who was the Socceroos assistant manager brought the team to Brisbane for a Wednesday night game. What followed was perhaps one of the best games of football I have ever witnessed in Oz, with the National Team running to a 3 goal lead by half -time, only to be brought back to reality when the Queensland team ran riot in the second half and the game finished 4-4 Eddie Thompson ,who went on to coach the Socceroos for years, was having a "brain storm" at centre back as two extremely fast forwards in Kelso and Millman (the tennis player's father") literally ran at the Socceroo defence unchallenged. Needless to say the game never got much publicity in the southern states , it was only a "training run " to them, but Jim Hermiston,who won the best player medal in the NSL,and who had played in Europe with Aberdeen, still says it was the best football match he ever played in. Ron has been a great asset to the game in his present role and we all hope that will continue for many years. Cheers jb. ps The "goals scored in less than 6 passes' is actually a measure of a theory put forward by a coach in Russia of all places, a country not widely recognised for it's contribution to the European coaching revolution. Cheers jb.
Garry White
Roar Pro
I posted a short piece in tribute to Graham Taylor today. He always came across as a decent and honourable person. Treated disgracefully by the media in England and sections of the fans. I hope I have done him justice.
Nemesis
Guest
j binnie, very sad news indeed. Relatively young man. I'm sure it had happened before, but in my lifetime his Watford team was the first since I started following English football, to go all the way from 4th Division to 1st Division. Amazing achievement and played wonderful football. John Barnes, of course, was my favourite and it was disgusting how the English fans treated black players in those days. Barnes was always a gentleman. On another matter, thought you may appreciate this analysis done by Ron Smith (given you football background I'm sure you've met or worked with Ron in the past). Some great data on ALeague * goals scored from less than 6 passes * goals scored after winning possession in the midfield. http://www.thefootballcentre.com.au/blog/view/hyundai-a-league-goals-after-14-rounds-of-the-2016-17-season
j binnie
Guest
For those interested in football tactics this was the man who introduced what is now known as the "high press" to top football in England when he took Watford from 4th to top division in 5 seasons. Cheers jb.