Graham Taylor

[dave.woodhall]

In a ddition to the above, it's often overlooked that Sir Graham's England team had little experience of playing abroad due to the European ban.

[rob_bridge]

In a ddition to the above, it's often overlooked that Sir Graham's England team had little experience of playing abroad due to the European ban.

Yes and not using Waddle was the one thing I'd pull him up on because he was playing well for an excellent contintal team that were a cut above our domestic offering at the time, partly because of said ban.

Butcher Shilton and Robson were past their best and deserved to be encouraged to finish off, Waddle was the other senior player along with Lineker who certainly wasn't.

[Chris Harte]

Butcher Shilton and Robson were past their best and deserved to be encouraged to finish off, Waddle was the other senior player along with Lineker who certainly wasn't.

To be fair, Shilton was 41(?) when he retired at Italia 90. Can't keep pushing time backwards.

[Lastfootstamper]

Seems like a great guy but was an awful international manager. Took over a side that got to the semis in WC 1990 and left behind a rabble.

That overlooks the fact that the 1990 World Cup squad was filled with players who were on their way out or down. Shilton and Butcher had retired and Beardsley, Waddle, Lineker (to name just three) were all in their thirties for Taylor's reign. The one genuine star he could have built his side around for years was Gazza, and he got himself crocked in the 91 cup final. It's not as if Taylor ripped a great team apart, whoever had succeeded Bobby Robson would have had a major rebuilding job.  Also, let us not pretend that the 1990 team was a great one. Aside from the semi-final their performances were pretty bloody awful.

We had the oldest squad in the tournament.

Leaving Waddle out in favour of Barnes was his one major avoidable mistake.

1990 had lots of good players, I still argue the performances v Holland and Belgium were also good.
v Ireland crappy local derby slog fest
v African teams average but more experience to outlast them. Just.

Belgium? The one with Scifo? Where our best player was W. Oodwork? That Belgium?

[Sexual Ealing]

Enzo Scifo! That's a name I haven't heard for years. What a player he was.

[OzVilla]

Didn't he lose the spine of his squad in the WC qualifiers, Tony Adams got done for Drink Driving, Gazza broke his leg and Shearer was out with an Achilles injury.

This plus the changing of the guard following WC 90 and he had a very tough job on his hands.

[robbo1874]

One of my favourite periods as a Villa fan was his first stint at VP.

He gets a lot of deserved credit for unearthing the gem that was Dwight Yorke, but hadn't he done something similar with John Barnes when he was the manager of Watford in the early 80's?

Pretty sure he was manager there at the time Barnes joined, so presumably Taylor would have at least had a hand in his signing. Maybe someone more knowledgable could confirm?

[rob_bridge]

One of my favourite periods as a Villa fan was his first stint at VP.

He gets a lot of deserved credit for unearthing the gem that was Dwight Yorke, but hadn't he done something similar with John Barnes when he was the manager of Watford in the early 80's?

Pretty sure he was manager there at the time Barnes joined, so presumably Taylor would have at least had a hand in his signing. Maybe someone more knowledgable could confirm?

Thats correct. I understand why he chose Barnes over Waddle having signed him as a teenager etc... Just themwrong decision as Barnes started picking up injuries and putting on weight

[1_Pablo_Angel]

This thread is a lovely read. More anecdotes please!

[tomd2103]

One of my favourite periods as a Villa fan was his first stint at VP.

He gets a lot of deserved credit for unearthing the gem that was Dwight Yorke, but hadn't he done something similar with John Barnes when he was the manager of Watford in the early 80's?

Pretty sure he was manager there at the time Barnes joined, so presumably Taylor would have at least had a hand in his signing. Maybe someone more knowledgable could confirm?

If I recall correctly, Graham Taylor was tipped off by Barnes by a taxi driver.  He was playing amateur football at the time and was signed for a set of kit. 

[Pete3206]

I understand that he wanted to take the England job, but one of the greatest 'if onlys' for me if he'd stayed for the 90-91 season after finishing 2nd in the league.

Just think about it. 2nd in the top flight in 1990, when we look destined for the 3rd division only 3 years earlier.
The man is an absolute legend.

[brontebilly]

Didn't he lose the spine of his squad in the WC qualifiers, Tony Adams got done for Drink Driving, Gazza broke his leg and Shearer was out with an Achilles injury.

This plus the changing of the guard following WC 90 and he had a very tough job on his hands.

It was also a time when the likes of Steve Bruce didnt even get a cap due to the choices available

look at the forwards available even with Shearer out - Ferdinand, Wright, Beardsley, Sheringham

choice as keeper - Seaman, Woods, Martyn - thats very strong

every manager makes bizarre selection decisions but I seem to remember him keeping faith with Des Walker when his form was totally gone

Andy Sinton, Keith Curle, Carlton Palmer, Nigel Clough in the squad while leaving out Waddle and Beardsley

super manager at Watford and Villa but that was far from a poor group of English players he had

[TopDeck113]

His skills were all about working with players day-in, day-out - as well as managing every aspect of the football side of the club.  That daily contact with players was one of the reasons that he was, amongst other things, able to resurrect McGrath's career and convert Ormondroyd into the most unlikely of wingers.   The England set-up doesn't allow for that.  I remember him saying when he toot over the job that he wanted to take coaching sessions at the clubs in order to work with current or potential internationals on a more regular basis.  Needless to say the clubs ensured that their vested interests weren't compromised on that one. 

[dave.woodhall]

He was also against the Premier League as despite the supposed help it would give the England team (that worked well) he knew it would weaken the other 70 clubs.

[KevinGage]

I understand that he wanted to take the England job, but one of the greatest 'if onlys' for me if he'd stayed for the 90-91 season after finishing 2nd in the league.

Personally I think that side was punching above its weight a wee bit and would have dipped again even under GT.  McGrath, Cowans and Platt were all top class.  Players like Chris Price (much as I liked him) Mountfield, Neilson, Sticks Ormondroyd and Tony Cantscorino don't belong in that bracket. The latter two struggled to even control a football most of the time.

And if GT had stayed we probably wouldn't have had the BFR years, so it worked out well in the end.