Can a subscriber to the Guardians Fiver email copy and paste yesterday's edition? I seem to have become unsubscribed and would be interested in their reporting of SGT's death.
GRAHAM TAYLOR (1944-2017)
The former England manager Graham Taylor has died aged 72 following a suspected heart attack.
Taylor, whose playing career took him to Grimsby Town and Lincoln City, managed England during a turbulent spell from 1990 until 1993 and also had two spells in charge at Aston Villa and Watford, as well as managerial tenures at Wolves and Lincoln. In recent years he had worked as a pundit on the BBC and BT Sport. “With the greatest sadness, we have to announce that Graham passed away at his home early this morning of a suspected heart attack,” read a family statement. “The family are devastated by this sudden and totally unexpected loss.”
More: Graham Taylor, former England manager, dies at the age of 72
Taylor had a difficult time in charge of the national team, with criticism about his perceived long-ball game. Under his leadership England qualified for Euro 92 in Sweden, although the tournament was a tough one. His side failed to get out of their group after losing to the hosts, although Taylor kept his job. However, failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup led to his resignation in November 1993. Taylor, the subject of An Impossible Job, one of the most famous and most loved British sport documentaries of all time, was subjected to vicious ridicule while England boss, specifically after the Sweden defeat, something he discussed years later. “I thought ‘Swedes 2 Turnips 1’ was a great headline, though I didn’t see the pictures the next day,” he later recalled. “But that did upset my parents. Some people who read the Sun feel they can address you in any manner they see fit. I think the majority of the public thought it was unfair. What helped me is I didn’t run away from management, but resurrected my career. I take pride in that.”
This had all followed his achievements while in charge at Vicarage Road. After taking over in 1977, he led the club from the Fourth Division to the top tier, where they finished second in 1983, qualifying for the Uefa Cup and reaching the FA Cup final the following year. Sir Elton John, the former Watford owner and honorary life president, paid tribute to Taylor. “He was like a brother to me,” he said. “We shared an unbreakable bond since we first met. We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever.” Taylor then took charge at Villa after their relegation from the First Division in 1987 and restored them at the first attempt; two years later, in 1990, they finished runners-up to Liverpool. He later came out of managerial retirement to take charge of Villa for a second spell in 2002, having already returned for a second time in charge of Watford from 1996 to 2001.
Speaking in 2002, Taylor reflected on the pressures of management. “People think they know me, they think they know what my background is, and they’ll ha-ha me for it,” he said. “But they don’t know. They don’t really know what I’ve come through and what I’ve had to do to achieve what I have.”
‘Elton and I were almost like brothers’: Taylor’s football firsts and lasts (2006)
‘People think they know me, but they don’t’ – Graham Taylor interview (2002)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Graham was one of the nicest, kindest, most honest and honourable men I ever met in football in more than 30 years of making TV programming about the game. When we suggested the original film he was very keen for everyone to see exactly what the England job was all about. Obviously he hoped it would end with qualification for the World Cup, but it wasn’t to be. He handled the fallout from that and the film that followed with utter fairness, complete candour and total dignity. When he saw the final version he simply said ‘Well, that’s how it was. But my mother isn’t going to like the swearing.’ He could have bailed out at any point and he could even have stopped the film going out, but he didn’t. He was a complete gentleman and a massive loss to the game” – Neil Duncanson, producer of An Impossible Job.
