Sir Graham Taylor

[Hookeysmith]

David Squires cartoon from The Grauniad:

That last sentence sums up everything that's been said.

100% agree


 I am a little pissed that I have not seen any reference from David Platt - or has GT been erased like his time with us as a player?

[saunders_heroes]

David Squires cartoon from The Grauniad:

That last sentence sums up everything that's been said.

100% agree


 I am a little pissed that I have not seen any reference from David Platt - or has GT been erased like his time with us as a player?

Perhaps he's going to pay his respects in private.
Anyway the club have said former players will pay their respect before kick off against Preston, and Sir Graham's final Villa captain (Steve Staunton) will lay a wreath. Apparently Rita and family will also be present.

[BC54 VFC]

Weekend tribute announced:-

https://www.avfc.co.uk/News/2017/01/17/graham-taylor-villa-park-tribute

[cdbearsfan]

Sounds like it should be a good tribute. I suppose it has worked out well that Watford and ourselves were at home in successive weeks, so that the Taylor family didn't have to choose which to attend.

[eamonn]

Nice cartoon and tribute from Squires (whose book - part prose/part comic-strip as per the SGT one on the history of football I'm currently reading).

[LeeB]

Nice cartoon and tribute from Squires (whose book - part prose/part comic-strip as per the SGT one on the history of football I'm currently reading).

It is ace, ended up buying it for two other people for Christmas.

[Pete3206]

Lovely tribute at Lincoln

[four fornicholl]

The boy and I are on the Holte saturday, hoping to see some of our favourite sons, Mcgrath, Platt, Yorke, Daley, Ormandroyd, who knows?
Im hoping for a good turn out.

[cdbearsfan]

I just want a win. That would be the best tribute. All his other teams have won... even the one that played against us!

[kippaxvilla2]

Watford drew didn't they.

[four fornicholl]

I just want a win. That would be the best tribute. All his other teams have won... even the one that played against us!

Think youre asking for a bit much there, but we can live in hope.

[cdbearsfan]

Watford drew didn't they.

Ermmm... you appear to be correct. Stupid league anyway.

🙄

[Toronto Villa]

I hope it is a full house for this at the weekend. Wish I could be there. This is the one opportunity where together we can pay our respects to such an influential figure in the long, proud history of our club.

[robbo1874]

His achievements in 2 spells at Watford were extraordinary, impossible even.

1st spell - Fourth division to First Division runners up in 5 seasons
2nd spell - Third division to Premier League in 2 seasons

He was great for Villa, but that's Roy Of The Rovers stuff.

this is why I don't think we should name a stand after him or anything like that. We'd be pissing on Watford's bonfire a bit and I wouldn't want us to do that.

I do want us to give him a great and respectful send-off at the Preston match though and show our appreciation of the man and what he did for Villa.

[Billy Walker]

Maybe rename Bodymoor Heath - or parts of it - after SGT, after all he did a great job in re-juvenating the set up there.  He was a great grass-roots man and understood the importance of getting the academies right at football clubs.  I agree with others when they say naming parts of Villa Park, itself, should be reserved for the likes of Saunders, McGregor, Ramsay etc.