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"FA told Graham Taylor not to pick ‘too many’ black players for England
The Football Association tried to impose an unofficial quota system on the number of black players an England manager should be allowed to use, according to a new book about racism within the sport.
Pitch Black, written by Emy Onuora, includes a passage in which an anti-racism in football campaigner claims Graham Taylor admitted to him he had been summoned by two members of the FA’s hierarchy and told “in no uncertain terms” he should not go beyond a certain limit."
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/06/graham-taylor-told-not-pick-too-many-black-players-fa-england
Just heard a clip of Taylor on the radio saying he couldn't remember saying this and it is not the type of thing he would say
Hope they've got proof he did say it or it may cost them a few quid
The Football Association tried to impose an unofficial quota system on the number of black players an England manager should be allowed to use, according to a new book about racism within the sport.
Pitch Black, written by Emy Onuora, includes a passage in which an anti-racism in football campaigner claims Graham Taylor admitted to him he had been summoned by two members of the FA’s hierarchy and told “in no uncertain terms” he should not go beyond a certain limit."
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/06/graham-taylor-told-not-pick-too-many-black-players-fa-england
Just heard a clip of Taylor on the radio saying he couldn't remember saying this and it is not the type of thing he would say
Hope they've got proof he did say it or it may cost them a few quid
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I presume Taylor picking Tony Daley ahead of Chris Waddle was his way of protesting against any directive...
True though, he always found room for Carlton, and at the time I can't really think of many great black players (John Barnes was kind of past his best).
Two things spring immediately to mind.
The first is that I don't see how Taylor can possibly say he "cant remember" with any degree of credibility. It doesn't strike me as something you would forget or forget saying.
The second is that I cant think of too many black English players at the time who were noticeably not getting picked? Des Walker, Carlton Palmer, Tony Daley, Ian Wright, Paul Parker, Les Ferdinand, Paul Ince etc all seemed to get picked with ease under Taylor.
Oh, wait a minute...
The wording that Taylor is using is crucial to this story.
"That is not me trying to evade it - and it also doesn't mean I didn't say it - but if anyone looks at my record with club and country, it would be obvious to everyone anyway that I didn't follow what was apparently said."
I don't think anyone is questioning if GT limited the number of black players he chose.
But if you read his first statement we could infer that
a) he could have said it (that the FA asked him to limit the number)
b) he didnt follow the advice of what was said (by the FA)
"If anyone looks at my record, I could never be accused of blocking the way for any black player."
I'm pretty sure GT didn't follow any directives, but the argument is that they came, not that they were followed.
He later clarified what he meant, but his initial statement actually disagrees with his later statements.
What a mess.
‘It has taken me by complete surprise because I cannot remember anything about it at all,’ Taylor told the BBC. ‘Certainly never during my time at the Football Association I had no FA people coming up to me and telling me which team to pick and to pick less black players. I would have remembered that.
‘I have no memory of that conversation (with Moran). There certainly was an event at Watford. I can remember that, but I certainly have no memory of a conversation about black players.’
When asked if there was even a remote possibility he could have had a conversation with FA members about limiting the number of black players, he said: ‘That is one of the things you’re never going to forget.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3070820/Graham-Taylor-told-no-uncertain-terms-FA-officials-not-pick-black-players-England.html
This is one of those things that's impossible to prove either way. An author (person a) is claiming that someone else (person b) was told by Taylor (person c) something he was told by nameless, faceless people at the FA (persons d) fifteen years ago. You may have been joking with your comment about Carlton Palmer, but I can well believe that a comment losely along those lines may have been made all those years ago, that has been Chinese Whisper-ed up to this big race issue in this book. Or, it could all be entirely made up to promote it.
Taylor talks about taking 'some form of legal advice', but I doubt there's anything he can do. The author isn't claiming that Taylor was behind the directive. Indeed, the evidence would suggest that if it was ever made, Taylor ignored it, so it's not libelous to him.
I know I will make up some nonsense that cannot be proven one way or another
I do remember carlton scoring a great goal vs Ipswich I think when he was at Sheffield Wednesday.
Only decent thing I remember him ever doing.
This story is going to run and run and run.
What are your thoughts on it?
But we have one word against another.
Am sure people will look at the two parties involved and pick which person to believe.
Does it matter if it happened or not? Not really as looking at the players he picked and the players he could have picked he seemed to ignore the request.
I'd say it matters enormously. Just because he ignored any request (if it did happen) doesn't mean it should be ignored.
Was their racism in the FA during those years? 100% as there was racism throughout the game in those days. On the pitch,Off the pitch,Players,Managers,Fans so that it was in the boardroom of the FA cannot be that shocking.
It would be more shocking if some members of the FA did not think like that. The fact that one of the idiots said something to someone who totally ignored the rubbish said to him is not really news.
Taylor more then likely heard statements like that from many sections of the football world quite often.
We don't know what was said or by whom. Maybe it was more than one person trying to prevent certain players being called up?
What if some of those people are still under employment at the FA now? What if they are in very privileged positions?
Richie Moran didn't make it, and has not been quiet in his quest to allege racism at every turn, with claims that some of the biggest names in the game racially abused him.
Taylors record on selection is there for all to see, and black players had been playing regularly at all levels by those days. Racism was about then, not as bad as 20 years earlier, and not as good as now, but throwing this around, and using Taylors name seems to be a publicity method.
Knowing it can never be proved doesn't take the publicity away, but without proof, something like this should not be thrown around.
so let's say that conversation did actually take place, it shouldn't ever be mentioned as it can't now be proved?
I'm not sure I trust 3rd hand references.
There's no doubt there was a problem historically but not sure anyone can point the finger at Graham Taylor.
Ian Wright
Mark Walters
John Barnes
Des Walker
Paul Parker
David Rocastle
Carlton Palmer
Paul Ince
Earl Barrett
Keith Curle
Tony Daley
Brian Deane
Les Ferdinand
Andy Gray
John Salako
http://www.sporcle.com/games/Derrie/grahamtaylor
15 of 59 players used were black or of mixed race. Is that a low amount? I barely remember English football at that time so can't judge what the figures should have been. As it is, a quarter seems like a reasonable amount. In comparison with, say, twenty years earlier it's a massive improvement.