Sad news
Fantastic achievement in getting Watford to the top flight and Cup final in the early 80's when just a very young manager
Yep and sad to think that the two managers from that 1984 FA Cup Final (Howard Kendall and Graham Taylor) are no longer alive given they were both young bosses at the time.
Wow, boy was I not expecting to come in, and read this!
2017 starting off where 2016 finished, in terms of high profile deaths.
Very sad indeed.
I always liked to listen to him on the radio, he came over very well there I thought, but sadly most people will think of that stupid, pathetic headline, when they think of him.
In the pantheon of teams who were made into something so much more than the sum of their parts, Taylor's early to mid-80s Watford side are right up there.
Didn't they go from Division 3 to an FA Cup final and European competition under Taylor?
I met him back in 1994 he was manager at Wolves i was only 15 he took time to have a quick chat with me asking me who my favourite Wolves player was etc, he was a really nice guy a true gentleman who will be sorely missed.
Saturday is Wolves v Villa it will be a very emotional match.
Further to my opening post and time to reflect, it is a great sadness to comment on such a sad loss. Graham was a true football fan first and foremost and took what little resources he had when beginning management and as we saw with his spells at Lincoln, Watford and Aston Villa probably over achieved. There are always downsides in any career and yes England was one of them but the side he took over from Bobby Robson was already beginning to break up and during that period England didn't have the best players to choose from. The level of abuse he received from parts of the media at this time would have made many seek escape instead Graham showed immense dignity in how he handled the situation.
As a neutral I loved listening to Graham on five live, he was insightful and demonstrated his passion and love of football and his great knowledge of the game. I will miss his contributions to radio just in the same way I will no longer see any more contributions from some of my favourite music and film actors that passed away some of which also died tragically too young.
I think his family will take immense pride from the reaction to his passing and will at least be comforted by the vast majority of those who have sent their best wishes. Rest in Peace Graham you will be sadly missed by more football fans than you could ever have imagined.
I met him many years ago, and had tea and cakes with him. He was a very nice bloke, and did some good stuff in a charitable sense behind the scenes. Very sad news.
He was yet another England manager that was treated woefully by the media.
Of course a true WFC legend or maybe the true WFC legend!
Will always remember the 2 promotions in 98 and 99 under GT (was too late to enjoy the wonderful era of the late 70s/80s)
RIP.
People will talk about England and maybe even GT would have said it didn't go well but I think the fact he was quite happy to go back into work and later join the media says something.
Unfortunately it was in era when England were probably the most important team football wise so the pressure was intense and the press could get away with much more than they could now.
I still maintain he was a better England manager than Roy Hodgson.
The qualifying groups are so diluted now ANYONE could get England to a tournament finals. In Taylors day we had the likes of Norway (who were then up and coming) and the Netherlands in the same group. So yes on the whole you are probably correct
Very sad news. Always came across as a thoroughly decent person with a good sense of humour. People forget If it wasn't for a diabolical refereeing decision, England would most likely have qualified for 1994 World Cup at the expense of a good Dutch team. He also never had a fit Gacoigne available.
I still maintain he was a better England manager than Roy Hodgson.
He was a disaster of an England manager, lets not get carried away here. Good bloke according to almost everyone that met him and fantastic achievements at club level which will long be remembered but we cant rewrite history based on him passing away.
The documentary didn't help our view of his time in charge either.
I met him back in 1994 he was manager at Wolves i was only 15 he took time to have a quick chat with me asking me who my favourite Wolves player was etc, he was a really nice guy a true gentleman who will be sorely missed.
Saturday is Wolves v Villa it will be a very emotional match.
Yeah, as a Wolves fan he isn't my favourite ever manager, but he was a true gentlemen, worked tirelessly wherever he went, achieved huge success and always carried himself well. The match on Saturday is going to be pretty emotional.
The qualifying groups are so diluted now ANYONE could get England to a tournament finals. In Taylors day we had the likes of Norway (who were then up and coming) and the Netherlands in the same group. So yes on the whole you are probably correct
Norway were the unfortunate joker in the pack England landed then, a nation with little past football pedigree but who came to the fore in that qualifying campaign (they also beat the Dutch) and basically meant one out of England or the Netherlands would miss out. Taylor unquestionably made some costly mistakes (and got it very wrong away to Norway), but he could still could conceivably have led England to the finals as one of the top two sides were it not for a combination of Norway's emergence and key decisions going against his side.
Also he led England to Euro '92 unbeaten from a pretty tough group in which only the winners would progress - no play-offs etc. It was only really in that tournament that things began to go sour for him, having lost just one match in nearly two years prior to it. Not a great England reign by any means, but I would say he was no more a "disaster" as England manager than several others over the years.
RIP - seemed a very genial, generous and warn man. I half dreaded Sky would announce Phil Neal's demise 5 seconds later but thankfully not... He'll be richly and rightfully celebrated at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
He was a disaster of an England manager, lets not get carried away here. Good bloke according to almost everyone that met him and fantastic achievements at club level which will long be remembered but we cant rewrite history based on him passing away.
I'm not rewriting anything as I have always held this position whenever "Worst England Manager" debates are started, even when Hodgson was still in charge.
Comments
Yep and sad to think that the two managers from that 1984 FA Cup Final (Howard Kendall and Graham Taylor) are no longer alive given they were both young bosses at the time.
https://twitter.com/OllieTrenchard/status/819541225468403714
Good club manager and came over as a good pundit and decent chap on radio 5 in his later years
He didn't do great with England but then no one else has for decades either
He did suffer a bit after 'that' documentary and the criticism was pretty fair as he didn't come over well
2017 starting off where 2016 finished, in terms of high profile deaths.
Very sad indeed.
I always liked to listen to him on the radio, he came over very well there I thought, but sadly most people will think of that stupid, pathetic headline, when they think of him.
I remember that doc they did on him, where he was swearing like a trooper!
Didn't they go from Division 3 to an FA Cup final and European competition under Taylor?
Saturday is Wolves v Villa it will be a very emotional match.
As a neutral I loved listening to Graham on five live, he was insightful and demonstrated his passion and love of football and his great knowledge of the game. I will miss his contributions to radio just in the same way I will no longer see any more contributions from some of my favourite music and film actors that passed away some of which also died tragically too young.
I think his family will take immense pride from the reaction to his passing and will at least be comforted by the vast majority of those who have sent their best wishes. Rest in Peace Graham you will be sadly missed by more football fans than you could ever have imagined.
He was yet another England manager that was treated woefully by the media.
Very sad news RIP
Of course a true WFC legend or maybe the true WFC legend!
Will always remember the 2 promotions in 98 and 99 under GT (was too late to enjoy the wonderful era of the late 70s/80s)
RIP.
People will talk about England and maybe even GT would have said it didn't go well but I think the fact he was quite happy to go back into work and later join the media says something.
Unfortunately it was in era when England were probably the most important team football wise so the pressure was intense and the press could get away with much more than they could now.
The qualifying groups are so diluted now ANYONE could get England to a tournament finals. In Taylors day we had the likes of Norway (who were then up and coming) and the Netherlands in the same group. So yes on the whole you are probably correct
Anyway sadly England haven't exactly improved since as suggested above.
He was a disaster of an England manager, lets not get carried away here. Good bloke according to almost everyone that met him and fantastic achievements at club level which will long be remembered but we cant rewrite history based on him passing away.
The documentary didn't help our view of his time in charge either.
Yeah, as a Wolves fan he isn't my favourite ever manager, but he was a true gentlemen, worked tirelessly wherever he went, achieved huge success and always carried himself well. The match on Saturday is going to be pretty emotional.
Norway were the unfortunate joker in the pack England landed then, a nation with little past football pedigree but who came to the fore in that qualifying campaign (they also beat the Dutch) and basically meant one out of England or the Netherlands would miss out. Taylor unquestionably made some costly mistakes (and got it very wrong away to Norway), but he could still could conceivably have led England to the finals as one of the top two sides were it not for a combination of Norway's emergence and key decisions going against his side.
Also he led England to Euro '92 unbeaten from a pretty tough group in which only the winners would progress - no play-offs etc. It was only really in that tournament that things began to go sour for him, having lost just one match in nearly two years prior to it. Not a great England reign by any means, but I would say he was no more a "disaster" as England manager than several others over the years.