As a football manager Graham Taylor enjoyed success at club level. He led Watford from the Fourth Division to runners-up in the old First Division (now the Premier League) in just five years. He also led the club, then owned by pop star Elton John, to the 1984 FA Cup final. The Football Association Cup is the leading competition in England and Wales. Later Taylor took Aston Villa to second in the First Division.
Taylor was then appointed as England team manager, in 1990. He did not enjoy the most successful of spells and resigned in 1993. His tenure began promisingly enough, taking England through the qualifying rounds for the 1992 European Championships; however the team crashed out in the early stages of the main competition. After this a series of results sealed his fate. This was after England disastrously, given their world ranking, failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup finals. After this, Taylor returned to Watford, and then again Aston Villa. He also, for a period, managed Wolverhampton. In his later years Taylor was a popular football pundit and television commentator.
Taylor was born in Nottinghamshire in 1944. A talented young soccer player he went onto play professionally for Grimsby Town and Lincoln City. His career came to an end through injury in 1972. This led to his successful career in management and later in the media. Taylor suffered a heart attack, Sky News reports, on January 12, 2017.
Tributes have been led by Sir Elton John. The musician, who owned Watford Football Club during both of Taylor’s spells at the club, told the BBC: “I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear about Graham’s passing. He was like a brother to me. We shared an unbreakable bond since we first met. We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever.”
In addition, ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the League Managers’ Association website: “Graham was one of the old-school managers. He started as a very young man of 28, having suffered a career-ending injury as a player.”
