Graham Taylor

Graham Taylor (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English footballer, manager, pundit, and later chairman of Watford. He led the England national side from 1990 to 1993, and his club management career included spells at Lincoln City, Watford, Aston Villa, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Taylor was born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, but grew up in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, which he considered his home town. His father, Tom, was a sports journalist for the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, and Taylor developed his love for the game watching Scunthorpe United from the stands at the Old Show Ground. After playing as a full-back for Grimsby Town and Lincoln City, a hip injury forced him to retire from playing in 1972. He then moved into management.

He won the Fourth Division title with Lincoln City in 1976, then took over at Watford in 1977. Over five seasons, he took the club from the Fourth Division to the First. Under his guidance, Watford finished as First Division runners-up in 1982–83 and reached the FA Cup final in 1984. He joined Aston Villa in 1987, securing promotion in 1988 and a second-place finish in the top flight in 1989–90.

In July 1990, Taylor became England manager. The team qualified for Euro 1992 but went out in the group stage. He resigned in November 1993 after failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. His tenure drew heavy criticism from fans and the media, and further scrutiny came when a behind-the-scenes documentary he had allowed, An Impossible Job, aired in 1994.

Taylor returned to club management with Wolverhampton Wanderers in March 1994. After one season there, he went back to Watford, leading them to the Premier League in 1999 following consecutive promotions. His final managerial role was a return to Aston Villa in 2002, which he left at the end of the 2002–03 season. He served as Watford’s chairman from 2009 to 2012, then became honorary life-president. He also worked as a pundit for BBC Radio 5 Live.

Early in his life, after moving to a council house in Scunthorpe in 1947, Taylor attended Henderson Avenue Junior School and then Scunthorpe Grammar School, where he met his future wife, Rita. He played for the England Grammar Schools team and passed six O-levels in 1961, joining the sixth form but leaving after a year to pursue football full-time. His head teacher disapproved, telling him, "Grammar school boys don't become footballers."

His playing career began as an apprentice at Scunthorpe United. He joined Grimsby Town in 1962, making his competitive debut in September 1963 in a 2–1 win over Newcastle United. He played 189 games for Grimsby as a full-back, scoring twice. Transferred to Lincoln City in summer 1968 for £4,000, he scored once in 150 appearances before retiring due to a serious hip injury in 1972.

Taylor holds a unique record: he is the only manager to have twice led teams to over 70 points in a single Football League season under the original two-points-for-a-win system. He achieved this with Lincoln City (74 points in 1976) and Watford (71 points in 1978). Only two other clubs—Doncaster Rovers (72 points in 1947) and Rotherham United (71 points in 1951)—managed the feat under that scoring system.

At age 27, Taylor became the youngest person to earn an FA coaching badge. After retiring as a player and a stint as player-coach, he became Lincoln City manager on 7 December 1972 at age 28, making him the youngest manager in the league. His first season saw a 10th-place finish, then 12th in 1974. The following season, Lincoln narrowly missed promotion after a 3–2 defeat at Southport on 28 April 1975. In 1976, he led Lincoln to the Fourth Division title, setting league records for wins (32), defeats (4), and points (74) under the two-point system. Lincoln finished 9th in the Third Division in 1976–77.

In June 1977, new Watford owner Elton John hired Taylor, who turned down an approach from First Division West Bromwich Albion. John had acted on advice from Don Revie. Taylor took Watford from the Fourth Division to the First in five years. In his first season, they won the 1977–78 Fourth Division title, losing only five of 46 games and winning by 11 points. In the Third Division, they finished second in 1978–79, missing the title by one point. The 1979–80 season in the Second Division was tougher, with an 18th-place finish, eight points clear of relegation and only 12 wins in 42 games. The next season, 1980–81, saw improvement to 16 wins and a 9th-place finish. In 1981–82, Watford secured promotion with a 2nd-place finish, recording 23 wins and 11 draws in 42 games. In the First Division, Taylor's Watford...