Graham Taylor

Who is Graham Taylor?

Graham Taylor OBE is the former Chairman of Watford Football Club, having formerly been a football pundit, football manager, and player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the second division to the Premier League in two seasons two decades later.

Taylor grew up in the industrial steel town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, a town with which he still has many connections and regards as his hometown. The son of a sports journalist with The Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, Graham found his love of football in the stands of the Old Show Ground watching Scunthorpe United. He became a player, playing at full back for Grimsby Town and Lincoln City.

He retired as a player through injury in 1972. He became a manager and coach, winning success with Lincoln, Watford and Aston Villa. Taylor succeeded in rescuing and achieving promotion with all three clubs, leading Watford and Aston Villa to runners-up positions to Liverpool F.C in 1983 and 1990 respectively, while leading the former to an F.A Cup Final in 1984.