Ian Taylor (footballer, born 1968)

Ian Taylor
Personal information
Full name Ian Kenneth Taylor[1]
Date of birth (1968-06-04) 4 June 1968[1]
Place of birth Birmingham, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
1991–1992 Moor Green
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1992–1994 Port Vale 83 (28)
1994 Sheffield Wednesday 14 (1)
1994–2003 Aston Villa 235 (28)
2003–2005 Derby County 81 (14)
2005–2007 Northampton Town 66 (8)
Total 479 (79)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Ian Kenneth Taylor (born 4 June 1968) is an English former footballer, best known for his time at Aston Villa. A midfielder, he had a fifteen-year career in the Football League and Premier League, making 478 league appearances.

He made the move from non-league Moor Green to Port Vale in 1992. With Vale he lifted the Football League Trophy in 1993. His impressive performances earned him a place on the Second Division PFA Team of the Year in 1992–93 & 1993–94, as well as the club's Player of the Year award in 1993. He made a million pound move to Sheffield Wednesday in June 1994, and he was sold on for another million to Aston Villa later in the year. He lifted the League Cup and reached the FA Cup final with the club he had supported as a boy. In 2003, he signed with Derby County, helping the club to the Championship play-offs before signing with Northampton Town in June 2005. He helped the club to win promotion out of League Two in 2005–06, before he announced his retirement in April 2007.

Playing career

Taylor started his career with Moor Green, but got a move into the Football League in May 1992 when Port Vale paid the club £15,000 (this figure later rose to £25,000 due to instalments based on appearances).[3] His debut came on 7 August 1992, in a 5–0 win over De Graafschap in the TNT Tournament. He became a regular in the side and in 1992–93 scored 15 goals to become the club's top scorer and earn himself the Player of the Year award, as well as a place on the PFA Second Division team. The following season he helped the club to the Football League Trophy title and was once again selected in the PFA's divisional team of the season.[3] He had become another master signing from John Rudge.

In June 1994, Taylor signed with Premier League Sheffield Wednesday. The next month a tribunal decided upon a £1 million fee, plus £100,000 for an England appearance and £25,000 for every ten goals up to a maximum of fifty goals as well as 15% of the profit of any future sale.[3] As it happened he was shifted on to Brian Little's Aston Villa in December that year for £1 million plus Guy Whittingham. The "profit" for Wednesday was therefore Whittingham himself, meaning all the would-be bonuses were an irrelevance. Taylor played just eighteen games for Wednesday, but did score a goal in the pre-season Steel City Cup.

A lifelong supporter of the "Villans", as a child he used to stand on the Holte End at Villa Park. This fact, combined with his utterly committed displays and knack of scoring crucial goals, quickly established him as a fans' favourite.[2] Villa narrowly stayed in the Premier League in 1994–95 after finishing three points and one place above relegated Crystal Palace. Villa finished fourth in 1995–96, and Taylor scored in wins over Manchester United, Wimbledon, Leeds United, and Southampton. He also played, and scored, in the Aston Villa side that won the 1996 League Cup final 3–0 against Leeds.

He played 36 domestic games in 1996–97, scoring in wins over Leeds, Wimbledon, and Liverpool. He scored 9 goals in 44 games in 1997–98, and maintained his first team place under new manager John Gregory. Taylor also netted important goals in Villa's 1997–1998 UEFA Cup run, when they would eventually be knocked out by Atlético Madrid on away goals at the quarter-final stage.

He scored four times in 38 games in 1998–99, and again Villa won all games in which he found the net, including a 2–1 victory at Coventry City in which Taylor scored both Villa's goals. He was prolific in 1999–2000, scoring ten goals in 42 games, helping Villa to reach the 2000 FA Cup Final, where they lost out 1–0 to Chelsea at Wembley. Taylor hit five goals in 35 games in 2000–01, including both goals in a 2–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. However, he was restricted to just eighteen appearances in 2001–02, as manager John Gregory was replaced by Graham Taylor in January. After only nineteen appearances in 2002–03, he was released by Taylor at the end of the campaign.[4]

Taylor joined First Division side Derby County,[5] where he was made captain. He was the club's top-scorer in 2003–04 with twelve goals, as Derby avoided relegation by a single point. He played 44 games in 2004–05, as Derby reached the Championship play-offs, where they were defeated by Preston North End in the semi-finals. Taylor was released in May 2005.[6]

In June 2005 he signed with League Two outfit Northampton Town.[7] The "Cobblers" won promotion in 2005–06 as League Two runners-up, with Taylor making 38 appearances. For his performances he was named on the PFA Team of the Year. Northampton retained their League One status in 2006–07, as Taylor played another 36 games. Taylor announced that the game at home to Huddersfield Town on 27 April would be the last of his career before retiring as a professional player.[8] A small number of Aston Villa fans attended this match. At Villa's away match against Manchester City the day after Taylor's final game, the travelling Villa fans sang "There's only one Ian Taylor".

International career

Taylor was born in Birmingham, England and is of Barbadian descent through his mother.[9] In May 2004, he was considered by Barbados manager Kenville Layne for a call-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying double-header against Saint Kitts and Nevis in June 2004.[10] Taylor revealed that he turned down a similar approach from the nation five years previous, as he wanted to play for England.[10]

Post-retirement

Taylor is now an occasional football pundit for the Aston Villa online TV channel, AVTV, and can regularly be seen at Aston Villa games. During the 2007–08 season, he has been given a regular column as the final feature in Aston Villa's match programme, titled 'Tayl End'. Still held in very high esteem by Villa fans, he maintained his cult status in October 2005, when instead of sitting with the directors and VIPs for the Second city derby against Birmingham City at St Andrew's, he was amongst the travelling Aston Villa contingent; Taylor did the same thing again in Villa's game against Blues on 11 November 2007.[2] He played for Villa in the 2007 Premier League All Stars charity tournament.

In August 2008 he became a match day summariser covering matches involving Derby County for BBC Radio Derby during the 2008–09 season.

In February 2011, Taylor rejoined Villa after being appointed club ambassador.[11]

Career statistics

Club Season League League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Port Vale1992–93Division 2——————
1993–94Division 2——————
Port Vale total 83286142—13410635
Sheffield Wednesday1994–95Premier League1410041——182
Sheffield Wednesday total 1410041——182
Aston Villa1994–95Premier League—————382
1995–96[12]2530011——264
1996–97[13]3420021——363
1997–98[14]326301083—449
1998–99[15]334101030—384
1999–2000[16]2955085——4210
2000–01[17]294101041—355
2001–02[18]1631110——184
2002–03[19]130102131—192
Aston Villa total 23528172228225—29643
Derby County2003–04[20]Division 142111011——4412
2004–05[21]Championship3932010—20443
Derby County total 81143021—208815
Northampton Town2005–06[22]League Two3373010—10387
2006–07[23]League One3313000——361
Northampton Town total 6686010—10748
Career total 479793233312225160582103

Honours

Individual
with Port Vale
with Aston Villa
with Northampton Town

References

  1. 1 2 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 412. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
  2. 1 2 3 "Player Profile: Ian Taylor". threematchban.com. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 287. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  4. ↑ "Villa release veteran pair". BBC Sport. 12 May 2003. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  5. ↑ "Taylor joins Derby". BBC Sport. 26 June 2003. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  6. ↑ "Quartet are released by Rams boss". BBC Sport. 21 May 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  7. ↑ "Cobblers complete quartet capture". BBC Sport. 30 June 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  8. ↑ "Taylor set for final appearance". BBC Sport. 24 April 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  9. ↑ "Taylor considering Barbados call". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  10. 1 2 "FOOTBALL: BARBADOS IS IAN'S TAYL OF UNEXPECTED". Mirror. 2 May 2004. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Brown, Paul (23 February 2011). "Fan favourite Taylor appointed club ambassador". avfc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  12. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 1995/1996". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  13. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  14. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  15. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  16. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  17. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  18. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  19. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  20. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  21. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  22. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  23. ↑ "Games played by Ian Taylor in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  24. ↑ Kent, Jeff (1996), Port Vale Personalities, Witan Books, p. 288, ISBN 0-9529152-0-0
  25. ↑ Kent, Jeff (1993). The Port Vale Record 1879–1993. Witan Books. p. 236. ISBN 0-9508981-9-8.

External links

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