Graham Taylor – A Gentleman and a Scholar
Driving home last night I switched on 5-Live as one does. Lo and behold the first words I heard were “I am with the referee on this one. In fact, he is having a very good game”.
I recognised the tones and thought “Yes, Graham, you are true to your word”. No melodramatics, just a straightforward matter of fact statement, even though all around were debating the Liverpool penalty.
I then thought … QPR vs. Wigan on Saturday, The Football Writer’s Award dinner on Sunday, Anfield on Wednesday & in between, a little trip up and down the A41 to Tring.
Perhaps it was Jacky and Steve organising his diary, but there was never any doubt in my mind that Graham came to our meeting because he wanted to, not because it was simply another appointment to be fulfilled. This resonated throughout his presentation and left us all enthralled by Graham’s passion and love for the game.
For a person who says that he has never really had a proper job, the ex-grammar school boy from Scunthorpe has done OK, so perhaps the bollocking from his former headmaster Jock McIvor did have an effect throughout his many years in the game.
What was interesting was how football and refereeing has evolved throughout the last 50 years since Graham embarked on his football career as a “rookie” 17 year old full back at Grimsby Town.
He told of how in his first match he was firmly put in his place by the referee, Gordon Hill, after being penalised for a foul. Complaining to Gordon about the decision, he was met with the comment, “Look young man, you focus on improving your game. The pitch is my domain. I make the decisions, so off you go and start improving”.
In the 60’s and 70’s it was a case of standing up and being counted.
Today is much different. Players have untold riches. They have their agents. They are looked after far better than in Graham’s playing days but in a way they have perhaps lost that rapport with the fans, certainly in the Premier League.
When asked about his philosophy on management and football, Graham made it sound so simple and obvious. First and foremost, it is about ball retention (Barcelona is the prime example) and moving the ball quickly and accurately from A to B.
Yet using stats from the QPR vs. Wigan game, he asserted that it is not only about retention. There is no point in just keeping the ball if there is no end product i.e. shots on goal. In the QPR-Wigan game, Wigan had by far the greatest possession but when it came to the final third, they had much fewer shots on goal and yes, they lost the game.
These principles served Graham well in his coaching and managerial days. It is thus surprising that some of his teams were categorised by the media as long ball teams when in fact they played the ball through the middle and with wingers like Barnesy in the side, it was a hardly a team built for the long ball.
Looking back, taking a team from the then Division 4 (Now FL Division 2) to the upper echelons of Division 1 (Premier League) and Europe, is an achievement for any team let alone one of Watford’s resources. Elton, if you read this article, you still owe Graham £230,767.28p!!!
Moving on, what came across was Graham’s emphasis on people management. At the end of the day a footballer is a human being and has the same issues as everyone else on the planet. This is important when building a team. Many a time supporters will beef about “why did you buy this player and not this player?” What they sometimes do not understand is that the player may just not fit into the team even though he ticks all the boxes technically. Equally, when buying a player, it is important to make the player feel not just part of the team but the club. In this respect, know what makes him tick. If he has a family, then housing and schools have all to be considered. Make it easy for him to settle in. It’s the small things that make the difference.
It is the same with referees – the art of communication (and not tweeting!!) is vital. Graham does find, even in his current role as a soccer pundit, that referees will quietly ask his opinion on decisions that were not the most popular, shall we say. How many pundits can say that … speaks volumes for the high regard that many people in football hold Graham in … his opinion is very much valued.
An evening with Graham would not be complete without asking him about his reign as the England manager and the differences between club management and international management. His insight was most informative and he was candid in his reflections on what was probably the least successful period of his career. With international players, you are dealing with players from many clubs who are coached and managed in different ways, each with their own set of routines. Moulding them into a team takes time and when you consider you only have these players for a few short periods in a year, the challenges increase as you try to get them to play to your style. In his view, he perhaps over coached rather than let the players express their talents within an overall style.
When asked who he would like to see as Mr Capello’s successor, he was not just definitive but passionate that the next manager should be English. Harry Redknapp was his unanimous choice, although his current run in with HMRC may count against him amongst some sections of the media and FA.
No-one could argue with his rationale because having been there and got the stripes he recognises the qualities that differentiate between a good international manager and a club manager, not least, people management and knowing how they will perform as a group.
When you invite a guest speaker, you’re always nervous that the speaker may not live up to the marketing hype as you promote the event. With Graham, these butterflies quickly evaporated as he was given a rapturous applause midway through his presentation, not just once but twice.
One was when dealing with the Respect Campaign, where he was of the opinion that it has to start at the TOP. Who are kids going to copy, their mates on a Sunday morning or their heroes in Premier League? No brainer really! Take for example the brandishing of the imaginary card by players and coaches alike. Cut it out at the top and you cut it out at the bottom is his message.
Similarly, when players surround the referee contesting a decision, Graham would love to see a referee just go boom, boom, boom with his cards. May be unpopular but it would cut it out.
Whilst he can see the benefits of technology, he is nervous about where the use of it will actually stop. Take the example of the goal line where technology shows the ball crossed the line but in the build up, the ball had actually gone out of play. What decision do you make? A good point, leaving us all to ponder where does it stop & will TV eventually dictate where and when it is used!
Once again, we were privileged to be in the presence of someone who is a true gentleman and scholar. There is no better compliment one can pay Graham and we can now understand fully why he is regarded as a legend amongst the Watford fans in the audience and given “grudging” respect by the arch enemy just up the road in Bedfordshire.
Graham, you exceeded expectations and thank you for one of the most insightful evenings that our members, young and old, have enjoyed at the ASSMFLMO.
Pete Hazel