Former England manager Graham Taylor dies, aged 72

Graham Taylor in the dugout during his time with Aston Villa in March 2002.
© Getty Images
Former England and Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor dies, aged 72.

Former England and Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor has died at the age of 72.

Taylor was in charge of the England side from 1990 to 1993, overseeing the team's 1992 European Championship campaign, in which they were knocked out in the group stages.

Taylor eventually resigned as England boss in November 1993 after the team's failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, finishing his time in charge having won 18, drawn 13 and lost seven of his 38 games at the helm.

"With the greatest sadness, we have to announce that Graham passed away at his home early this morning of a suspected heart attack. The family are devastated by this sudden and totally unexpected loss," read a family statement.

At club level, Taylor began his managerial career at Lincoln City before moving on to Watford, where he made his name during a successful 10-year stint at Vicarage Road.

Taylor led the Hornets from the old Fourth Division to the top flight in just five years, finishing second behind champions Liverpool in their debut season in the First Division to record their highest ever finish. Watford also reached the final of the 1984 FA Cup under Taylor, losing 2-0 to Everton at Wembley.

Taylor then moved to recently-relegated Aston Villa and helped them bounce back to the top flight at the first time of asking before also leading them to a second-placed finish in the First Division.

That led to his appointment as England boss, after which he went on to manage Wolverhampton Wanderers before returning for second stints at both Watford and Aston Villa.

During his return to Watford he once again steered the club up from Division Two to the Premier League, becoming just the third manager to oversee 1,000 league games in English football in the process.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan kisses the trophy following his team's 1-0 victory during the FA Cup with Budweiser Final between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium on May 11, 2013
Read Next:
Man United face Wigan in FA Cup fourth round
>


Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Chelsea25193352183460
2Manchester CityMan City25164551292252
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs25148346182850
4Arsenal25155554282650
5Liverpool25147454302449
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd25139338211748
7Everton25118640271341
8West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2510783431337
9Stoke CityStoke258893036-632
10West Ham UnitedWest Ham2595113443-932
11Southampton2586112831-330
12Burnley2593132736-930
13Watford2586112942-1330
14Bournemouth2575133549-1426
15Swansea CitySwansea2573153154-2324
16Middlesbrough25410111927-822
17Leicester CityLeicester2556142443-1921
18Hull City2555152249-2720
19Crystal Palace2554163246-1419
20Sunderland2554162446-2219