I’ll miss Graham so much – Sir Elton

SIR Elton John last night led the tributes to former England manager Graham Taylor, who died yesterday of a suspected heart attack, aged 72.

Taylor will be best remembered for his spell in charge of England from 1990-93 and successful stints with Watford and Aston Villa.

He began his footballing career as a player with Scunthorpe and also represented Grimsby and Lincoln before moving into management with the latter.

He also had a spell as manager at Wolves and later became a respected pundit with the BBC and BT Sport.

Sir Elton, Taylor’s chairman at Watford, expressed his sadness via an Instagram post.

He wrote: “I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear about Graham’s passing. He was like a brother to me. We shared an unbreakable bond since we first met. We went on an incredible journey together and it will stay with me forever.

“He took my beloved Watford from the depths of the lower leagues to unchartered territory and into Europe. We have become a leading English club because of his managerial wisdom and genius.

“This is a sad and dark day for Watford. The club and the town. We will cherish Graham and drown our sorrows in the many brilliant memories he gave us.

“I love you Graham. I will miss you very much. My thoughts go out to Rita, Joanne, Karen and the whole Taylor family.”

Taylor’s achievements with the Hornets were remarkable. After taking charge in 1977, he led the club from the Fourth Division to the top tier.

They finished second in the First Division in 1983, qualifying for the UEFA Cup, and reached the FA Cup final the following year. He had a second spell at Vicarage Road from 1996 to 2001.

Taylor took charge at Villa following relegation to the Second Division. He won promotion at the first attempt and two years after that, in 1990, they finished runners-up to Liverpool in the First Division.

That achievement was instrumental in securing him the England position. Years later, in 2002, he came out of managerial retirement for a second spell at Villa.

Taylor’s spell in charge of England ended in disappointment after failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, a campaign which was chronicled in a TV documentary which became famous.

Taylor faced fierce criticism at times with the national side, with one newspaper ridiculing him by depicting him as a turnip.

Alan Shearer and Paul Merson, who both played under Taylor, also expressed their condolences.

Shearer tweeted: “Completely shocked by news of Graham Taylor. Always held him in the very highest regard – the man who gave me my first England cap. So sad.”

Merson, who was called up to the England squad by then-manager Taylor in 1991 added: “I will be forever grateful.

“He was a very honest man. What he did at Watford will never be done again in my opinion.

“To go through the leagues and do so well was phenomenal. To do what he did will never be done again.”

Former England manager Steve McClaren, now at Derby, added: “His enthusiasm for football showed all the way through. He was an original oldschool manager, who had great success.

“He was well respected across the game and it is a sad loss for football.”

Paul Gascoigne, who is battling to beat an addiction to alcohol, spoke fondly of Taylor when he heard the news of his death and passed on his condolences via A1 Sporting Speakers from rehab.

“I’m deeply sorry to hear about Graham Taylor. He will be a miss, and his enthusiasm for life and football was incredible. My thoughts go out to his family,” he said in a statement released to Press Association Sport.