The former England boss recalled the day when Aston Villa offered him a job which he would have regretted if he hadn’t taken it. 

Aston Villa have a long history of being led by top managers. The current boss, Unai Emery is certainly one of them. He became the first one in history to be nominated in the Ballon D’Or awards, which was announced last night. 

Prior to his arrival, there were a number of high profile managers who were at the helm of the Clarets and Blue, albeit not all of them had successful spells. Some of them were also in charge of the respectable national teams such as Martin O’Neill (Rep Ireland), Gerrard Houllier (France) or Jozef Venglos (Czechoslovakia). 

There was one, who happened to be the ex-Three Lions boss too. He was one of the few who had two stints in Villa Park. The aforementioned manager is none but the late Graham Taylor. During his interview with Sky Sports, he shared his memory when he was offered to return to B6, as reported in Coventry Telegraph.

“I would have regretted later in life turning down an opportunity I did not think would come, managing a leading Premiership club,”

A longer stint than initially planned?

The manager who guided England in EURO 1992 was believed to be appointed as a caretaker in the 2001/02 season when John Gregory made a sudden departure decision. Taylor, who took charge of the Three Lions from 1990 to 1993, was aware of the rumor and made a statement on that. 

“Originally the talk from the media was that I was seen as an end-of-season appointment and then they would get someone else in. As a member of the Villa board that was never an option. It was always going to be a long-term appointment. I was offered the job on Friday and I requested the weekend to talk further and think about it. I accepted on Sunday evening.”

Aston Villa chairman at that time, Doug Ellis, was the one who had the idea of bringing Taylor back to Bodymoor Heath, despite the fact that he had decided to retire from football management career. 

“He has come home. I know Graham as well as anyone in the hierarchy of football. We know each other inside out and will continue to work well.” 

Ellis’ idea might have been related to Taylor’s decision to take up the England job after the 1990 FIFA World Cup, despite still being attached to the club. Taylor’s return insinuated his unfinished business in the West Midlands.

“I know that since he was nine he wanted to be manager of England so reluctantly we allowed him to go to the Football Association to be manager of England. “

His not-so-successful return 

Taylor’s second stint did not turn out to be as successful as expected. When he arrived in the midst of 2001/02, he only managed to guide them to snatch three wins and four draws in the last 12 games of the season. Yet, it was enough to earn eighth spot in the standings. 

In his full season, 2002/03, his magic in leading Villa to finish second in the First Division of the 1989/90 campaign was no longer there. The Lions were struggling throughout the season. Olaf Mellberg and Co only managed to pick up 12 wins and nine draws in the league and finished 16th, just three points above the relegation zone. 

Despite his side’s positive result while holding Manchester United, Leeds and Liverpool in a draw plus a win over Chelsea, the Lions strived in the campaign with their outdated tactics. Taylor’s lack of fluidity in the game and versatility in the squad cost the result. He eventually handed in his resignation and criticised the chairman in public for the need of upper management overhaul.