Who was Graham Taylor? Former England boss dead at 72 to leave football in mourning
Manager led national team during a three-decade career in the dugout which followed 10 years as a player
FORMER England manager Graham Taylor has passed away at the age of 72.
The veteran boss spent three decades in the dugout following a 10-year career as a player.
Tributes have been pouring in for Taylor - who died of a suspected heart attack.
Read SunSport's profile of the ex-Three Lions chief below.
Who was Graham Taylor and which teams did he manage?
Taylor began his managerial career at Lincoln City when he as forced to hang up his boots after a serious hip injury.
The Worksop-born boss was the youngest FA coach at the age of 27 and manager when he took over a year later.
After leading The Imps to the Fourth Division title he took over the reins at Watford under owner Elton John.
He spent 10 years with the Hornets before landing the Aston Villa job - guiding them to promotion to the First Division and a second-place finish in the top flight in three years in the Midlands.
After a three-year spell as England chief, Taylor returned to club football with Wolves before ending up back at former clubs Watford and Villa, where he retired in 2003.
What was Graham Taylor's record as England manager?
Taylor lost just once in his first 23 matches as England manager despite initial concerns over his appointment.
Pundits were concerned about a lack of major trophies and his route-one style at Aston Villa.
But England's Euro 92 qualifying campaign was a struggle in a group containing Turkey, Ireland and Poland.
The Three Lions could only draw home and away against the Irish and edged past Turkey 1-0.
And it took a last-ditch Gary Lineker goal against Poland to secure qualification for Euro 92 at Ireland's expense.
At the tournament, injury-hit England were drawn with France, Sweden and Denmark - drawing their first two matches 0-0.
Taylor needed to beat Sweden to reach the quarter-finals but despite taking a 1-0 lead, two quickfire goals consigned England to an early exit.
The boss was blasted for taking off Lineker on the hour mark - robbing him of the chance to chase Bobby Charlton's then record 49 international goals.
He survived the tournament exit and appeased the press by admitting to his mistakes.
An 'easy' group of Norway, Holland, Poland, Turkey and San Marino was believed to see England safely to the USA World Cup.
Classic Taylor lines from An Impossible Job
"Can we not knock it?"
"Do I not like that..."
"It's got to go, son. It's got to go big. It's got to go big!"
"Go Les! Hit Les! Hit Les over the top!"
"Wrighty? It's made for Wrighty to come on and score, isn't it?"
"The referee's got me the sack. Thank him ever so much for that won't you?"
But draws against the Netherlands, Norway and Poland hit their hopes and defeat away to the Norwegians spelled disaster.
England needed to beat Holland away to join the Scandinavians in the finals but a 2-0 loss left the campaign on the brink.
The Three Lions won his final match against San Marino 7-1 but the Netherlands edged through and Taylor resigned
He had agreed to be filmed during the qualification for the fly-on-the-wall documentary An Impossible Job where he was heard using foul language and uttering what became his catchphrase: "Do I not like that."
In total, Taylor won 18 of 38 matches with 13 draws and seven defeats.
What has Graham Taylor won?
Taylor won the Fourth Division with Lincoln and Watford, who he managed to guide to second place in the Third, Second and First Divisions.
He also finished second in the top-flight with Aston Villa and lost in the 1984 FA Cup final with the Hornets.
What did Graham Taylor do after retiring from management?
Taylor became vice-president of Scunthorpe United in 2003 and oversaw their revival and promotion to the Championship for the 2007-08 season.
In 2009 he became a non-executive director at Watford to continue a long-term affiliation with the club.
He resigned in 2012 but was made an honorary life president to thank him for is service. The Rous Stand was named the Graham Taylor stand in 2014.
In addition, Taylor worked as a pundit and was involved with a number of charities - cycling from London to Paris in 2010 to raise funds for the RBL's Poppy Appeal.
How has the football world reacted to the news of Graham Taylor's death?
Elton John led the tributes to the former England manager, saying "he was like a brother to me, I loved him"
The pop legend said: "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."
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