Watford FC commemorated the life of legendary manager Graham Taylor by celebrating the iconic players from his rise up the leagues with the Hornets throughout their game against Sheffield United on Saturday, January 4.
Taylor was first in charge of Watford between 1977 and 1987, but it was the class of 1977-1983 that were paraded around the pitch and interviewed about their time at the club before the game and at half time.
Ahead of the tie, WATFORDnews caught up with defender Ian Bolton, who arranged the Graham Taylor Matchday event for the former players and was one of several managed by Taylor who attended the game.
Bolton said: “I’ve been trying for years, and for one reason or another it’s never come off, and I tried again, we had a meeting and I wasn’t expecting a lot, but we were given the lot, we got a hotel, a room, food, drink, you name it, which blew me away.
“[The response after contacting former team mates about the event] was even better than this! A few have had to pull out because of the weather, but here today are people involved in the richest period in the club’s history, from the fourth tier to the first tier and finishing second and playing in Europe.
“That was hard to think about when I first came down here in 1977, when it was like a barn with all due respect, but these players together with a few that aren’t here [made it happen]. This is just fantastic, it’s like we’ve never been apart.”
Whilst Watford were beaten 1-2 at Vicarage Road on the day, as Jeremy Ngakia’s equaliser was cancelled out by Gustavo Hamer’s opener and a stunning strike to win the game by Andre Brooks for the Blades, it was still a memorable occasion which paid tribute to the man who oversaw a revolutionary decade at the Hornets. Scarves were raised by supporters around the ground before kick off to remember him, as part of the annual event which pays tribute to the former Watford manager who died in January 2017.
For Bolton, who played 234 times for Watford, it was special to see his own legacy with his former team mates.
He said: “I was expecting to get a sign saying ‘this is my name’, but straight away we recognised each other, and you can see how friendly we are, and I just hope we get a brilliant response.”
A character who was often criticised by other teams for his style of play which was also hard to beat, Taylor was loved by his players, and Bolton said his football even garnered praise from footballing legends such as Brian Clough.
Ian said: “I can remember Graham Taylor’s last words as we were walking out the dressing room: ‘just score one more goal than them’. If you don’t score, you won’t win, it doesn’t matter if it’s 9-8 or 1-0.
“I was the first player he paid money for. It was brilliant, we we first all got together, there were players from here, there and everywhere, but put us together it was like putting a car together, as we progressed, we introduced players with better quality, like John Barnes and Kenny Jackett. We were a family.
“Taylor’s philosophy was brilliant.”
Ian was also quick to praise former chairman and Watford icon Elton John, who he said played a pivotal role in allowing Taylor to work his magic on the club.
Watford manager Tom Cleverley’s comments before the tie proved Taylor’s legacy at the club lives on today.
He was quoted as saying: “It’s always a really special time for us to celebrate what he brought to this club.
“We continue to pay tribute to GT with the foundation that Richard Johnson and Jimmy Gilligan provide in the Academy.”
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