KivoOwl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Eric Taylor - Man who served the club for over 40 years in different capacities, ranging from junior runner to team manager and club secretary. A man who only ever had the best interests of the club at heart, who won three promotions to the top flight, and transformed Hillsborough from a run of the mill ground to a state of the art stadium capable of hosting FA Cup semi-finals and World Cup quarter finals Dave Allen - Man who served the club for five years, and spent all of that time alienating the fanbase, destroying club morale and suing fans. The comparison is obscene. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freshfish Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) The comparison is obscene, you're right Kivo, but the sad fact is, and maybe it was because he was reluctant to leave, he was vilified during the last season of his tenure and history and people tend to remember the negative rather than the positive. I was probably one of those chanting for him to leave, and because of my age I had no concept or understanding of what his achievements had been other than building the Cant...of which we were and are all justly proud. However, the overriding memory and reasons for how he was regarded those last few months/year was what was happening on the pitch and the appearance of inertia and lack of understanding of just how bad things were within the boardroom...that is where comparisons can be made. Edited October 23, 2012 by Freshfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the monk Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I used to play football with his son and he told me he was dissapointed it was never called the Eric Taylor stand, but if you look at the centre gangways on the halfway line by chance they are E and T , never checked if this is true or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Monkey Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I used to play football with his son and he told me he was dissapointed it was never called the Eric Taylor stand, but if you look at the centre gangways on the halfway line by chance they are E and T , never checked if this is true or not That is very interesting. The gangways are not alphabetical all the way across. Never thought that could be the reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahrain Owl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I remember my dad coming home from work fuming - "that's the end of Wednesday - that idiot Taylor has just signed that Tommy Craig for daft money" "They have just asked him what's the team for Saturday Eric and he replied "Tommy Craig and ten other men"". Craig went on to be a goal scoring hero but I seem to remember that he never had anyone of a similar quality and Wednesday started to slip downwards. He had put all his eggs (reddies) in one basket it seems. Wasn't Craig the record signing for a teenager - 100,000 for a 19 year old - how much would that be in todays money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owls maniac Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I used to play football with his son and he told me he was dissapointed it was never called the Eric Taylor stand, but if you look at the centre gangways on the halfway line by chance they are E and T , never checked if this is true or not Yeah they do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the monk Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) Eric Taylor - Man who served the club for over 40 years in different capacities, ranging from junior runner to team manager and club secretary. A man who only ever had the best interests of the club at heart, who won three promotions to the top flight, and transformed Hillsborough from a run of the mill ground to a state of the art stadium capable of hosting FA Cup semi-finals and World Cup quarter finals Dave Allen - Man who served the club for five years, and spent all of that time alienating the fanbase, destroying club morale and suing fans. The comparison is obscene. Strange really how we used to big up the ground yet the bloke that built it gets flack for spending the money, and dare i say it Dave Richards. we like to bang on about Hirst Waddle etc but then hate Richards for getting us into debt ,Another bad example i can give is Ridsdale at Leeds. dispised for getting them into debt but the same fans brag about champions league semi finals Edited October 23, 2012 by the monk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevthelodgemoorowl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Of one thing we can be sure Eric Taylor was the greatest football admin man we are ever likely to see, he dragged the Hillsborough into the 20th century whilst most of the football league languished in the 19th century. I lost count of the number of prestige matches that Taylor brought to hillsborough. We saw the likes of Barcelona and Santos (with Pele). Semi-Finals were common place. Quixall was sold to Manchester United to the dislike of most fans but Albert hardly set any fires burning west of the Pennies after his move. Catterick tried to bring in Joe Baker from Italy and his bid floundered, probably due to to an intervention by Taylor himself and Catterick was let go over a wage increase of £20, so it's said. One should n't forget that we had gained a league runners up spot and even after Catterick went to Everton Wednesday made their way to the 1966 F.A. Cup Final. Not keeping Catterick at Hillsborough was probably a grave mistake on Taylors part. However, this should in know way undermine the great contribution that Taylor made to the development of Wednesday & Hillsborough. Taylor is right up there with the best of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scawsby_owls Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 One thing our club lacks is remembering the heroes. Even a wall of fame was issued for Ozzie owl etc but not for people like Taylor. Pressman should of had a testimonial as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torryowl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 taylor was never chairman so for someone to say he the most hated chairman is rubbish..... he had an imput on the ground no doubt but the final decision was down the andrew stephen and the board of which taylor was never on ..... he was team manager from 42-58 and twice the club held the record transfer fee in that time so to say they spent money on the ground to detriment of the team is incorrect.....it would be a fitting tribute to name the cant after him the club as had no greater servant . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyCraig6 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Eric was invilved in an horific Road Traffic Accident in 1967. He was lucky to live but his influence wained after that incident and his health deteriorated rapidly. He died in 1974 and his passing away co-incided with the club sinking to its lowest level in league football. As for the sale of Albert Quixall. It was Harry Catterick's decision to sell him. Many people will agree with me that Quixall never reached his full potential at Man Utd and, in my opinion, Wednesday never missed him because Johnny Fantham stepped into the breach admirably. (Yet another Eric Taylor discovery) The main point I wanted to get over in my book was that the greatest team I have ever seen in over 55 years (the team that finished runners up to Spurs in 1960/61) was assembled by Eric Taylor. Only one player was added by Catterick (Bobby Craig) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torryowl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Of one thing we can be sure Eric Taylor was the greatest football admin man we are ever likely to see, he dragged the Hillsborough into the 20th century whilst most of the football league languished in the 19th century. I lost count of the number of prestige matches that Taylor brought to hillsborough. We saw the likes of Barcelona and Santos (with Pele). Semi-Finals were common place. Quixall was sold to Manchester United to the dislike of most fans but Albert hardly set any fires burning west of the Pennies after his move. Catterick tried to bring in Joe Baker from Italy and his bid floundered, probably due to to an intervention by Taylor himself and Catterick was let go over a wage increase of £20, so it's said. One should n't forget that we had gained a league runners up spot and even after Catterick went to Everton Wednesday made their way to the 1966 F.A. Cup Final. Not keeping Catterick at Hillsborough was probably a grave mistake on Taylors part. However, this should in know way undermine the great contribution that Taylor made to the development of Wednesday & Hillsborough. Taylor is right up there with the best of them. catterick left coz he knew the everton(his former club and 1st love) job was coming up which he took just 3 weeks later, that the board wouldnt let him sign joe baker was just an excuse for him to walk out.its no secret him and taylor didnt see eye to eye but they could have been lovers and catterick would still have gone to everton .how you can suggest that taylor made a grave mistake is beyond me nev it was sod all to do with taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Owl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I used to hear my dad slag him off for letting Catterick go..He said the building of the North stand was a great achievement but thought we made a total mess of the Leppings Lane end just after. We then had to transfer from the Lepps to the Kop and get wet through every week. My dad said ET got his priorities wrong as he was not interested in looking afterr the working class man cause the difference between seat and standing prices were something we could just not afford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfmanjack Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Eric Taylor - Man who served the club for over 40 years in different capacities, ranging from junior runner to team manager and club secretary. A man who only ever had the best interests of the club at heart, who won three promotions to the top flight, and transformed Hillsborough from a run of the mill ground to a state of the art stadium capable of hosting FA Cup semi-finals and World Cup quarter finals Dave Allen - Man who served the club for five years, and spent all of that time alienating the fanbase, destroying club morale and suing fans. The comparison is obscene. Sorry kiddo, you don't have a clue. Ask your dad what he thought about Eric Taylor, and unless he has a terrible memory, dulled by time, he wont have a good word to say. As manager I believe he got us promoted three times, but each time we were promoted, he also got us relegated. When he took over the running of the club, after finishing as manager, harry catterick took over as manager, and left for Everton, I believe, because Taylor wouldn''t invest money in the squad. We got the World Cup games at Hillsborough in 1966, and FA CUp semi finals as well, due to the fact that Taylor spent his money on the ground, not on the team. In 1966, we had a young team, in fact I think at the time they had the youngest average age of any team which ever played in an FA Cup Final, and four years later, we were relegated, because yet again, we refused to invest in the team. Thanks for the stadium Eric, but I'd much rather have kept Catterick as manager and had a team which were realistic challengers for major honours, playing in a so so stadium, as opposed to a succession of poor teams and managers, playing in a state of the art (at the time) stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torryowl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Sorry kiddo, you don't have a clue. Ask your dad what he thought about Eric Taylor, and unless he has a terrible memory, dulled by time, he wont have a good word to say. As manager I believe he got us promoted three times, but each time we were promoted, he also got us relegated. When he took over the running of the club, after finishing as manager, harry catterick took over as manager, and left for Everton, I believe, because Taylor wouldn''t invest money in the squad. We got the World Cup games at Hillsborough in 1966, and FA CUp semi finals as well, due to the fact that Taylor spent his money on the ground, not on the team. In 1966, we had a young team, in fact I think at the time they had the youngest average age of any team which ever played in an FA Cup Final, and four years later, we were relegated, because yet again, we refused to invest in the team. Thanks for the stadium Eric, but I'd much rather have kept Catterick as manager and had a team which were realistic challengers for major honours, playing in a so so stadium, as opposed to a succession of poor teams and managers, playing in a state of the art (at the time) stadium. they did invest in the 66 team in nov that same year they broke the club record fee for john ritchie.later before they were relegated they broke it again with the world record fee for a teenager (tommy craig).....tell us how taylor could have stopped catterick going to everton ,he was always going to go everton was his club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torryowl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 To be fair Kivo if you didn`t live through that era you can only form an opinion second hand. Having lived through both the Taylor& Allen eras and found them totally different . But the outcome of each was equally drastic to the fortunes of the club. taylor was there over 40 years he built our best side in the last 80 years,he made us one of the most respected clubs in the country.to compare taylors era with allens is just flipping ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KivoOwl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Sorry kiddo, you don't have a clue. Ask your dad what he thought about Eric Taylor, and unless he has a terrible memory, dulled by time, he wont have a good word to say. As manager I believe he got us promoted three times, but each time we were promoted, he also got us relegated. When he took over the running of the club, after finishing as manager, harry catterick took over as manager, and left for Everton, I believe, because Taylor wouldn''t invest money in the squad. We got the World Cup games at Hillsborough in 1966, and FA CUp semi finals as well, due to the fact that Taylor spent his money on the ground, not on the team. In 1966, we had a young team, in fact I think at the time they had the youngest average age of any team which ever played in an FA Cup Final, and four years later, we were relegated, because yet again, we refused to invest in the team. Thanks for the stadium Eric, but I'd much rather have kept Catterick as manager and had a team which were realistic challengers for major honours, playing in a so so stadium, as opposed to a succession of poor teams and managers, playing in a state of the art (at the time) stadium. I've read enough on him to formulate my own opinions cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freshfish Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I think the range of posts and the polarity of opinion perfectly explains what I was trying to say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahrain Owl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Just to prove to you all that I really am a sad illegitimate, I just checked on the interweb and Tommy Craig then in 1968 (I think) was 100,000 pounds, well today it would have been 1,431,000. Come one Milan - cough up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torryowl Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) I've read enough on him to formulate my own opinions cheers. dead right kivo ...theres this myth that he wouldnt spend money and yet in the 50s when he was manager very few (if any) spent as much as wednesday did .look at the players he signed springett,johnson,tommy mac,sewell, quigley,etc etc all for good money back then as well as signing youngsters like megson ,swan ,young ,ellis ,fantham,wilkinson,finney,quinn,quixall .....the blokes a legend Edited October 23, 2012 by torryowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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