Eric Taylor - Time to recognise his contribution

[keefdave]

26 minutes ago, TommyCraig6 said:

Third Lanark

Wow, that's a blast from the past

[Buxtongent]

On 24/10/2012 at 10:46, dorian gray said:

my guess is i've been watching this football club more than twice as long as you have, and without any hesitation what so ever those two were the two most unpopular chairmen during that time...

i didn't attempt to suggest that he was as bad, or even worse than allen, merely at which extremity of the scale he belonged, and not at the end some seem to think he deserves...

.

Sorry, Dorian, but get your facts straight!!!  Eric Taylor was NEVER the CHAIRMAN of SWFC.

His original post was Secretary!. He was later promoted to Secretary Manager. The Chaiman at the time was another self-seeker for personal glory a certain Andrew Stephen, who later went on to Chair the Football League.

He became noted among a lot of Wednesday fans for 'spending money on the ground not the team, but yet, in his time, purchased a good number of excellent players. He broke a good number of then record signings.I well remember the outcry in local and National newspapers when he deigned to buy a certain Jackie Sewell for a world-record breaking £32 Thousand Five hundred pounds! scandle! He also broke the English record for a goalkeeper when he purchased a Ron Springett, and allowed him to live and train in London.. Among his purchases was a certain winger - Eddie Kilshaw -who when playing could make Kadeem Harris look broken winded.   He unfortunately broke his leg, and despite running from bottom of Kop to top and back, never regained his form. as for the Yo-Yo years, at least he got them promoted He bought failures, as any manager will do, but he had his successes too, and had in his term at leatst 3 promotions from Div 2 to Div 1, the equivalent of Championship to Premiership today. We've not seen that in the last 25 years!

He was also instrumental in promoting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a second to the Champions League, and was responsible for the appearance at S6 of teams of the stature of Santos (twice) and Dynamo Tiblisi, both world-class sides. Yes, he spent a lot of money on the ground but just have a look at the picture 'The Hillsborough Roar', and imagine yourselves watching Wednesday BEFORE the money was spent

Whilst not for one moment claiming him to be the next Saviour, he was certainly Mr. Sheffield Wednesday, heart and soul, and i consider the only true tribute to him would be to name HIS stand after him.

[Birley Owl 1867]

The first guy in Wednesday history to spend money we didnt have on the ground, cocking us up for the following 20 years.

[brian joicey]

2 hours ago, TommyCraig6 said:

I wrote and self published Eric's biography back in 2011.  At the time of publication (2011) it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the opening of the North Stand which all Owls fans know was the brainchild of Eric.  It was also the year that Eric's widow celebrated her 100th birthday!  My wife and I were proud to be invited to her party by her sons.

I sent a copy of my book to Mr Mandaric along with a request for the North Stand to be named after Eric.  My request was refused.  I sent another copy to Mr Chansiri with the same request.  My request was refused again. 

 

All Owls fans may be interested to learn that my book will be on sale again in the megastore very shortly after another print run.

fantastic, i have his testimonial brochure and look forward to reading this book 

[marble]

21 minutes ago, Birley Owl 1867 said:

The first guy in Wednesday history to spend money we didnt have on the ground, cocking us up for the following 20 years.

The first & last looking at the place these days. At least he raised the profile of the Club by improving the ground, regardless of how well or otherwise you think the money was spent. Subsequent money men have found more efficient & less fruitful ways to pee away money.

[Birley Owl 1867]

7 minutes ago, marble said:

The first & last looking at the place these days. At least he raised the profile of the Club by improving the ground, regardless of how well or otherwise you think the money was spent. Subsequent money men have found more efficient & less fruitful ways to pee away money.

But he spent money we didnt have on the ground for the world cup, at the expense of the team and we ended up in div 3 and nearly 4.

 

It happened again in the 90s, with Richards, he spent money for the Euros but unlike Taylor spent in the team. We ended up in League 1 and nearly League 2.

[Lincs Owl]

3 hours ago, Birley Owl 1867 said:

The first guy in Wednesday history to spend money we didnt have on the ground, cocking us up for the following 20 years.

 

Interesting view but factually very incorrect.

 

1.  If you've ever had the misfortune to sit or stand in the old wooden North stand, you'd know why it had to go.  It was a deathtrap- similar to Bradfords wooden stand which burnt down.

2.  I seem to remember the £150k for the cantilever stand was raised from the supporters by way of debentures. The fans were repaid by discounts on season tickets.  I could be wrong with exact details- it's a long time ago.  The programme for the August 1961 Bolton home game had all the details in it.

3.  The West stand was rebuilt for the 1966 World Cup.  All clubs upgraded their grounds at the time. We got a grant from Harold Wilsons govt and the plan was to take the cantilever round to that end.  But the country got into a financial mess and the grant was cut.  So we got the West stand as it is now (although the roof looks uglier now).

4.  It didn't c*ck us up for 20 years.   It was planned in about 1958 and we were in the top division until 1970.  

[Emerson Thome]

He made a strong contribution to the club (even if his record as manager is less than some of his predecessors and successors).

 

But I would prefer if the stand was to be named after someone it was a player rather than an administrator.

[sonofbert2]

We should do what United did and call it the Sophie Rigby Stand as after all, she did once mention supporting us on Twitter.

[Geedee]

Because he created the north stand undoubtedly the best stand in the country at the time I can't see what harm it would do to name it after him.

It would simply be a nice thing to do. 

[fatzooma]

8 hours ago, Buxtongent said:

.

Sorry, Dorian, but get your facts straight!!!  Eric Taylor was NEVER the CHAIRMAN of SWFC.

His original post was Secretary!. He was later promoted to Secretary Manager. The Chaiman at the time was another self-seeker for personal glory a certain Andrew Stephen, who later went on to Chair the Football League.

He became noted among a lot of Wednesday fans for 'spending money on the ground not the team, but yet, in his time, purchased a good number of excellent players. He broke a good number of then record signings.I well remember the outcry in local and National newspapers when he deigned to buy a certain Jackie Sewell for a world-record breaking £32 Thousand Five hundred pounds! scandle! He also broke the English record for a goalkeeper when he purchased a Ron Springett, and allowed him to live and train in London.. Among his purchases was a certain winger - Eddie Kilshaw -who when playing could make Kadeem Harris look broken winded.   He unfortunately broke his leg, and despite running from bottom of Kop to top and back, never regained his form. as for the Yo-Yo years, at least he got them promoted He bought failures, as any manager will do, but he had his successes too, and had in his term at leatst 3 promotions from Div 2 to Div 1, the equivalent of Championship to Premiership today. We've not seen that in the last 25 years!

He was also instrumental in promoting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a second to the Champions League, and was responsible for the appearance at S6 of teams of the stature of Santos (twice) and Dynamo Tiblisi, both world-class sides. Yes, he spent a lot of money on the ground but just have a look at the picture 'The Hillsborough Roar', and imagine yourselves watching Wednesday BEFORE the money was spent

Whilst not for one moment claiming him to be the next Saviour, he was certainly Mr. Sheffield Wednesday, heart and soul, and i consider the only true tribute to him would be to name HIS stand after him.

You proper talk out of your arse

[Ron springett]

Been following Wednesday since 1960 Eric Taylor was known as mr Sheffield Wednesday and rightly so he served Wednesday all his life from office boy to manager the man lived for Wednesday and was well regarded in football . There should be some recognition to him at Hillsboro 

[Hack-Abusi]

Interesting to see the main detractors of
Eric Taylor are Dorian Gay and SpurT is it? I dont know too much about him to be fair so cant comment ...

 

What are you guys saying?

[Aingarth]

On 24/10/2012 at 13:31, Lincs Owl said:

Loathed by who? Yes- we might have won the league in 60-61 if we had bought a decent centre-forward. Catterick wanted Joe Baker but we didn't have a spare £50,000. We could never compete with Tottenham, Everton, Man Utd in terms of money taken at the gate. And there was no TV dosh in those days.

He was wrongly blamed for using all our cash on the North Stand.

The North Stand cost(£150,000 to build) was raised by issuing 15,000 debentures of £10 each, if I remember right. Didn't cost the club anything, apart from interest. The fans paid for it.

90% of our fans realized that. A few are never happy. You seem to be one of them.

Would love the Eric Taylor days back. As a manager, he took us to THREE Div two(ie Championship level) championships in 8 years. Plus one runners-up position.

The  North Stand cost £150k for 10,000 seats. The debentures were £100 each and 1,500 were issued to fund the cost of the stand. Our family had two debentures. 
 

At the time it was the best stand in Europe. Some harsh views on this thread as, to most of us, Eric was Mr Sheffield Wednesday. 

Naming the North is now too little and too late, especially now the SAG lot are targeting its use as an excuse for their incompetence. 

[Aingarth]

On 21/09/2019 at 11:27, Buxtongent said:

.

Sorry, Dorian, but get your facts straight!!!  Eric Taylor was NEVER the CHAIRMAN of SWFC.

His original post was Secretary!. He was later promoted to Secretary Manager. The Chaiman at the time was another self-seeker for personal glory a certain Andrew Stephen, who later went on to Chair the Football League.

He became noted among a lot of Wednesday fans for 'spending money on the ground not the team, but yet, in his time, purchased a good number of excellent players. He broke a good number of then record signings.I well remember the outcry in local and National newspapers when he deigned to buy a certain Jackie Sewell for a world-record breaking £32 Thousand Five hundred pounds! scandle! He also broke the English record for a goalkeeper when he purchased a Ron Springett, and allowed him to live and train in London.. Among his purchases was a certain winger - Eddie Kilshaw -who when playing could make Kadeem Harris look broken winded.   He unfortunately broke his leg, and despite running from bottom of Kop to top and back, never regained his form. as for the Yo-Yo years, at least he got them promoted He bought failures, as any manager will do, but he had his successes too, and had in his term at leatst 3 promotions from Div 2 to Div 1, the equivalent of Championship to Premiership today. We've not seen that in the last 25 years!

He was also instrumental in promoting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a second to the Champions League, and was responsible for the appearance at S6 of teams of the stature of Santos (twice) and Dynamo Tiblisi, both world-class sides. Yes, he spent a lot of money on the ground but just have a look at the picture 'The Hillsborough Roar', and imagine yourselves watching Wednesday BEFORE the money was spent

Whilst not for one moment claiming him to be the next Saviour, he was certainly Mr. Sheffield Wednesday, heart and soul, and i consider the only true tribute to him would be to name HIS stand after him.

Fair comment on Eric Buxtongent. With the North Stand now looking a bit tired and the target of the SAG I think it needs a refurb before it can be named. Alternatively, a rebuild of the West Stand would be a fitting tribute. 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Andrew Robinson

[Buxtongent]

22 hours ago, fatzooma said:

You proper talk out of your arse

 

How long have you been watching Wednesday?  I have a good memory, taking me back to pre 1950!

 

And don't forget that, during Taylor's time, Wednesday were run by a set of Directors and as a Limited Company, to whom Eric was responsible.. The amount of money in football at the time was nowhere near that swishing about today, and players for a long time were on a maximum wage. Sponsorship was unheard of, as was tV and its money. Managing a football club was a completely dofferent to today. 

[asteener1867]

On 21/09/2019 at 12:00, Birley Owl 1867 said:

The first guy in Wednesday history to spend money we didnt have on the ground, cocking us up for the following 20 years.

Ive no axe to grind...but this was the general opinion of older fans when I first started going...

"Taylor has his eyes off the pitch..rather than on it"

 

[torryowl]

3 hours ago, asteener1867 said:

Ive no axe to grind...but this was the general opinion of older fans when I first started going...

"Taylor has his eyes off the pitch..rather than on it"

 

that's a ridiculous view from them then …….I grew up hearing it and it's just crap . as team manager he got the board to spend(then)  vast sums on players in the 50s, he signed all but 2 of the team that finished runners up to spurs in 61 …..when it comes to ground development he worked under the boards instruction a job he did very well as we had the best ground in the country in the 60s ……the blokes a giant when it comes to the  history of Sheffield Wednesday officials …..  

[nevthelodgemoorowl]

On ‎21‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 11:27, Buxtongent said:

.

Sorry, Dorian, but get your facts straight!!!  Eric Taylor was NEVER the CHAIRMAN of SWFC.

His original post was Secretary!. He was later promoted to Secretary Manager. The Chaiman at the time was another self-seeker for personal glory a certain Andrew Stephen, who later went on to Chair the Football League.

He became noted among a lot of Wednesday fans for 'spending money on the ground not the team, but yet, in his time, purchased a good number of excellent players. He broke a good number of then record signings.I well remember the outcry in local and National newspapers when he deigned to buy a certain Jackie Sewell for a world-record breaking £32 Thousand Five hundred pounds! scandle! He also broke the English record for a goalkeeper when he purchased a Ron Springett, and allowed him to live and train in London.. Among his purchases was a certain winger - Eddie Kilshaw -who when playing could make Kadeem Harris look broken winded.   He unfortunately broke his leg, and despite running from bottom of Kop to top and back, never regained his form. as for the Yo-Yo years, at least he got them promoted He bought failures, as any manager will do, but he had his successes too, and had in his term at leatst 3 promotions from Div 2 to Div 1, the equivalent of Championship to Premiership today. We've not seen that in the last 25 years!

He was also instrumental in promoting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a second to the Champions League, and was responsible for the appearance at S6 of teams of the stature of Santos (twice) and Dynamo Tiblisi, both world-class sides. Yes, he spent a lot of money on the ground but just have a look at the picture 'The Hillsborough Roar', and imagine yourselves watching Wednesday BEFORE the money was spent

Whilst not for one moment claiming him to be the next Saviour, he was certainly Mr. Sheffield Wednesday, heart and soul, and i consider the only true tribute to him would be to name HIS stand after him.

Pleased you put him right Buxton

[asteener1867]

18 hours ago, torryowl said:

that's a ridiculous view from them then …….I grew up hearing it and it's just crap . as team manager he got the board to spend(then)  vast sums on players in the 50s, he signed all but 2 of the team that finished runners up to spurs in 61 …..when it comes to ground development he worked under the boards instruction a job he did very well as we had the best ground in the country in the 60s ……the blokes a giant when it comes to the  history of Sheffield Wednesday officials …..  

Yep..had sod all to do with Harry Catterick