Graham Taylor: Football to pay tribute to former England manager

Taylor, who enjoyed success with Watford, Wolves, Aston Villa and Lincoln City, died aged 72 on Thursday.

A minute's applause will be held before the weekend's English Football League matches.

Watford, whom he managed for 15 years over two spells, will commemorate Taylor before their game against Middlesbrough on Saturday.






The EFL said it was also giving clubs the option of letting their players wear black armbands during this weekend's fixtures.

The Premier League will leave the decision of whether to pay tribute to individual clubs. Its executive chairman Richard Scudamore said Taylor's "insight, wit and self-deprecating humour" would be missed.

"You will struggle to find a more decent individual in football - one who cared passionately about all levels and aspects of the English game," he said.

Meanwhile, Watford supporters have been laying tributes to Taylor outside their stadium, where a stand is named after their former manager, chairman and, more recently, honorary vice-president.

As a club manager, Taylor led Watford from the Fourth Division to runners-up in the old First Division in five years, and to the 1984 FA Cup final.

He took Aston Villa to second in the First Division, returning to Watford and Villa after his spell in charge of the national side, and also managing Wolves.

Wolves meet Aston Villa in a Championship game at Molineux on Saturday.

Taylor became England boss in 1990 but resigned in 1993 after the team failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

He later became a respected pundit for BBC Sport.

He leaves behind his wife Rita and daughters Joanne and Karen.