He was the greatest manager Watford have ever had, and Graham Taylor was also an important mentor to so many of those he coached and worked with.
His unexpected death in 2017 brought a premature end to the influence and advice he was able to offer – and Wales manager Robert Page admits he would like nothing more than to be able to pick up the phone to the man he calls ‘the gaffer’.
Taylor made Page captain at Watford, and it was the Welshman who lifted the trophy at Wembley when the Hornets won the 1999 Play-Off Final under Taylor’s tutelage.
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He is missed by many, not least Page as he leads Wales in their first World Cup finals since 1958.
“If the gaffer was still around now, I’d lean on him a lot,” Page said, affectionately.
“I would be on the phone to GT if I could, quite a bit. I pick the phone up to Kenny Jackett every now and then. I would absolutely want to lean on GT every now and then, yeah.”
Now a manager himself, Page readily admits that what he learned at Watford while a player has been key in his success since moving into coaching.
“For me, Graham Taylor was years ahead of his time as a manager. I learned a lot from him, Kenny Jackett, Luther Blissett,” he said.
“Graham Taylor was probably the best I ever worked with at identifying the right time to get the players out on the grass, and when was the right time to take the players down the pub for a bit of lunch.
“He got the balance spot on. When you worked, you worked. And his attention to detail in his work was phenomenal. If you didn’t put it all in when he expected you to work, he’d have the right hump. He let you know about it too.
“But on the other side of it, how many times did we at Watford get taken to the Hilton Hotel just outside the town, go for an hour’s walk and end up in a pub garden where he’d already organised lunch.
“We’d sit as a group and have lunch together, and that was our day. That was training for the day. No warm-up, no putting your boots on, no footballs. He had the knack of knowing the exact right time to do that.”
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Page also revealed how the first-team squad would all go to Taylor’s home for analysis sessions, with catering provided by his wife Rita.
“We’d get to his house, all go into the living room and he’d put a video on and we’d watch the game back from Saturday. His wife Rita would come round with sandwiches and coffee.
“We were sitting in his house, with his wife, watching video highlights and doing analysis. It was incredible.
“He was on a level with the players. He was honest and straight with us, and I really liked that about him.”
Page is effusive and genuine when he talks about his passion for the Hornets.
“Watford is the first result I look for, even though I’ve not had a chance to see them play in person this season. I have the utmost respect for Watford Football Club, and I always will.
“Without Watford, I wouldn’t be Wales manager. No way would it have happened without Watford as I wouldn’t have had the opportunities anywhere else.
“I love the club, and I did from day one. When I was 11, I moved to the area and I stayed with John and Brenda in Garston. They were the parents of Bob Booker, the former Brentford defender. That family feel and the way I was taken care of by the people associated with Watford made all the difference.
“I had some big clubs that wanted me. Tottenham offered me a five-year deal – when I was 13 or 14 they offered me a one-year professional contract just to try to get me to sign. I said a flat no because Watford, and the people there, were right for me.
“I had Tom Walley, I had Kenny Jackett, I had so many great people at the club. And I also saw what Watford did in terms of developing players.
“Thinking back players like David James, Jason Drysdale, Jason Soloman, Barry Ashby, Rod Thomas, they all came from the youth team and played in the first team. I loved that, and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Of course, the highlight of his career at Watford was captaining the side to that Play-Off Final victory at Wembley, and then leading them into the Premier League for the first time in the 1999/2000 season.
“I think that team from that era would give anybody a game,” said Page.
“That was the feeling we had in the changing room, we could take on anyone.
“There’s no way we should have got two consecutive promotions, but that came out of the spirit in the dressing room.
“I remember in the 1998/99 season us beating Tranmere at home when Richard Johnson and Allan Smart got sent off. That was the turning point for me. We knew how deep we’d had to dig in that game, and afterwards as a squad we said ‘you know what, everyone is writing us off so let’s go for it’.
“Against all the odds, we did it. I think our spirit caught Bolton off guard in the Play-Off Final, we had that attitude of feeling we could do anything.
“I was proud to captain those players. It’s like the Wales team I manage now: we’re happy to go toe-to-toe with anyone.”
The Watford squad that won the Play-Off Final in 1999 got together a couple of years ago at a club event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Wembley victory, but they had already developed such a strong bond they had never lost touch anyway.
“That squad has a group chat,” said Page “and everybody is on it: Smarty, Nick Wright, Tommy Mooney, Richard Johnson, Alon Hazan, Ronnie Rosenthal, we all have a group chat.
“Whenever there’s a birthday we all send messages. It was Paul Robinson’s birthday recently and everyone was sending him best wishes.
“That was a great group of players to be part of. We used to love going into training each day and spending time together. I think I’ve got that same spirit in the Wales dressing room, and you need that. You want an environment where people enjoy each other’s company as friends.
“You don’t have to like each other and want to spend all day with each other, but when you’re together you have that bond and mutual respect.”
Page has obviously been preoccupied by the small matter of the World Cup Finals, but he intends to get to a game at Vicarage Road this season.
“I do want to get to Vicarage Road. Dave Rickman, who gave me my digs, is still there and I like to go down and take him to a game.
“I’ll definitely come down and see everyone at Watford. As I said, it is the first result I want to know and I always enjoy coming to Vicarage Road."
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