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Gareth Keith Taylor (born 25 February 1973) is a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and former player who most recently served as the
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
of Manchester City Women. He began his career as a defender at Bristol Rovers, having left the
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
in 1991. After
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
spells with
non-League Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
sides Gloucester City and Weymouth, he was converted into a striker. He then spent the 1995–96 season with Crystal Palace (who paid £1.25 million for his services) before two years with Sheffield United. He transferred to Manchester City in 1998 for a £400,000 fee and was loaned out to Port Vale,
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
, and
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
. He moved permanently to Burnley in 2001 and joined
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
for a £500,000 fee two years later. In 2006, he was loaned out to Crewe Alexandra before signing with Tranmere Rovers. In 2008, he switched to
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
and joined Conference club Wrexham a year later, following a brief spell on loan at Carlisle United. He retired as a player in September 2011, scoring 135 goals in 642 appearances across all competitions. In addition to an 18-year career in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
, he also enjoyed a nine-year international career. He won a total of 15 caps for
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
and scored once in a friendly against
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. He was eligible for the national side because of his Welsh-born father. He went on to coach at Manchester City before he was appointed manager of the club's women's team in May 2020. He led the team to the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
title in 2020 and League Cup title in 2022.


Club career


Bristol Rovers

Born in
Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...
,
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, Taylor started his career with
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
but failed to make any first-team appearances and was released. Second Division Bristol Rovers then signed him in 1991. Throughout the 1991–92 season, he was
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
ed to Gloucester City, where he played two games without scoring. He made his Football League debut as a centre-back in a 6–1 defeat at
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
in February 1992. He then had another loan spell, this time to Weymouth in 1992–93, where he made five appearances without scoring. He did not play again until the first match of the 1994–95 campaign. By that time,
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
John Ward had converted him into a striker. His height meant he was a good target man and was exceptional in the air, scoring twelve goals (most of them headers) in his first full season alongside Marcus Stewart and Paul Miller in attack. His brace against
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
on the final day ensured a Second Division
play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...
spot. After a tense away goal victory over Crewe Alexandra in the semi-final, Rovers made it to
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
, though they lost 2–1 to
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
.


Crystal Palace

After four goals in seven games at the start of the following season, he was transferred to Crystal Palace for an initial £750,000 rising to an eventual £1.25 million on 27 September 1995. He failed to make an impact at the London club and only managed 23 appearances and two goals.


Sheffield United

He was soon released by Palace and was signed by Sheffield United on 7 March 1996. In 1996–97 he scored twelve goals, helping the club to the play-off final, though ironically United lost out 1–0 to Crystal Palace. The following season he hit ten goals. United again reached the play-offs, though went out to
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
at the semi-final stage.


Manchester City

He was bought by
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
for £400,000 in November 1998. In 1998–99, he again found himself in the play-offs; he was a late substitute in the final, replacing Lee Crooks. The 1999–2000 season saw a second-successive
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
for the "Blues". Taylor didn't play a huge role in the promotion, though. Instead, he joined Port Vale on a one-month loan in January 2000. In March, he joined
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
on loan until the end of the season. Stockport County were interested in his signature in November 2000, though nothing was to come out of it. He came close to a move to
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
in January 2001, but the £100,000 deal did not go through. Instead he joined
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
on loan the following month. That season he never made a
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
game for Man City.


Burnley

He scored his first Burnley goal on 13 March in a 1–0 win at
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
; the loan deal was extended five days later. The loan deal lasted until the end of the season, Taylor having scored four goals in 15 appearances. He moved to
Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
on a free transfer in July 2001, signing a three-year deal. Taylor had a highly successful 2001–02 season with the
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
club, scoring 16 goals despite suffering an
ankle The ankle, the talocrural region or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The ...
injury in January. He also performed in the 2002–03 season, bagging 17 goals in close to fifty games.


Nottingham Forest

He was targeted by
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
, but instead was bought by
Paul Hart Paul Anthony Hart (born 4 May 1953) is an English football manager, coach, and former professional player who made 567 appearances in the Football League as a defender. Hart was most recently assistant manager to Nathan Jones at Charlton ...
's
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
for £500,000. At the beginning of the 2003–04 season, following his recovery from a serious eye injury sustained while still at Burnley, he became a regular in the side when David Johnson broke his leg. Forest's fortunes took a downturn largely caused by a mass exodus of players during the previous summer. Taylor played a big part in the recovery with some very important goals. His first goal for Forest came against his former club Burnley at Turf Moor, where Nottingham Forest won 3–0. He missed the end of the season with a knee injury that required surgery. In the unfortunate 2004–05 season, which resulted in
relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
, he was made
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
by Gary Megson and was the top-scorer with eleven goals. For the second year running, he underwent a knee operation at the end of the season. Shortly into the 2005–06 season, following a string of disappointing performances from the team. With rumours that Megson had a deteriorating relationship with the players, he was stripped of the captaincy. With striker Grant Holt being signed to replace him, Taylor suddenly fell out of favour and was allowed to go on loan to Crewe Alexandra in January 2006, where he enjoyed some success but was unable to prevent them too suffering relegation. Taylor's
contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
at Nottingham Forest expired in the summer of 2006; the club decided against renewing it, and he was released. Dario Gradi offered him a deal at Crewe, though as expected Taylor signed elsewhere.


Tranmere Rovers

At the end of June 2006, he joined Tranmere Rovers on a two-year contract, scoring nine goals in all competitions in his debut season. He broke his jaw at the start of the season, spending a month on the sidelines. Upon his recovery, he said: "I'm enjoying my football now, it's a great club and I'm really loving life at Tranmere", also giving high praise to manager Ronnie Moore.


Doncaster Rovers

Taylor initially signed for
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
on loan on 31 January 2008, but the deal was made permanent on 6 February. He scored his first goal on 5 April, the first equaliser in a 2–2 draw against
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
at the Galpharm Stadium. He helped the club to promotion from the play-offs, though was an unused substitute in the final. The 2008–09 season started poorly for Taylor as he pulled a
hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...
. He joined Carlisle United on a month-long loan deal in March 2009. He scored on his debut, in a 2–1 win over Crewe Alexandra on 3 March. He returned to Doncaster at the end of the season, where he was released from his contract on 7 May.


Wrexham

In June 2009, Taylor signed a one-year contract with Dean Saunders'
Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
side
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
, leaving the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
after 18 years. Taylor got off to an excellent start with his new club, grabbing a brace in a 3–0 win over Eastbourne Borough on 8 August. He finished the season with nine goals in 28 appearances – enough to earn him a fresh contract at the end of the campaign. In 2010–11, the veteran striker hit six goals in 35 appearances. The "Dragons" earned a play-off spot, though were beaten by
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
at the play-off semi-final stage. Throughout his time at the Welsh club he began taking his coaching badges, and regularly took charge of the
reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...
. He retired in September 2011, and immediately took up coaching at
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
.


International career

Taylor is a former
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
international. Born in England, he qualified for the national side through his father, who was born in Wales. After a three-year absence he was recalled to the squad in August 2001 for the final two 2002 World Cup qualifiers. He was utilised as a stand-in for
John Hartson John Hartson (born 5 April 1975) is a Welsh former professional footballer, coach and sports television pundit for S4C, Sky Sports, Premier Sports TV and TNT Sports. As a player he was a striker, notably for Scottish club Celtic where his ti ...
, who was troubled with injury. He scored his only international goal in a 4–0 friendly victory over
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
at the
Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
in 2004.


Coaching career


Manchester City

In September 2011, Taylor was appointed as a coach at his former club
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
and was given the task of developing young talent in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. He became the under-16 coach at the
City of Manchester Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium, currently known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and commonly shortened as The Etihad, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City, with a domestic football capacity of 53, ...
in 2012. He was appointed the
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
of Manchester City Women on 28 May 2020. Lucy Bronze was the biggest name arrival of his first
transfer window In association football, a transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club, club can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club. Such a Transfer (association football), transfer is comp ...
. On 1 November 2020, he led City to a 3–1 victory over Everton in the 2020 final of the
Women's FA Cup The Women's FA Challenge Cup is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup, and now Women's FA Cup (currently known as the Adobe Women's FA Cup for sponso ...
at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
. City finished second in the FA Women's Super League at the end of the 2020–21 season, two points behind Chelsea. They reached the FA Cup semi-finals, where they were also beaten by Chelsea. In the 2020 Women's FA Community Shield, they lost to Chelsea, who also eliminated them from the League Cup at the quarter-final stage. City were also beaten in the Champions League quarter-finals, this time losing to
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. Taylor won his second trophy in management on 5 March 2022, finally overcoming
Emma Hayes Emma Carol Hayes (born 18 October 1976) is an English professional football manager who is the head coach of the United States women's national team. She was previously manager of Chelsea Women from 2012 to 2024, winning seven Women's Super ...
's Chelsea in a final, as City won 3–1 with a brace from Caroline Weir and goal from Ellen White. He said the win was a good response after he received "unjustified" following a poor start to the 2021–22 campaign. City also reached the final of the FA Cup, though were beaten 3–2 by Chelsea after
extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...
. He was named as Super League Manager of the Month for February 2023 after guiding the team to victories over
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
and
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
to extend the club's unbeaten run to eleven matches. He also won the following month's award after City won all three of their league matches. City ended the season in fourth place, missing out on a Champions League qualification spot on
goal difference Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...
; Taylor said he was pleased to go the season unbeaten at home. He signed a new three-year contract in March 2024, with the club second in the table. He was named as WSL Manager of the Month in both February and March as his team put together a winning streak to lead the table. City finished second in the 2023–24 Women's Super League season after being overtaken by Chelsea on goal difference on the final day. On 10 March 2025, it was announced that Taylor had parted ways with the club. At the time of his departure, City were fourth in the league table having lost four out of 16 matches in the 2024–25 season, but were five days from competing in the 2025 Women's League Cup final.


Career statistics


Club


International


Managerial statistics

All competitive games (league, domestic and continental cups) are included.


Honours


Player

Manchester City *
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
play-offs:
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
*
Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
second-place promotion: 1999–2000


Manager

Manchester City Women *
Women's FA Cup The Women's FA Challenge Cup is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup, and now Women's FA Cup (currently known as the Adobe Women's FA Cup for sponso ...
:
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
; runners-up:
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
* FA Women's League Cup:
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
Individual * WSL Manager of the Month: February 2023, March 2023, February 2024, March 2024


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Gareth 1973 births Living people Sportspeople from Weston-super-Mare Footballers from Somerset Men's association football utility players Men's association football defenders Men's association football forwards Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Southampton F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Gloucester City A.F.C. players Weymouth F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Tranmere Rovers F.C. players Doncaster Rovers F.C. players Carlisle United F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Women's Super League managers Welsh football managers Manchester City W.F.C. managers English football coaches Manchester City F.C. non-playing staff