Maik Taylor

Maik Taylor

Taylor during 2004 pre-season with Birmingham City
Personal information
Full name Maik Stefan Taylor[1]
Date of birth (1971-09-04) 4 September 1971[1]
Place of birth Hildesheim, West Germany
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
– ASC Nienburg
– Princess Marina College
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Petersfield Town
– Basingstoke Town
1992–1995 Farnborough Town
1995–1997 Barnet 70 (0)
1997 Southampton 18 (0)
1997–2004 Fulham 189 (0)
2003–2004 → Birmingham City (loan) 27 (0)
2004–2011 Birmingham City 187 (0)
2011–2012 Leeds United 0 (0)
2012 → Millwall (loan) 10 (0)
2012–2013 Millwall 6 (0)
Total 502 (0)
National team
1998 Northern Ireland U21 1 (0)
1999 Northern Ireland B 1 (0)
1999–2011 Northern Ireland 88 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Maik Stefan Taylor (born 4 September 1971) is a former Northern Ireland international football goalkeeper, and current goalkeeping coach with the Northern Ireland national team.[2]

At club level, Taylor played non-League football for Petersfield Town, Basingstoke Town and Farnborough Town before moving into the Football League with Barnet. He went on to play for Southampton, Fulham, Birmingham City, where he spent eight years before his release at the end of the 2010–11 season, Leeds United and Millwall. In international football, he played for Northern Ireland, qualifying for that country through his British passport which at that time, as he was born abroad, entitled him to play for any of the Home Nations.

Early life and career

Taylor was born in Hildesheim, West Germany, to a German mother and an English father who was serving as a staff sergeant in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) regiment of the British Army.[3][4] Taylor began his football career at AC Nienburg of Nienburg, Lower Saxony in Germany before moving to England as a schoolboy. He later followed in his father's footsteps by joining the REME based at Arborfield in Berkshire, where he attended Princess Marina College.[5]

He later moved to Bordon in Hampshire where he played football for his regiment and the Army & Combined Services representative sides.[6] During this period he also played for Petersfield Town, Basingstoke Town and Farnborough Town with whom he won the Southern League Premier Division Championship in 1993–94.[5]

In June 1995, he joined Barnet of the Football League Third Division for a fee of £700.[5] Eighteen months later he was signed by Southampton of the Premier League for a fee of £500,000.[5]

Southampton

Taylor had become a "Saints" fan as a schoolboy so when Graeme Souness brought him to The Dell in January 1997, no-one was more delighted than Taylor himself.[6] Taylor immediately went into the first-team, replacing Dave Beasant, making his debut on 11 January in a 1–0 victory at Middlesbrough. During his first season at Southampton, the team struggled near the foot of the table, missing relegation by one point, having been in last place with five matches to play.[7]

Souness left the club in the summer of 1997, being replaced by Dave Jones who brought in several new players, including goalkeeper Paul Jones from his previous club, Stockport County. Taylor spent the rest of his time at Southampton on the bench and was sold to Fulham in November 1997.[6]

Fulham

Taylor was bought by Fulham in 1997 from Southampton at a cost of £800,000.[6] Fulham's manager Kevin Keegan rated him as the "best taker of a cross I've ever seen"[8] and he proved to be a good signing for the Cottagers, helping them to the Second Division title in 1999. The First Division championship followed in 2001 and thus promotion to the Premier League.

Whilst at Craven Cottage, Taylor earned his first international cap for Northern Ireland in a 3–0 defeat by Germany on 27 March 1999. He went on to make over 80 appearances for his adopted country.[5]

He was the first-choice goalkeeper at Craven Cottage until Fulham reached the Premier League, when manager Jean Tigana signed Edwin van der Sar, thus relegating Taylor to the bench. Taylor made only one Premier League appearance in 2001–02, but an injury to Van der Sar sustained at Newcastle United on 21 December 2002[9] ruled him out for several months, allowing Taylor to return to the side, and he retained his place for the remainder of the season.[10]

Birmingham City

Taylor signed for Birmingham City in August 2003, initially on a year-long loan deal with the possibility of a permanent contract.[11] Manager Steve Bruce made the contract permanent in March 2004 for a £1.5 million fee.[12] Taylor continued his impressive form and was rewarded by being nominated as the goalkeeper for the Premiership team of the 2003–04 season.[13]

Taylor is renowned for his shot stopping and great aerial ability. He was voted Premiership fans' goalkeeper of the season in Birmingham City's 2003–04 campaign.

Taylor was replaced as Birmingham's first choice goalkeeper in February 2007 by Colin Doyle, but regained his place after the first three matches of the 2007–08 Premier League season. He was again replaced as the first choice keeper in the 2009–10 Premier League season by loan signing Joe Hart, playing only the two fixtures against Hart's parent club, Manchester City. He spent the rest of the season on the bench.

In May 2010, Taylor signed a new one-year deal with Birmingham just after they had signed new keeper Ben Foster from Manchester United. He played only four matches in 2010–11, all in cup competitions, and was on the bench as Birmingham won the 2011 Football League Cup Final. He was not offered a new contract at the end of the season.[14]

Final playing years

After training with the club for two weeks in November 2011, and saving a penalty in a friendly against a Chelsea XI, Taylor signed a short-term contract, until January 2012, with Championship club Leeds United.[15] Taylor took his place on the bench behind loan goalkeeper Alex McCarthy two days later against Barnsley.[16] His contract was extended until the end of the season, to act as backup for Andy Lonergan,[17]

But in March, having made no appearances for Leeds and with new manager Neil Warnock preferring not to name a goalkeeper among the substitutes, Taylor agreed to move to fellow Championship club Millwall on loan for the remainder of the season.[18] After a string of clean sheets, Taylor was nominated for The Championship April player of the month. After his six-month deal came to an end, Taylor was told he would be released by Leeds at the expiry of his contract.[19] In May 2012, Taylor agreed a 12-month contract with Millwall, staying with them for one season, before retiring.

Coaching career

In July 2014, Taylor - who has received his UEFA Coaching Licenes - was hired as goalkeeping coach for the Northern Ireland national team.[20] On 13 June 2015 Taylor - aged 43 - was drafted into the national squad following the late injury of Roy Carroll before a qualification game for the 2016 European Championships against Romania.[21]

International career

Taylor was born in Germany to an English father and a German mother. As a British citizen who was born abroad, FIFA eligibility rules at the time of Taylor's first international selection entitled him to represent any of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom at international level. He opted for Northern Ireland, despite having no family connection to that country.[22][23]

Taylor made his debut for the Northern Ireland U21 team in April 1998 in a friendly 2-1 victory against Switzerland at the age of 27.[5] His full team début was against Germany in 1999, where Northern Ireland lost 3–0.[5] In an August 2005 friendly Taylor saved an injury time penalty from Malta's George Mallia to keep the score at 1-1.[24] He became a regular in the Northern Ireland national team, and played 88 matches, including the famous 1–0 victory over England in September 2005.

Taylor was replaced by Lee Camp as first choice goalkeeper, but was recalled to the Northern Ireland squad in August 2011 despite not being registered with a club since leaving Birmingham City.[25] He made his 88th appearance for Northern Ireland on 11 October 2011, captaining his country in a 3–0 defeat away to Italy in a Euro 2012 qualifier.[26] Taylor, while working as the national goalkeeping coach, made an emergency return to the squad June 2015 as a back-up goalkeeper, following an injury to Roy Carroll the day before a qualification game for the 2016 European Championships against Romania.[21]

Career statistics

Club statistics
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe/Other Total
Division AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Barnet 1995–96[1][27] Division Three45020202[lower-alpha 1]0510
1996–97[1][27] Division Three2504040—330
Barnet total 700606020840
Southampton 1996–97[27] Premier League180———180
1997–98[28] Premier League00—00—00
Southampton total 180—00—180
Fulham 1997–98[28] Division Two 28020—3[lower-alpha 2]0330
1998–99[29] Division Two4607050—580
1999–2000[30] Division One4604070—570
2000–01[31] Division One4401050—500
2001–02[32] Premier League102030—60
2002–03[10] Premier League19040203[lower-alpha 3]0280
Fulham total 1840200220602320
Birmingham City 2003–04[33] Premier League3404010—390
2004–05[34] Premier League3802020—420
2005–06[35] Premier League3406010—410
2006–07[36] Championship2703010—310
2007–08[37] Premier League3401000—350
2008–09[38] Championship4501000—460
2009–10[39] Premier League200020—40
2010–11[40] Premier League001030—40
Birmingham City total 2140180100—2420
Leeds United 2011–12[41] Championship0000——00
Millwall (loan) 2011–12[41] Championship100———100
Millwall 2012–13[42] Championship600010—70
Millwall total 1600010—170
Career total 5020440390806130
  1. ↑ Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. ↑ One appearance in Football League Trophy, two in Football League play-offs
  3. ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Intertoto Cup, one in UEFA Cup

Honours

Club

Farnborough Town[5]
Fulham[5]
Birmingham City[5]

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2007–08. Queen Anne Press. pp. 396–97. ISBN 978-1-84596-246-3.
  2. ↑ "Maik Taylor says Michael O'Neill deserves to stay on as Northern Ireland manager". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  3. ↑ Reng, Ronald (24 March 1999). "Ein Nordire aus Hildesheim" [A Northern Irishman from Hildesheim]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 19 May 2003.
  4. ↑ Rowbottom, Mike (22 December 2007). "Maik Taylor: 'For some players there is always an excuse. They don't appreciate their job. It amazes me'". The Independent. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Maik Taylor". Northern Ireland Football Greats. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Holley, Duncan & Chalk, Gary (2003). In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. Hagiology Publishing. pp. 586–587. ISBN 0-9534474-3-X.
  7. ↑ Holley & Chalk, In That Number. p. 250.
  8. ↑ Marshall, Alan (3 May 2000). "I'd pick Don for England; Keegan wishes he had Hutch". Daily Record. Glasgow. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  9. ↑ Turnbull, Simon (22 December 2002). "Robson piles new troubles on Tigana". The Independent on Sunday. p. 4. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "Blues finally land Taylor". BBC Sport. 8 August 2003. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  12. ↑ Curtis, John (23 March 2004). "Taylor secures permanent deal at Birmingham". The Independent. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  13. ↑ "Player Profiles: Maik Taylor". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  14. ↑ "Carr Gears Up". Birmingham City F.C. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 30 May 2011.
  15. ↑ "Goalkeeper signs up for United". Leeds United A.F.C. 24 November 2011. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011.
  16. ↑ "United lose out to Barnsley". Leeds United A.F.C. 26 November 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "Deal agreed for Maik to stay on". Leeds United A.F.C. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012.
  18. ↑ "Millwall sign Leeds United goalkeeper Maik Taylor". BBC Sport. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  19. ↑ "Eleven told they can go". Leeds United A.F.C. 2 May 2012. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012.
  20. ↑ "Maik Taylor appointed Northern Ireland goalkeeping coach". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  21. 1 2 Beacom, Steven. "Northern Ireland v Romania: Michael McGovern is handed biggest match of his life". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  22. ↑ Brunt, Heather Jan (11 October 2005). "Maik Taylor's 50th cap". Irish Football Association. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  23. ↑ McKinley, Stuart (19 November 2008). "Taylor is still true to Northern Ireland cause". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  24. ↑ "Malta 1-1 Northern Ireland". BBC. 17 August 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  25. ↑ "Kyle Lafferty and Chris Brunt back for Northern Ireland". BBC Sport. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  26. ↑ Ferguson, Paul (12 October 2011). "Nigel Worthington's Northern Ireland reign comes to bitter end against Italy". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  27. 1 2 3 "Games played by Maik Taylor in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  28. 1 2 "Games played by Maik Taylor in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  29. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  30. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  31. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  32. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
    "Fulham v Bolton Wanderers: Commentary". ESPN Soccernet. 23 April 2002. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  33. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  34. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  35. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  36. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  37. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  38. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  39. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  40. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  41. 1 2 "Millwall sign Leeds United goalkeeper Maik Taylor". BBC Sport. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
    "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  42. ↑ "Games played by Maik Taylor in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  43. ↑ "Sad Vialli throws in title towel". Irish Independent. 26 April 1999. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
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