Taylor rekindles Villa love affair

Former England manager Graham Taylor has set his sights on "finishing the job" he started 15 years ago after returning to club management with Aston Villa FC on Tuesday.

Second spell
The 57-year-old embarked on his second spell in charge at Villa Park when he was unveiled as successor to John Gregory, who resigned 12 days ago and is now managing Derby County FC. Taylor guided Villa back to the top flight after taking over in 1987 before the lure of leading his country prised him away from Birmingham three years later. "We qualified for the UEFA Cup by finishing runners-up in my last season [1989-90] and I'm taking over with European [qualification] up for grabs again," said Taylor. "So in a way I'm coming back to try and finish what I started here."

'Pull of the Premiership'
Taylor has been a non-executive member of the Villa board since last summer, following his previous decision to retire from club management with first division Watford FC at the end of last season. But he conceded the "pull of the [FA] Premiership" proved too great when he was offered the chance to succeed Gregory on a long-term basis, signing a two-and-half year deal. "If I'd turned down this opportunity it's something I might have ended up regretting for the rest of my life," he said. "I chose to retire at Watford because I felt I had taken the club as far as I could, knowing that because of the special relationship I had there, it was unlikely I would have been dismissed."

European ambitions
Taylor resumes control with Villa seventh in the table, eleven points adrift of the fourth place they need for UEFA Champions League qualification but just five points behind Leeds United AFC in sixth - and a route into next season's UEFA Cup. Despite his break from top-flight club management, Taylor insists he is better equipped now to cope with the pressures of the job. "When you look at Bobby Robson doing so well at Newcastle [United FC] at 68, maybe it's proof that when you get into your late fifties you don't have to be yesterday's man," he said. "I will be very disappointed with myself if I cannot handle all the issues that go with the job."

Managerial career
His managerial career - which also includes spells with Lincoln City FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC - has spanned 36 years and 1,020 league games and has encompassed all the English professional divisions. As a player, Taylor made 189 league appearances for Grimsby Town FC and a further 150 games for Lincoln. He confirmed that coaches Stuart Gray and John Deehan, who had been in temporary charge since Gregory's departure, would be staying with the club.