Everything about Martin Taylor Footballer Born 1979 totally explained
Martin Taylor (born
November 9,
1979 in
Ashington,
Northumberland) is an
English professional footballer who plays as a
defender. He currently plays for
Birmingham City. He has the nickname "Tiny", given to him by his teammates because of his 6' 4" frame.
Club career
Blackburn Rovers
Taylor joined
Blackburn Rovers as a schoolboy at the age of 17, signing his first full contract at the start of the
1997–98 season.
Loan spells at
Darlington and
Stockport served to improve his self-belief,
and in May 2001 he won his first and only cap for the
England U-21 side, as a half-time substitute for
John Terry in a 3–0 friendly win against
Mexico U-21. Though part of the
squad for the
2002 European Under-21 Championships, replacing the injured
Ledley King, he made no further appearances for the side.
Also in 2002, he played throughout Blackburn's
League Cup campaign, culminating in a 2–1 victory over
Tottenham Hotspur at the
Millennium Stadium.
Blackburn manager
Graeme Souness felt that Taylor had enough ability to reach the top,
but had for some time believed that without adopting a more aggressive physical approach he wouldn't fulfil his potential.
so in January
2004, Blackburn proceeded to accept a £1.25 million bid from
Birmingham City.
Birmingham City
On
February 2 2004 Taylor left Blackburn for Birmingham City, signing a contract due to end in 2007. Former Blackburn teammates
David Dunn
and
Damien Johnson
highlighted Taylor's footballing ability and comfort on the ball.
Rob Kelly, then head of youth coaching at Blackburn, while complimentary about his reading of the game and ability with both feet, felt that working with Birmingham manager
Steve Bruce, a former top-class centre-half, in new surroundings might help bring out his unfulfilled potential,
an assessment with which Taylor himself agreed.
He made his Birmingham debut in a 3–0 victory against
Everton, and in his next game, a 3–1 victory against
Middlesbrough, he scored his first league goal for the club. Unable to dislodge the established central defensive partnership of
Matthew Upson and
Kenny Cunningham, he played regularly for the remainder of the season, but mainly in his less favoured position of
right back.
this versatility ideally suited him to a backup role in the event of injury to any of the first choice defenders. In the
following season, the form and fitness of Upson and Cunningham, together with the arrival of
Dutch international fullback
Mario Melchiot from
Chelsea, considerably restricted Taylor's appearances. In the second half of the
2005–06 season he'd a long run in the side due to Upson's ankle injury, a run which coincided with some of Birmingham's better performances.
The departure of Cunningham and Melchiot following Birmingham's relegation from the Premiership, with Upson still injured long-term, provided an opportunity for Taylor to establish his first-team place alongside newly-arrived
Bruno N'Gotty. But Bruce also recruited
Tunisian international Radhi Jaïdi, and preferred the more robust physical approach of
Olivier Tébily while Jaïdi built up match fitness.
However N'Gotty's suspension proved the catalyst for an upturn in fortunes for Taylor. He was named captain after Damien Johnson suffered a broken jaw, and his rapport with fellow centre-back Jaïdi has helped Birmingham to maintain a strong position in the
Championship in the
2006–07 season. In recognition of his value to the club, in April 2007 he signed a new three-year contract with an option for a further two years.
However, he wasn't first choice with Birmingham back in the Premier League, not playing a league game. On
November 1 2007, he became new
Norwich City manager
Glenn Roeder's first signing, joining on a month's loan, due to end on
December 8 2007.
In his debut game for Norwich against
Ipswich Town on
November 4 2007, Taylor played a large role in his side's first goal, as his header was deflected in off Ipswich defender
Owen Garvan. Garvan was eventually credited with the own-goal. Taylor went on to score with a diving header against Blackpool and added considerable solidity at the back for Norwich. Though Norwich hoped to extend the loan, this wasn't possible so Taylor returned to Birmingham at the end of the initial month.
Following
Alex McLeish's arrival as Birmingham manager, Taylor was told that he was surplus to requirements; the club accepted an offer from
QPR, reported at £1.25 million, but the player rejected it. However, injury to
Rafael Schmitz, Jaïdi's absence on international duty and McLeish's failure to sign any of his defensive targets gave Taylor a first league start of the season in a 1–1 draw with
Derby County in January 2008. He kept his place for the next match despite the availability of Schmitz and Jaïdi, and his impressive form left him in McLeish's plans for the remainder of the season.
Eduardo da Silva leg break incident
On
23 February 2008, in the third minute of Birmingham's home match against
Arsenal, Taylor committed a foul on
Croatian international striker
Eduardo da Silva as a result of which Eduardo suffered a compound fracture to his left
fibula and an open dislocation of his left ankle. He received treatment on the field for seven minutes before being taken to
Selly Oak Hospital, where he underwent surgery, and was transferred to a London hospital the following day.
The injury was so disturbing that
Sky Sports, who were broadcasting the game live, decided not to show replays of the incident.
Taylor was sent off for the offence.
Shortly after the match, Birmingham City issued a statement asserting Taylor's lack of malicious intent and his distress at the injury, and sending their best wishes to Eduardo.
while Birmingham manager Alex McLeish and former coach
Steve Bruce insisted that Taylor wasn't a malicious player,
Death threats appeared on the internet, and security staff had to stop men believed to be Croatian journalists getting into Taylor's car at Birmingham's training ground.
Taylor visited Eduardo in hospital the day after the match,
although the player was under sedation and didn't remember the visit. Eduardo accepted that the injury hadn't been inflicted deliberately,
Honours
with Blackburn Rovers
Further Information
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