Gareth Taylor is an English soccer manager and former player. In his career, Taylor played for Manchester City, as well as Bristol Rovers, Gloucester City, Weymouth, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers, Burnley, Nottingham Forest, Crewe Alexandra, Tranmere Rovers, Doncaster Rovers, Carlisle United and Wrexham.
Taylor earned 15 caps for the Welsh national team, scoring once. He won the 2020 FA Women's Cup while in charge of Manchester City.
Gareth Taylor's playing career
He was then signed by Bristol Rovers, although they loaned him out to Gloucester City and then Weymouth. Taylor featured regularly as a striker in the 1994/95 season for Bristol Rovers, scoring 12 goals as the team made the Second Division play-offs, eventually losing 2-1 to Huddersfield Town at Wembley.
After a promising start to the 1995/96 season, Taylor moved to Crystal Palace, where he struggled to make an impact. He was allowed to join Sheffield United, scoring 12 goals in 1996/97 and 10 the following season. The Blades lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the 1997 play-off final and went out to Sunderland in the semi-final the following year.
Taylor moved to Manchester City in 1998, spending three years with the Citizens. He was on City's books when they gained back-to-back promotions, but he struggled for game-time in Division One and failed to make a Premier League appearance.
After loan moves to Port Vale, Queens Park Rangers and Burnley, Taylor moved to Burnley on a permanent basis in July 2001.
Taylor joined Nottingham Forest under Paul Hart in 2003 and was initially successful, albeit in a struggling side. He was made captain by Gary Megson during the 2004/05 season, during which he scored 11 goals, but it wasn't enough to prevent Forest from relegation to League One.
By his own accounts, Taylor enjoyed his time at Tranmere after recovering from a broken jaw sustained at the beginning of his debut season.
On January 31, 2008, he joined Doncaster Rovers on loan andthe deal was made permanent on February 6. He helped Doncaster gain promotion to the Championship, but his 2008/09 season was hindered by an early hamstring injury. He was released from his contract on May 7, 2009 after a month-long loan spell at Carlisle United.
Gareth Taylor and Wales
He played a bit-part role for the national team, featuring in 2002 World Cup qualifying and playing a stand-in role when John Hartson was injured over the years. He scored his only international goal in a 4-0 friendly win over Scotland at the Millennium Stadium in 2004.
Gareth Taylor and Manchester City Women
🙌 GARETH TAYLOR 🙌
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 28, 2020
We are delighted to announce that Gareth has agreed a three-year deal to become the new Head Coach of Manchester City Women!
🔵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/OiWhrxk7Cg
Upon his arrival, Taylor said: "I'm absolutely delighted to have joined Manchester City Women and I'm extremely excited about the challenge ahead with a very talented group of players and staff who have enjoyed a lot of success in recent years.
"I'm really honoured to have been appointed to this role and I can't wait to get started with our preparations for another thrilling and competitive season.
Of his appointment, the club's Head of Women's Football, Gavin Makel, said: "I'm delighted to welcome Gareth into the role of Manchester City Women's head coach. Over the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to see first-hand the qualities that Gareth possesses. Not only in terms of his abilities as a coach who develops individuals, but also in the way that he leads, whilst exuberating the values and ethos that we hold dear as a club."
They made the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, although they were then eliminated by a ruthless Barcelona side.
Gareth Taylor's net worth
It is unknown how much Taylor is worth, but in his heyday as a player, Crystal Palace reportedly paid around £1.25million for his services.