"Premier League for one season in 1999–2000. The club experienced a further one season stint in the top division of English football during the 2006–07 season, under Aidy Boothroyd's management; eight years in the Championship followed. Watford secured promotion in 2014–15, and have competed in the Premier League since the 2015–16 season finishing 13th, 17th and 14th respectively. Watford is owned by the Pozzo family, which also owns Udinese Calcio in Italy and previously Granada CF in Spain. Sir Elton John, who owned Watford during both of Graham Taylor's successful periods as manager, served alongside Taylor as the club's joint"
"1991. In 2015, he was named one of ""GQ""'s 50 best dressed British men. On 22 April 2017, he was discharged from hospital after two nights of intensive care for contracting ""a harmful and unusual"" bacterial infection during his return flight home from a South American tour in Santiago, Chile and was forced to cancel all of his shows scheduled for April and May 2017. Having supported Watford since growing up locally, Elton John became the club's chairman and director in 1976, appointing Graham Taylor as manager and investing large sums of money as the club rose three divisions into"
"Graham Taylor Graham Taylor, OBE (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln City, Watford, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, Taylor grew up in the industrial steel town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, a town with which he still had many connections in later life and regarded as his hometown. The son of a sports journalist who worked on the ""Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph"", Taylor found his love"
"the English First Division. The pinnacle of the club's success was finishing runners up in the First Division to Liverpool in 1983 and reaching the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in 1984. He sold the club to Jack Petchey in 1987, but remained president. In 1997, he re-purchased the club from Petchey and once again became chairman. He stepped down in 2002 when the club needed a full-time chairman although he continued as president of the club. Although no longer the majority shareholder, he still holds a significant financial interest. In June 2005 he held a concert at Watford's"
"RBL's Poppy appeal. Taylor first met Rita Cowling when he was 13, and married her in 1965. They had two daughters. Taylor died of a heart attack on the morning of 12 January 2017. His funeral was held on 1 February at St Mary's Church, Watford with many football figures in attendance. Graham Taylor Graham Taylor, OBE (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln City, Watford, Aston Villa and"
"under subsequent managers George Kirby and Mike Keen. Graham Taylor took charge of Watford in 1977. He led the club to promotion to the Third Division in 1978, the Second Division in 1979, and the First Division for the first time in Watford's history in 1982. After a second-placed finish in the First Division in 1983, Watford competed in European competition for the first time in 1983–84, as well as reaching the 1984 FA Cup final. Taylor left the club at the end of 1986–87. Under the six subsequent permanent managers (Dave Bassett, Steve Harrison, Colin Lee, Steve Perryman, Glenn"
"win). Lincoln finished 9th in the Third Division in 1976-1977 under Taylor. In June 1977, Taylor was hired to manage Watford by new owner Elton John. He turned down an approach from First Division West Bromwich Albion in favour of the Hertfordshire-based club, then competing in the Fourth Division, surprising pundits and supporters alike. John acted on the advice of Don Revie when hiring Taylor. Taylor led Watford from the Football League Fourth Division to the First Division in only five years. In his first season in the Football League Fourth Division Watford won the title at his first attempt"
"of future club captain Ian Bolton, and the breakthrough into the first team of young striker Luther Blissett, who went on to become the club's all-time leading appearance maker and goalscorer. ""Watford's score listed first"" 1977–78 Watford F.C. season Watford Football Club is an English football team, based in Watford, Hertfordshire. 1977–78 was the club's first season under the management of Graham Taylor, and its last in the fourth tier of English football. Watford ended the season as champions of the Football League Fourth Division with 71 points, the club's highest Football League total under the system of two points"
"debut season at Vicarage Road, but Watford were relegated to the Fourth Division at the end of 1974–75, and were unable to obtain promotion in the following two campaigns. Mike Keen was replaced as manager by Graham Taylor in June 1977. Taylor decided that Downes, who had previously spent much of his career at left back, should play further up the field; Downes was ever-present on the left wing in the 1977–78 season, scoring 10 goals in all competitions as Watford won promotion as champions of the Fourth Division. He faced increased competition in 1978–79, but nonetheless made 46 appearances"
"1977–78 Watford F.C. season Watford Football Club is an English football team, based in Watford, Hertfordshire. 1977–78 was the club's first season under the management of Graham Taylor, and its last in the fourth tier of English football. Watford ended the season as champions of the Football League Fourth Division with 71 points, the club's highest Football League total under the system of two points for a win, and three points short of the all-time Football League record set by Graham Taylor's Lincoln City side in 1975–76. The season also marked new club records for the most league wins in"
"structure, to the Third Division, at the end of 1959–60. Watford spent nine seasons at this level before a further promotion to the Second Division at the end of 1968–69. However, their stay at this level was short-lived and they were twice relegated, at the end of the 1971–72 and 1974–75 seasons, to sink back to the Fourth Division. Under the auspices of Chairman, Elton John and Manager, Graham Taylor, Watford achieved promotions in consecutive seasons between 1977 and 1979 to reach the Second Division once again. This was followed by three seasons at that level, culminating in achieving runners-up"
"1994. Taylor returned to club management in March 1994 with Wolverhampton Wanderers. After one season at Molineux, he returned to Watford, and led the club to the Premier League in 1999 after back-to-back promotions. His last managerial role was manager of Aston Villa, to which he returned in 2002. He left at the end of the 2002–03 season. Taylor served as Watford's chairman from 2009 until 2012 where he continued to hold the position of honorary life-president. He also worked as a pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. Born in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, Taylor moved to a council house in Scunthorpe"
"Laurence Bassini Laurence Bassini is a Stanmore-based English businessman, and former chairman of Watford Football Club who earned notoriety for his red builders helmet. Bassini took over Watford Football Club in a £440,000 takeover on 31 May 2011 when the club's previous parent company Watford Leisure PLC was de-listed from the London Stock Exchange and became Watford Leisure Limited. Prior to taking over at Watford Bassini had been made bankrupt in 2007 following the failure of his business The Fox at Ibstone near High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, which he blamed on his father. Bassini was bankrupt for about a year and"
"until 1903, when former England international John Goodall was appointed player-manager. The impact was immediate, as Watford secured promotion to the Southern League First Division in 1903–04. Goodall retired as a player in 1907, and left the club in 1910. He was replaced by his former captain, Harry Kent, who become known for his financial management of the club; under Kent, Watford frequently made a profit in the transfer market. Kent led the club to the Southern League title in 1914–15, and missed out on a second title in 1919–20 on goal average, before resigning in 1926. His three immediate"
"goals as they won all of their 9 games, 2 against Australia and 7 against state sides. He played for Luton Town from 1969 to 1972 until he was transferred to Watford. He was appointed player-manager of Watford in 1973. He was sacked in 1977 shortly before a home game with Huddersfield Town, but was on the touchline during the game, which Watford won 2–0 despite having two players sent off. He later moved into full-time management with Northampton Town, between 1978 and 1979, followed by his hometown club, Wycombe Wanderers, between January 1980 and 1984, leading them to the"
"the English game. In February 1996 Elton John, who had recently bought Watford for a second time, appointed Taylor as General Manager at Vicarage Road. Just over a year later Taylor had appointed himself as the club's manager succeeding Kenny Jackett, who was relegated to a coaching capacity at the club. Taylor later stated that the role of General Manager had ""bored me stiff"". He won the Division Two championship at his first attempt in 1998. The following season Watford won the Division One Play-off Final, beating Bolton Wanderers 2–0 at Wembley, and with it promotion to the Premier League."
"Roeder and Kenny Jackett), Watford slid from 9th in the top tier in 1987, to 13th in the third tier in 1997. Taylor returned as manager for the start of the 1997–98 season. He led the club to consecutive promotions, but could not prevent relegation from the Premier League in 1999–2000. Since Taylor's retirement in 2001, Watford have had twelve managers. Of these, Aidy Boothroyd took Watford back to the Premier League in 2006, but Watford were relegated in 2007, and Boothroyd departed in 2008. Following Watford's takeover by the Pozzo family, Gianfranco Zola was appointed head coach, replacing former"
"divisions of The Football League, changing colours and crest on multiple occasions. England manager Graham Taylor's tenure at the club saw Watford scale new heights. Between Taylor's appointment in 1977 and departure in 1987, Watford rose from the Fourth Division to the First Division. The team finished second in the First Division in the 1982–83 season, competed in the UEFA Cup in 1983–84, and also reached the 1984 FA Cup Final. Watford experienced a decade of decline between 1987 and 1997, before Taylor returned as full-time manager, leading the team to successive promotions from the renamed Second Division to the"
"stressed that the decision to sell was his alone, motivated by a wish to spend more time with his family. A company owned by Giampaolo Pozzo and his family completed the takeover of Watford on 29 June 2012. The management structure of the club changed significantly in the following weeks, with Rafaelle Riva appointed chairman. Former West Ham United chief executive Scott Duxbury and technical director Gianluca Nani took up similar roles with Watford, while ex-West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola replaced Sean Dyche. The club also stated an intention to make use of the Pozzo family's scouting network, which identifies"
"His time at Scunthorpe saw a turnaround in the club's fortunes. In his first season on the board, they narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference. The following season, they were promoted to League One. Two years after that, they were promoted to the Football League Championship as League One champions. Taylor returned to Watford on 23 January 2009, being appointed to the new board as a non-executive director and was appointed interim chairman on 16 December 2009. Taylor announced his resignation from his position as chairman on 30 May 2012. He retained the position of honorary life president of the"
"reaching another FA Cup semi-final. This time they lost to Second Division Fulham in a replay when, in the last seconds of extra time, a goalkeeping clearance rebounded off a Fulham player and trickled over the line. In September 1975, Keith Coombs, who had recently succeeded his father as chairman, sacked Goodwin and appointed his long-time first-team coach Willie Bell as manager. Financial reasons forced the sale of players such as Peter Withe and Kenny Burns – both helped Nottingham Forest win the league title in 1977, and Burns was voted Footballer of the Year for 1977–78 – although Francis's"
"as a result of the sale of player registrations and land. Watford Leisure's chief executive was Mark Ashton, while their chairman was self-professed lifelong Watford fan Graham Simpson, who also owned shares in the company. The club's other major shareholders were Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Michael Ashcroft through his investment company Fordwat, and brothers Jimmy and Vince Russo through their business Valley Grown Salads. Key Statistics do not include games played for other clubs. Starting appearances are given first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable. ""This table of statistics is incomplete. You can help by expanding"
"for Watford without scoring than any other outfield player. William Brown (footballer, born 1907) William Brown (27 February 1907 – 17 August 1976) was an English professional association footballer and sprinter. He played as a right back for Football League clubs Huddersfield Town, Watford, Exeter City and Darlington, before his playing career was interrupted by the Second World War. After its conclusion, Brown began coaching sports in the town of Apsley, becoming a football coach at nearby Hemel Hempstead Town in 1950. He continued living in Hertfordshire, and died in the City of London. As of 2010, Brown holds the"
"finished second in the First Division, and Luther Blissett was the division's top scorer with 27 goals. Consequently, Watford qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1983–84. They also reached their first FA Cup final, losing 2–0 to Everton at Wembley Stadium. Following Taylor's departure in 1987, Watford were relegated in 1988. Watford remained in English football's second tier for eight seasons, until they were relegated in 1995–96. Taylor returned as manager in 1997, and for the second time in his career led Watford to consecutive promotions, although he was unable to prevent relegation from the Premier League in 1999–2000. In"
"Cricket Ground in Swansea. In the 1986 New Year Honours, Watkins was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to rugby league. After he'd stopped playing Watkins coached rugby league. He was the Wales national team coach and also coached Great Britain, taking them to the 1977 World Cup Final, which they lost by one point to the hosts, Australia. Watkins coached in Wales for the Cardiff City club. Watkins was appointed Newport RFC team manager in 1992–93 and later became the club's chairman when he was awarded an MBE. In 2006 Watkins,"
"coach and is still with the club, now working as Youth Development Officer. Les Taylor (footballer) Leslie Taylor (born 4 December 1956 in North Shields, Northumberland) is an English former footballer who captained Watford in the 1984 FA Cup Final. He played as a hard-working central-midfielder. Graham Taylor, his Watford manager, described him as ""sniffer and a ratter"". Taylor started his career at Oxford United, signing professional terms in December 1974. He moved to Watford in November 1980 for £100,000 plus Keith Cassells. He was part of the Watford side that achieved promotion to Division One in the 1981–82 season,"
"successors – Fred Pagnam, Neil McBain and Bill Findlay – all played for Watford before and during the early part of their managerial tenures. None were able to lead the team to promotion from the Third Division South, although Findlay did lead Watford to a Third Division South Cup win in 1937. Up until Findlay's departure in 1947, Watford had been managed by five managers in 44 years, all of whom played for the team. By contrast, six men managed the club between 1947 and 1956, only two of whom were former Watford players. After a further three years under"
"McBain between 1956 and 1959, Watford's following three managers presided over improved teams. Ron Burgess led Watford to promotion from the Fourth Division in 1959–60. Bill McGarry was only in charge for one full season (1963–64), but Watford recorded a finish of third in the Third Division, the club's highest Football League finish until that point. His successor Ken Furphy matched that achievement in 1966–67, and led Watford to the Third Division title in 1969, before taking the club to its first FA Cup semi-final in 1970. Following Furphy's departure in 1971, Watford entered a period of decline, experiencing relegation"
"half while I was at Watford. I didn't really enjoy my time there. I was disillusioned with the way I came to be there. I thought it was wrong that I was phoned up at home to be told that I was meeting their manager the next morning – a 'thanks and goodbye' type of attitude. I dug my heels in, but because they agreed to my wage demand, I had to go."" Graham Taylor's appointment as manager in 1977 caused friction between them, with Taylor requesting that all players live within 10 minutes of the ground. Horsfield, who lived"
"Sammy Chung, Freddie Bunce and Dennis Uphill. Watford achieved a 4th-placed league finish in 1961, and 3rd position in 1964. The arrival of player-manager Ken Furphy in 1964 signalled the end of Bell's Watford career; Furphy was also a full back, and selected himself in preference to Bell. After spending most of the 1964–65 season in Watford's reserves, Bell joined non-league Folkestone on a free transfer in July 1965, later playing for Wealdstone. Following his retirement from professional football, Bell worked for car manufacturer Rolls Royce. He played for the company's football team, and managed them from 1979 until 1981."
"Gino Pozzo Gino Pozzo is an Italian businessman. The son of Italian businessman Giampaolo Pozzo, and a member of the prominent Italian business-owning Pozzo family, he is currently the managing director and legal owner of Watford F.C. in England having taken over from his father. Pozzo resides in Watford and is reportedly heavily involved in the day-to-day running of Watford as well as negotiating transfers between his father's football club Udinese Calcio in Italy. In June 2012, he and his father acquired Watford Football Club from previous owner Laurence Bassini. Over time he and his father have invested heavily in"
"10 March 2011, by newly formed holding company Watford FC Limited, owned by Laurence Bassini. 2010–11 Watford F.C. season Watford Football Club (also known simply as Watford, or as The Hornets) is an English association football club from the town of Watford, in Hertfordshire. The 2010–11 English football season officially began on 1 July 2010, and ended on 30 June 2011, although Watford only played competitive fixtures between August and May. The team competed in the Football League Championship for the fourth consecutive season, following relegation from the Premier League in 2006–07. The club chairman was Graham Taylor, who as"
"Victoria beat Watford 3–2. 10 January 1977: Everton sack manager Billy Bingham. The club had looked like possible title challengers early in the season, but a poor run of form has dropped them to the lower reaches of the table. 30 January 1977: Newcastle United manager Gordon Lee is appointed as Everton's new manager. Lee's assistant at Newcastle, Richard Dinnis takes over as acting manager of the Tyneside club. 31 January 1977: Liverpool still lead the First Division, but Ipswich Town are now just a point behind, and still have three games in hand. Manchester City are a further two"