"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"
"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"
"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"
"the Second Division title in 1997–98 – Watford's second league title under his management. A second successive promotion followed in 1998–99, thanks to a 2–0 play-off final victory over Bolton Wanderers. Watford's first Premiership season started with an early victory over Liverpool, but Watford's form soon faded, and the club was relegated after finishing bottom. Graham Taylor retired at the end of the 2000–01 season, and was replaced by Gianluca Vialli. Wage bills at the club rose by £4 million during Vialli's tenure, and the club finished 14th in the division in 2001–02. Vialli was sacked at the end of"
"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"
"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."
"City 2–1 after extra time; David James was in goal for the Hornets. Graham Taylor returned to Watford as Director of Football in February 1996, with former player Kenny Jackett as head coach, but was unable to stop the club from sliding into Division Two. After a mid-table finish in Division Two at the end of 1996–97, Jackett was demoted to the position of assistant manager and Taylor returned his old role as manager. The transition proved a success; Watford secured the Division Two championship in 1997–98, beating Bristol City into second place after a season-long struggle. A second successive"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"to make an impact in the Third Division, and in 1975 were relegated to the Fourth Division. However, they were adopted by their most famous fan, superstar singer Elton John, in 1973 first as president and from 1976 as chairman. He had a declared ambition to take Watford into the First Division. When 32-year-old Graham Taylor was named as Watford's new manager at the start of the 1977–78 season, the club had just been purchased by world-famous pop star Elton John (a lifelong fan of the club) and were an unremarkable Fourth Division side. In 1977 the greyhound track that"
"get in the team, but finally played when first-choice goalkeeper and two-time Player of the Season Kevin Miller was sold to Crystal Palace in the 1997 close season. Now the first-choice goalkeeper, he was part of the Division Two Championship winning side in 1997–98, becoming Player of the Season in the process. He continued to play an important role as Watford gained promotion to the Premier League in 1999. In the playoff semi-final second leg against Birmingham City, his save denied Birmingham a winning goal, and won the match for Watford with a penalty shootout save from Chris Holland in"
"Wycombe Wanderers Trust bought the club from Steve Hayes. At the same time, a consortium purchased the rugby club from Hayes. Steve Hayes (businessman) Steve Hayes is an English businessman, and was the owner of Aviva Premiership rugby union side London Wasps. Originally a double glazing salesman, Hayes also worked for his father-in-law selling secondary mortgages. In 1997 with David Cowham he founded loans.co.uk, a Watford headquartered finance broker. Hayes became Chief Executive, expanding the firm to become the UK's then leading finance broker, on an earnings package of £5.5million in 2004/2005. In June 2005, Cowham and Hayes sold loans.co.uk"
"March 2006 he became the major shareholder in English professional football club Watford, owning up to 42% of the club's shares. In September 2006, he accepted a bid for British Car Auctions (BCA) worth £450m, netting him a personal gain of £200m. In 2011, he became the main backer, along with Stephan Shakespeare (CEO and co-Founder of YouGov) of Flooved, an online education startup. In April 1972, Ashcroft married Wendy Burrell in Hampstead, north London. They had two sons and one daughter. His second marriage in 1986 was to Susan Anstey. The couple have homes in London, Maidenhead in Berkshire,"
"Harrison departed in 1990, and over the next few years, the closest Watford came to promotion was a seventh-placed finish in Division One in the 1994–95 season. However, in the following season – Glenn Roeder's third as manager – Watford struggled. Despite the return of Graham Taylor as caretaker manager in February 1996, the club was relegated to Division Two. Following the relegation, Taylor became Director of Football, with former Watford midfielder Kenny Jackett as manager. After a mid-table finish in Division Two in 1996–97, Jackett was demoted to the position of assistant manager. Taylor returned as manager, and won"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"club until his death in 2017. In 2014, Watford renamed the Rous Stand the Graham Taylor Stand to honour his achievements in two spells at the club. Taylor was a supporter of Sense-National Deafblind and Rubella Association and a Patron of DebRa. He was a Celebrity Ambassador for the Sense Enterprise Board in Birmingham, and worked to raise both funds and awareness, including running the London Marathon in 2004. He regularly hosted moderated ""online coaching seminars"" on the DALnet channel. He also supported the Royal British Legion and cycled from London to Paris in 2010 to raise funds for the"
"economist at the African Department, then as IMF Representative for West Africa. He then joined the Bank of England as an economist, eventually rising to Deputy Governor in 1995. In 1996, he joined Celtic as a non-executive director, and was made chairman in 2000. He served the club in this position for seven years, during which time the club won five SPL titles, four Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups. He announced he was to resign the chair of Celtic on 17 November 2007 and was succeeded by John Reid. Quinn also serves as a non-executive director for the"
"Honorary Life President until 2008, only to later resume the role he shared alongside Graham Taylor until Taylor's death. Watford Football Club was formed on the 15th April 1898 by the amalgamation of two strong local clubs, West Herts and Watford St Mary's. The Watford Observer of the 7th May 1898 reported - “When three-parts of the season was gone, there were whispers of the advantages of amalgamation of the two clubs. That the principle was right few disputed, and the question narrowed itself down to a few minor difficulties. It was ascertained that the executive on both sides regarded"
"defeated on away goals in the Second Division relegation/Third Division promotion play-off semi-final by Gillingham, who will take on Swindon Town later this month to battle for a Second Division place. 18 May 1987 – Graham Taylor resigns after 11 years as Watford manager to succeed Billy McNeill at relegated Aston Villa. During his time at Watford, Taylor took the club from the Fourth Division to the First, finishing league runners-up in their first top flight season and reaching the FA Cup final in their second. Southampton give a free transfer to their longest serving player Nick Holmes, the last"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"ground, Wast Hills, in West Heath, south Birmingham, and the schools of excellence, which Brady had scrapped, were reinstated at Francis's insistence as the precursor of the club's youth academy. Off the field, Birmingham City plc, of which the football club was a wholly owned subsidiary, was floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 1997 with an issue of 15 million new shares, raising £7.5m of new investment. and the third side of the ground, the Railway End, was modernised. David Gold succeeded Jack Wiseman as club chairman in August 1997. After a mid-table finish in 1996–97, the team"
"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"
"by Carlisle in 1996. During his time at Carlisle he helped them to promotion to the English Second Division including key goals against Lincoln City in a 1-0 victory and the 5-1 thrashing over Torquay United. In the following season he did not enough to impress over two league fixtures against Watford Watford that Hornets manager, Graham Taylor, would pay £100,000 for his signature in 1998. When at Watford he helped them get promoted to the Premier League for the 1999–2000 season. He scored the second goal in Watford's 2–0 victory against Bolton in the 1999 Football League First Division"
"the club, including transferring players to and from their other teams, Granada CF and Udinese Calcio. On 16 June 2016, his father sold Granada CF to Chinese businessman, Jiang Lizhang. 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"
"was named interim Rugby Football League Chairman when Richard Lewis' moved on. On 29 June 2012, Watkins stepped down from the board of Manchester United Football Club Ltd after 28 years with the club. On 30 May 2013 it was announced that Watkins would become chairman of Championship football club Barnsley. On 31 August 2017, Barnsley announced that Watkins was leaving the club's board of directors and his role as chairman. Watkins is involved with several causes. Previous roles have included Chairman of the New Children's Hospital Appeal. With his leadership the appeal successfully raised £20 million to provide beds"