Paul Fletcher [BBC] 17 Dec 08, 10:43 AM
Peter Taylor was naturally disappointed after Wycombe lost their unbeaten League Two record at Aldershot on 6 December.
Wanderers had played 18 games before the 3-2 reverse and were the only team in all four divisions not to have tasted defeat.
But after thinking about it for a while it occurred to Taylor that his team's unbeaten record had become a motivating factor for opposition teams. Perhaps the defeat wasn't such a bad thing after all.
"Now people cannot say any longer 'let's be the first to beat them', that has gone out of the window," Taylor told me. "It might do us a favour."
taylor438.jpg It is classic Taylor. An ability to pick out the positives and an infectious enthusiasm for the game are core characteristics of his varied and colourful coaching career.
The 55-year-old has managed in all four divisions and won five Football League promotions. He gave David Beckham the England captaincy during his one game in temporary charge of the England team and has had two spells as coach of the England Under-21 team.
And through it all his approach to management remains the same.
"You look at your squad and put a team together as best you can with the players you have got and then go from there," said Taylor.
It might sound simple, perhaps too much so, but don't be fooled for at the heart of it all is Taylor's desire to improve his players. The training pitch is where he feels most at home and watching a player blossom is what gives him the most satisfaction. There is nothing better than giving a player an idea and watching him implement it on match day.
One example might be Wycombe winger Matt Phillips. Taylor was a winger himself with the likes of Southend, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Leyton Orient and is keen to pass on his knowledge to 17-year-old, explaining when a situation lends itself to a shot or would be better suited to picking out a team-mate.
Taylor has a reputation for working well with younger players and was extremely popular, as well as successful, with the England Under-21 team. He still receives the occasional text or phone call from some of the players, many of whom are now seasoned full internationals.
But Taylor is keen to stress that he enjoys coaching older players as well - age to an extent being of secondary importance but a desire to improve paramount. The manager points to Wycombe midfielder Gary Holt. "He is 35 but a serious pro and I enjoy working with him."
His affinity and closeness to his players - I get the impression he is at times more mentor than manager - can lead to problems. Sometimes players forget that there has to remain a divide between the manager and his squad.
"That has happened to me a few times," said the Wanderers boss. "Because I try to be close and friendly sometimes they get the wrong idea."
Taylor learnt about the dividing line from Terry Venables, who he cites as a key figure in his career along with Malcolm Allison and Keith Burkinshaw.
Venables enjoyed a great rapport with his players - Taylor describes him as a brilliant and funny coach - but if he wanted a training session to be serious he made sure his players quickly got the message.
Taylor started his coaching career at Dartford in 1986 and the experience he has gained has taught him many things. It makes his job easier in some ways but some things arguably get worse over time, such as delivering bad news - releasing a keen young player or leaving someone out of a big game.
Team spirit is important to Taylor and dropping a player can inevitably impact on harmony within the squad. But Taylor argues there is a "thin line" in terms of what reaction you are looking for. "Do you want a player happy or miserable to be left out? If he is unhappy and you have a bit of a ding dong, then I would probably respect him more for that." taylorbecks438.jpg
It all ties in with the broader theme of professionalism. Taylor recently gave a presentation at Ardingly College in Sussex during which he told the listening students that it was not just ability that took players to the very top. They clearly have tremendous natural gifts but they are also extremely dedicated to their profession and take their lifestyles seriously.
It was part of what made coaching the England Under-21s such a pleasure. The youngsters Taylor worked with knew that the rewards of the senior squad were one step away and were highly motivated as a consequence. Sometimes a player would be given a chance and it would encourage his friends to push on even more. To Taylor this is the Under-21 system working as it should.
But the Wycombe boss is also keen to stress that there are plenty of dedicated professionals at Adams Park and believes the standard of football in the League Two as a whole has increased since he was last in the division with Hull in 2004.
After taking over in the summer Taylor studied the previous season when the team had just missed out on promotion, losing to Stockport in the play-offs.
He decided the team did not score enough goals and lacked wide, quick players. The manager reckons the former remains a problem - his team have scored 38 goals in 20 league games - but he has brought in more athletic players to try to make the team more dynamic.
It all seems to be working well and the Chairboys have a six point lead at the top of League Two, something that the manager reckons at least gives him the breathing space of a couple of slip-ups. Taylor is keen to stress caution, trotting out the age-old mantra that there is a long way to go, but he is predicting a division where the points divide between top and bottom at the end of the campaign is larger than recent years.
Before accepting the job at Adams Park Taylor received a couple of phone calls from what he describes as "good managers at good clubs" asking whether he would consider being their assistant. Taylor is a big advocate of a young manager bringing in an experienced assistant. "Nine out of 10 will have good contacts and even though what they might say will occasionally hurt they will be honest with you. The last thing you want is a younger yes man." Taylor cites the relationship between Phil Brown and Brian Horton at Taylor's former club Hull as a good case in point.
The Wycombe boss thinks his career will eventually go down this route but is hopeful this lies some way in the future. At the moment Taylor is having too much fun chasing another promotion.
Peter Taylor was naturally disappointed after Wycombe lost their unbeaten League Two record at Aldershot on 6 December.
Wanderers had played 18 games before the 3-2 reverse and were the only team in all four divisions not to have tasted defeat.
But after thinking about it for a while it occurred to Taylor that his team's unbeaten record had become a motivating factor for opposition teams. Perhaps the defeat wasn't such a bad thing after all.
"Now people cannot say any longer 'let's be the first to beat them', that has gone out of the window," Taylor told me. "It might do us a favour."
taylor438.jpg It is classic Taylor. An ability to pick out the positives and an infectious enthusiasm for the game are core characteristics of his varied and colourful coaching career.
The 55-year-old has managed in all four divisions and won five Football League promotions. He gave David Beckham the England captaincy during his one game in temporary charge of the England team and has had two spells as coach of the England Under-21 team.
And through it all his approach to management remains the same.
"You look at your squad and put a team together as best you can with the players you have got and then go from there," said Taylor.
It might sound simple, perhaps too much so, but don't be fooled for at the heart of it all is Taylor's desire to improve his players. The training pitch is where he feels most at home and watching a player blossom is what gives him the most satisfaction. There is nothing better than giving a player an idea and watching him implement it on match day.
One example might be Wycombe winger Matt Phillips. Taylor was a winger himself with the likes of Southend, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Leyton Orient and is keen to pass on his knowledge to 17-year-old, explaining when a situation lends itself to a shot or would be better suited to picking out a team-mate.
Taylor has a reputation for working well with younger players and was extremely popular, as well as successful, with the England Under-21 team. He still receives the occasional text or phone call from some of the players, many of whom are now seasoned full internationals.
But Taylor is keen to stress that he enjoys coaching older players as well - age to an extent being of secondary importance but a desire to improve paramount. The manager points to Wycombe midfielder Gary Holt. "He is 35 but a serious pro and I enjoy working with him."
His affinity and closeness to his players - I get the impression he is at times more mentor than manager - can lead to problems. Sometimes players forget that there has to remain a divide between the manager and his squad.
"That has happened to me a few times," said the Wanderers boss. "Because I try to be close and friendly sometimes they get the wrong idea."
Taylor learnt about the dividing line from Terry Venables, who he cites as a key figure in his career along with Malcolm Allison and Keith Burkinshaw.
Venables enjoyed a great rapport with his players - Taylor describes him as a brilliant and funny coach - but if he wanted a training session to be serious he made sure his players quickly got the message.
Taylor started his coaching career at Dartford in 1986 and the experience he has gained has taught him many things. It makes his job easier in some ways but some things arguably get worse over time, such as delivering bad news - releasing a keen young player or leaving someone out of a big game.
Team spirit is important to Taylor and dropping a player can inevitably impact on harmony within the squad. But Taylor argues there is a "thin line" in terms of what reaction you are looking for. "Do you want a player happy or miserable to be left out? If he is unhappy and you have a bit of a ding dong, then I would probably respect him more for that." taylorbecks438.jpg
It all ties in with the broader theme of professionalism. Taylor recently gave a presentation at Ardingly College in Sussex during which he told the listening students that it was not just ability that took players to the very top. They clearly have tremendous natural gifts but they are also extremely dedicated to their profession and take their lifestyles seriously.
It was part of what made coaching the England Under-21s such a pleasure. The youngsters Taylor worked with knew that the rewards of the senior squad were one step away and were highly motivated as a consequence. Sometimes a player would be given a chance and it would encourage his friends to push on even more. To Taylor this is the Under-21 system working as it should.
But the Wycombe boss is also keen to stress that there are plenty of dedicated professionals at Adams Park and believes the standard of football in the League Two as a whole has increased since he was last in the division with Hull in 2004.
After taking over in the summer Taylor studied the previous season when the team had just missed out on promotion, losing to Stockport in the play-offs.
He decided the team did not score enough goals and lacked wide, quick players. The manager reckons the former remains a problem - his team have scored 38 goals in 20 league games - but he has brought in more athletic players to try to make the team more dynamic.
It all seems to be working well and the Chairboys have a six point lead at the top of League Two, something that the manager reckons at least gives him the breathing space of a couple of slip-ups. Taylor is keen to stress caution, trotting out the age-old mantra that there is a long way to go, but he is predicting a division where the points divide between top and bottom at the end of the campaign is larger than recent years.
Before accepting the job at Adams Park Taylor received a couple of phone calls from what he describes as "good managers at good clubs" asking whether he would consider being their assistant. Taylor is a big advocate of a young manager bringing in an experienced assistant. "Nine out of 10 will have good contacts and even though what they might say will occasionally hurt they will be honest with you. The last thing you want is a younger yes man." Taylor cites the relationship between Phil Brown and Brian Horton at Taylor's former club Hull as a good case in point.
The Wycombe boss thinks his career will eventually go down this route but is hopeful this lies some way in the future. At the moment Taylor is having too much fun chasing another promotion.