Chaps. I’ll be starting a GoFundMe this week for the new Divock mural for Ratoath.
Make sure they don’t deliver the ethnic stereotype Divock banner.
A modern day cult hero. Not too many of them around.
Football without origi means nothing.
God bless cameras.
A few hundred millions worth of talent in today’s money
They must have invited Mcateer by accident
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Sammy Lee has lost a few kilos.
Not hanging out with Allardyce any more.
Perry Taylor sat on the edge of his bed contemplating the unthinkable. With a bottle of pills in one hand the former England youth international who could once call the likes of Alan Smith, Wes Brown and Joe Cole team mates had seen his career not just stall but crumble under the weight of something out of his control. He had been hailed as a future star of the game and had been coveted by Liverpool and Everton before deciding to join his home town club Tranmere Rovers, but a change in manager soon after his arrival triggered a spate of bullying that would have brought with it criminal charges if it were to take place in any other industry.
The working class town of Birkenhead is situated in England’s North West with just a river and a short ferry ride separating it from the iconic sky line of Liverpool. The place has gained something of a bad reputation over the years with its countless council estate and rough, no nonsense men that simply don’t tolerate w****rs, or people from outside the area, or people wearing green, or …… you get the picture. But looking back on the history of the town it is not hard to see where this steely attitude has come from. What was once a busy working man’s port was slowly stripped of all the industries that had once given its inhabitants pride and its men work. Even now with the world’s economic down turn the unemployment rate in Birkenhead is double the national average, but one thing that has never died in this place is it’s passion for football. Players such as Liverpool’s David Thompson and Jason McAteer as well as the legendary Everton striker William Ralph Dean better known as Dixie once called Birkenhead home and every week there are literally hundreds, maybe thousands of young kids that pull on their boots and risk broken ankles out on to the bobbly, hilly pitches that English Sunday league football is known for in the hope that they will be the next name added to that list of greats.
Perry Taylor was one of those boys. Growing up with a passion for Liverpool Football Club and an older brother that had already broken in to the professional ranks with Rotherham Taylor had a good footballing pedigree and for a while it seemed that the road to football stardom was going to be a smooth one. Picked up by Crewe Alexandra at the age of 11 it wasn’t long before the big strong forward with the great first touch was causing something of a stir in the football world. He soon transferred to his local club Tranmere Rovers where he went on to represent his country at youth level all the while fulfilling one of his earliest dreams of playing at the famous Wembley stadium.
“Playing at Wembley was a dream come true, there was no pressure on me then I simply enjoyed my football,” said Perry remembering what would turn out to be the peak of his career.
Perry was also featured on the TV show The World at Their Feet back in the mid-90s. The show was an expose on the English FA’s now extinct Lilleshall School of Excellence and was supposed to introduce the future of English football to the world with Taylor one of those at the fore.
“Perry was an imposing striker, very physical for his age but gifted technically, possessing an excellent 1st touch,” said former England youth team mate Mickey Lyons.
Things were moving along nicely for the boy from St John Plessington College but with clubs now lining up to offer him his first professional contract Perry had hit a crossroads that proved more difficult to negotiate than anyone could have predicted.
The decisions that we make in our day to day lives can often make or break our careers, relationships and dreams without us even knowing it at the time. It is often said that when faced with a multitude of options that all seem equally as appealing or back breaking that we should trust are guts, follow are hearts and ignore the ignorant rationalisation that ticks over in our brains. For where the heart goes the head will follow. But at the tender age of 16 Taylor was forced in to decision that on the surface looked like a win win situation and is the dream of almost every boy in England. Who would the ultra-talented Perry Taylor sign for, Liverpool, Everton or Tranmere? Despite being a life-long Liverpool fan Perry decided to be loyal and stick with the club that he had played for for the previous four years, Tranmere Rovers, under the guidance of one of the game’s most enigmatic characters, John King. There was no doubt that Tranmere for many people was strange choice. The Birkenhead club had struggled to break out from under the massive shadow cast by its big brothers over the River Mersey at Goodison Park and Anfield. A shadow that had spread over so far that it now engulfed their small ground of Prenton Park in such a way that they were forced to play home games on a Friday night to ensure that they got some sort of a crowd. But under King Tranmere had bounced back from the brink of extinction and relegation from the old Division 4 in 1987, to the play offs and a shot at the premier league in 1991. So despite the pull of the heart string towards his beloved Liverpool Taylor stayed in Birkenhead simply because it had seemed like an obvious choice at the time.
“I chose Tranmere because I live next door and I started there as a ball-boy and they were top of the championship on the verge of going to the Premier League,” said Taylor.
But little did he know that a change of manager at the club would also see a massive change in his personal and professional fortunes as Perry was driven to the brink of suicide by constant pre meditated mental abuse by one of his very own heroes and one of the absolute legends of the game.
There is no doubt that John Aldridge is one of the most natural goal scorers that the game has ever seen. With nearly 400 goals for club and country, as well as league trophies and FA Cup winners medals with Liverpool to his name there are not many people out there that would argue with his footballing credentials. So when Tranmere manager John King was forced in to the board room in 1996 the 38 year old Aldridge looked like the perfect choice as his replacement. But not long after taking the reins it seemed that John Aldridge had literally taken the close knit club that King had worked so hard to build and split it in half, with those he liked on one side and those he didn’t on the other. Unfortunately for youngster Perry Taylor he was on the other. It seems that after just three months of his new 4 year contract Aldridge had already decided that the 16 year old England youth international was never going to play for Tranmere Rovers apparently telling former Tranmere player and the then youth coach Steve Mungall that it was because “Jonny King signed him.” But there was also another possible reason for Aldridge’s early assessment that an England youth international would never make the grade at a club that was now beginning to slide down the table, it seems that Taylor happened to play in the same position as a certain Paul Aldridge. A theory that is backed up by another former Tranmere youth player, Peter Rogers, who quit the club to return to his native Ireland after becoming disillusioned with the game because of his poor treatment at the hands of Aldridge.
“He’s a w*r,” says Rogers who is angry that he was just never given the chance to shine. “Didn’t give a f about YTS (Youth Training Scheme) unless it was his own son that is. Got rid of some good young players to accommodate him and never gave others a chance. The most annoying thing is I only singed there because of him, thinking he’ll give you every chance. How wrong I was cause Perry and myself had plenty more who wanted us.”
But whatever the reason was for Aldridge’s decision what he did next was totally inexcusable. Instead of cutting his losses and letting the unwanted youngster leave and continue his career elsewhere Perry was simply left to rot, not picked in the first team squad and forced to sit on the bench for the reserves all the while putting up with a barrage of abuse directed at his weight and overall fitness that simply drove Perry’s confidence in to the ground.
From day one of the Aldridge reign Perry Taylor says that he and a number of the other YTS players felt as if they were on the outside and totally unsupported. “He said I was part of the team but when it was time for the team photo everyone had a kit with their name on apart from me. I didn’t have a kit so he gave me a shirt with a different name on and said “”Wear this,”” I said, “”What if that player was here and not on international duty?”” he said “”Then you wouldn’t be on the f***ing photo McDonalds boy.””
But while many of the youngsters decided enough was enough and simply quit the club and headed home, Taylor decided to stick it out. He had recently signed a four year contract that he was determined to see out and at this point still felt that he had the ability to make a dent in the professional game. But if he was to do so there was one part of his life that he knew he would have to master, his weight management.
Perry freely admits that he had always struggled with his weight as a kid and that he was probably a few pounds over his peak footballing condition, but rather than pulling the 16 year old aside and making a plan that would see him shed the excess, get fully fit and playing his best football, Perry’s weight became the catalyst for Aldridge to continue a four year reign of public abuse that would result in the destruction on an extremely promising career.
“My mum tells me that when I was still a schoolboy and Aldo had just taken over he came to watch all the juniors games,” remembers Taylor. “He pulled my mum to one side and said “”He is overweight.“” Now at this stage I was playing for my country for god sake if I was ok to get picked for my country I’m sure I was ok to play for Tranmere.”
But even at this early stage it seems that the abuse was not confined to name calling.
“He slapped me once after a youth game at Southport. Southport scored late on and in the changing rooms he went mad throwing cups of tea everywhere he told me to stand up and said “”Get ya f***ing head in there fat boy”” and slapped me across my face,” said Perry remembering a particular nasty moment.
Despite the public humiliations that were now happening on an almost daily basis Taylor found that the youth coaches and scouts that had tracked his progress for the previous six or seven years simply shied away. Suddenly with their jobs on the line they even ganged up on him becoming nothing but yes men for a manager that was struggling to do his job and slowly losing control.
“Dave Phillpots called my Mum and Dad in to the ground to have a chat about me,” said Perry, “We were on a strict diet at Tranmere and after games if you have played you would get food from the chip shop, if you hadn’t played you ate something lighter. Well Phillpots said to my Mum I hadn’t played yet on the coach I was eating chips and they were fining me 200 quid (GBP) my Mum said “”Did you see him eating this food?”” and Phillpots replied “Yes, I did”” so my Mum then said “”Perry was not even in the squad he was at home with me watching TV so how the hell could he be eating food.” Amazingly the fine still stood.
After a number of similar unwarranted reprimands Perry was glad when the opportunity arose to head to Ireland on loan with Derry City. After a pretty successful stint away and happy just to be playing again he returned to Merseyside fit and with a new sense of purpose. It also seemed that Aldridge had finally caved in giving the youngster a place in the first team for some pre-season warm up matches.
“In my last year I was sent on loan to Derry city which I enjoyed but again I struggled with confidence,” says Perry. “I came back fit and rearing to go for my last year and I started well scoring twice in preseason for the first team, but again Aldridge said I was not fit enough. Over the four years Aldridge slaughtered me again again over my weight but I was told to train on my own for 6 months, just me running round a field for 6 months.”
With confidence now at an all-time low Perry Taylor was desperate for a way out of his growing nightmare but trying to find a club willing to take on a semi fit teenager that hadn’t played a genuine game in months was difficult. Bolton Wanderers did step forward but when Aldridge demanded a fee for his services the deal quickly fell through. It was now that Perry finally decided that enough was enough and after talks between family members and Tranmere staff Dave Phillpots, the future manager Les Parry and revered scout and youth coach Warwick Rimmer resulted in Perry simply being told “That there was nothing anybody could do and that he should just get on with it” he took his case to the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) hoping that they could somehow get his career back on track.
“I phoned the PFA for help and a guy called John Bramwell dealt with my case. He gave Tranmere rovers a warning, but when Aldo(Aldridge) found out he hit the roof and it was even worse. He said I was unfit and overweight, I pointed out that it was because I have not played a game for 5 months so he fined me a weeks wages.”
The warning did nothing and the PFA soon backed away from the case and even when Taylor tried to take it further he was told that no one can go against one of the legends of the game in such a way, especially not a teenage kid.
“I then took legal advice about the way I was treated spoke to sports lawyers and they were shocked at my treatment but they said the PFA don’t want me to go through with it because I was a young boy against a football club and a football legend.”
But despite the constant mental harassment that had seen him become a shell of the player he once was and the fact that at times he felt too scared to even kick a ball for fear of reprisal Perry was still determined to prove himself, still determined to find that childhood spark that had made him such a special talent and continue with his career. So one day Perry literally begged for a chance to play and was surprised when an inter club match comprising of YTS players and some of the more senior pros such as striker Paul Rideout was arranged just for him. It seemed like a perfect opportunity for Taylor to get some game time and push for a place in the reserves but unbeknown to him there was a more sinister reason for Aldridge agreeing to arrange such a match.
“I noticed that a youth player on the line with another coach Kevin Sheedy had a video camera, I thought nothing and carried on,” said Perry. “But then I noticed that they were only filming me. So at the end of the game I ran straight up to the youth player and asked him what was going on. He went quiet, had a quick look around and said, “”I never told you this but they were filming you to prove that you are unfit to send to the PFA.””
But the plan failed as Perry played a blinder. He scored twice and was so good that coach Kevin Sheedy began to ask the question of the manager “Why doesn’t Perry play?”
The stresses and strains that were now taking their toll on Perry’s mental health were also beginning to take their toll on his family. His mum and dad separated around this time and everybody that knew him could see that he was slipping in to a deep black hole, but none of them knew how to get him out. Even the club could see that something wasn’t right and sent him to be assessed by the clubs doctor. But when the doctor’s report called Perry a suicidal, manic depressive, there was still nothing done by anyone at the club that would show they had the boy’s best interests at heart. And the clubs decision to simply wipe their hands of what they now obviously saw as nothing but a problem player almost resulted in a young man’s death.
“If I’m honest it is only because of my mum that I’m still here,” said Perry talking about his darkest days. “She found me in my bedroom with loads of tablets I wanted to end it there and then but she gave me the strength to carry on and seek help.”
Even when Perry’s contract ended in 2001 the club said nothing. Not a “Thank you for your time but we don’t want you anymore.” No help finding a new club. Not even a “f*** off we think you’re shit.” Perry had been kicked in to a ditch and left there to fend for himself. It was now that he was able to seek the professional help that he so desperately needed and Perry spent the next 18 months trying to overcome his demons in the hope he would be able to continue his footballing career.
Taylor was also keen to share his experiences with the world and after a brief interview with Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper there were lots of people asking for the full story. But the PFA once again stepped in warning him that laying such a story on the line would only damage his own reputation and his chances of finding another club. So with his career in mind Taylor kept his mouth shut.
“Lots of newspapers then wanted my story,” said Taylor, “but the PFA said it wasn’t a good idea because I would find it hard to find another club. I later found out it was just to protect themselves because they had done f*** all to help.”
After some extensive therapy with sports psychologist Matt Jevons Perry did find himself a new club, Morecombe, down in the lower reaches of the Vauxhall Conference League. But it seems that his hunger for the game had gone and he was no longer the player he once was and after a serious knee injury forced him out of the game for six months he found it difficult to bounce back.
“I wasn’t quite the same person anymore,“ he said, “I played one season for Morecombe reserves but the following preseason I broke my kneecap I was out of contract and had no one to fix my knee. I waited 6 months to have an operation which the PFA finally paid for, but by this time I’m 24 and I had started working with my brother because I had no money and I have not really played since. My phone never stops ringing with people asking me to play but if I’m honest my heart was broken a long time ago in football.”
There have been all sorts of rumours over the years surrounding the way certain clubs treat their YTS players but all too often it is brushed under the carpet and put down as whinging by young players that simply couldn’t cut it at the top of the world game. And I am sure there will be many people out there that think Perry should have just sucked it up and accepted that he was never going to make it. But another one of Taylor’s team mates Ian Paul joy who also worked under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester Utd summed the situation up perfectly.
“I was lucky that I had pretty thick skin and went on to have a decent career,” said the man who left Manchester Utd to join Aldridge at Prenton Park. “He was just a horrible human being that treated everyone around him badly.” And how do you deal with someone like that.
Perry Taylor is now working towards his coaching badges and I am sure that with his immense experience with in the game that he will go on and do some great things.
Bullet points?
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- even though a photo includes a goalkeeper that was involved in match fixing,
- the biggest cunt there is aldridge
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Hard to argue with that after reading the article, I’m not surprised to be honest, I’d say it was rife within a lot of football clubs at the time. I packed in my own soccer career mainly because I felt I’d better things to be doing than listening to washed-up, ex-LOI, loudmouth cunts throwing personal abuse at the younger members of the squad including myself. It must be very hard to take if you set your sights on making a professional career out of it though
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One of my best friends growing up was in that youth team with Perry Taylor and he backs up everything in that article.
This fella was borderline getting in the Arsenal team at 17 and Brady sold him to Tranmere when Wenger came in.
Aldridge ruined them so bad he hardly played again passed 21 or 22.
He’d burn Aldridge if he got the chance. The bullying was bad he said and he wasn’t a shy boy
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Just a story i was told.
He told a fella he was overweight first week of preseason and he wouldn’t be getting his yts money that week. Which was a big fucking deal.
The following week the same fella said he’d show the cunt who was unfit, they were doing a 5 mile forest run as part of the preseason with the 1st team. He said he finished a good minute or two ahead of the next guy and was waiting a good 5 minutes for alrdidge to finish (aldo had to be invovled)
He got fined for embarrassing the 1st team players.
Thats fucking mental shit
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Aldridge is a known cunt. I wasn’t aware of those stories tho… A horrible cunt.
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Id say you know the fella I’m talking about there
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