Blackburn Rovers Taylor was born in
Ashington,
Northumberland, and attended
Cramlington High School. He played football for Cramlington Juniors before joining
Blackburn Rovers as a schoolboy at the age of 17, signing his first full contract at the start of the
1997–98 season. Loan spells at
Darlington and
Stockport served to improve his self-belief, and in May 2001 he won his first and only cap for the
England under-21 side, as a half-time substitute for
John Terry in a 3–0 friendly win against
Mexico. Though brought into the squad for the
2002 European under-21 championships to replace the injured
Ledley King, he made no further international appearances. Also in 2002, he played throughout Blackburn's
League Cup campaign, culminating in a
2–1 victory over
Tottenham Hotspur at the
Millennium Stadium. Blackburn manager
Graeme Souness felt that Taylor had enough ability to reach the top, but had for some time believed that without adopting a more aggressive physical approach – one befitting his frame, which caused his teammates to nickname him "Tiny" – he would not fulfil his potential. He had been viewed as a potential replacement for defenders
Henning Berg and
Craig Short, but, as Berg left the side, Souness signed
Lorenzo Amoruso, because he felt that Blackburn needed experienced centre-backs, and then took
Markus Babbel on loan. Though injuries among his defenders made him reluctant to sell, Souness needed to generate transfer funds, so in January 2004, Blackburn accepted a £1.25 million bid from
Birmingham City.
Birmingham City On 2 February 2004, Taylor left Blackburn for Birmingham City, signing a contract due to end in 2007. He linked up with former Blackburn teammates
David Dunn and
Damien Johnson highlighted Taylor's footballing ability and comfort on the ball.
Rob Kelly, then head of youth coaching at Blackburn, while complimentary about his reading of the game and ability with both feet, felt that working with Birmingham manager
Steve Bruce, a former top-class centre-half, in new surroundings might help bring out his unfulfilled potential, an assessment with which Taylor himself agreed. He made his Birmingham debut in a 3–0 victory against
Everton, and in his next game, a 3–1 victory against
Middlesbrough, he scored his first league goal for the club. Unable to dislodge the established central defensive partnership of
Matthew Upson and
Kenny Cunningham, he played regularly for the remainder of the season, but mainly in his less favoured position of
right back. this versatility ideally suited him to a backup role in the event of injury to any of the first choice defenders. In the
2004–05 season, the form and fitness of Upson and Cunningham, together with the arrival of
Dutch international fullback
Mario Melchiot from
Chelsea, considerably restricted Taylor's appearances. In the second half of the 2005–06 season he had a long run in the side due to Upson's ankle injury, a run which coincided with some of Birmingham's better performances. The departure of Cunningham and Melchiot following Birmingham's relegation from the
Premier League, with Upson still injured long-term, provided an opportunity for Taylor to establish his first-team place alongside newly arrived
Bruno Ngotty. But Bruce also recruited
Tunisian international Radhi Jaïdi, and preferred the more robust physical approach of
Olivier Tébily while Jaïdi built up match fitness.
Norwich City loan With Birmingham back in the Premier League for 2007–08, competition for places meant that Taylor did not play in a single league game in the first two months of the season. On 1 November 2007, he became new
Norwich City manager
Glenn Roeder's first signing, joining on a month's loan. In his debut game, against
East Anglian rivals Ipswich Town three days later, Taylor played a large role in his side's first goal: his header was deflected in off defender
Owen Garvan, who was credited with an
own goal. Taylor scored with a diving header against
Blackpool and added considerable solidity at the back for Norwich. Though Norwich hoped to extend the loan, this was not possible, so Taylor returned to Birmingham at the end of the initial month. Following
Alex McLeish's arrival as Birmingham manager, Taylor was told that he was surplus to requirements; the club accepted an offer from
Queens Park Rangers, reported at £1.25 million, but the player rejected it. However, injury to
Rafael Schmitz, Jaïdi's absence on international duty and McLeish's failure to sign any of his defensive targets gave Taylor a first league start of the season in a 1–1 draw with
Derby County in January 2008.
Eduardo broken leg incident On 23 February 2008, in the third minute of Birmingham's home match against
Arsenal, Taylor committed a foul on
Croatian international striker
Eduardo da Silva as a result of which Eduardo suffered a compound fracture to his left
fibula and an open dislocation of his left ankle. He received treatment on the field for seven minutes before undergoing surgery at a local hospital, and was transferred to a London hospital the following day. Shortly after the match, Birmingham City issued a statement asserting Taylor's lack of malicious intent and his distress at the injury, and sending their best wishes to Eduardo.
Watford Taylor joined Championship club
Watford on a free transfer on 29 January 2010. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. He made his Watford debut on 2 February, playing the full 90 minutes against
Sheffield United at
Vicarage Road. Watford won the match 3–0, with Taylor's commanding display helping towards their first win whilst keeping a
clean sheet for over two months. He scored his first goal for Watford in a 2–0 win over
Bristol City the following week. After USA defender
Jay DeMerit left the club, Taylor and
Adrian Mariappa were manager
Malky Mackay's preferred central defensive partnership for the
2010–11 season. Despite struggling with injury towards the end of the season, Taylor was able to start all 46 of Watford's league games. He also played a further three games in other competitions and scored six league goals. and finished second in the voting for
Watford F.C. Player of the Season behind Championship top-scorer
Danny Graham. Taylor scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season on 28 August, in a 2–2 draw against former club Birmingham City. and his return was further delayed when he broke his toe in a friendly in January 2012. He finally returned to league action at
West Ham United in early March, as substitute for the
concussed Dale Bennett, and was made captain for his first start since the injury, away to
Bristol City two weeks later. At the end of the season, Taylor signed a new one-year contract with Watford.
Sheffield Wednesday On 31 August 2012, Taylor signed a two-year deal to take him to newly promoted Championship side
Sheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed fee. He made only thirteen appearances for Wednesday in his first season, the last of which came in mid-February 2013 against former club Birmingham City. He made his debut on 14 September at
Tranmere Rovers and scored within the first two minutes, beating the club record for fastest goal on league debut; Brentford won 4–3. He scored again on his third appearance, netting the second goal in a 2–0 victory over
Coventry City on 29 September. He was released at the end of the season without making any further first-team appearances, and subsequently retired from professional football. ==Personal life==