Gareth Keith Taylor (born 25 February 1973) is a football manager and former player who is the head coach of Manchester City Women.
He began his career as a defender at Bristol Rovers, having left the Southampton youth team in 1991. After loan spells with non-League sides Gloucester City and Weymouth, he was converted into a striker. He then spent the 1995–96 season with Crystal Palace (who paid £1.25 million for his services), before a two-year spell with Sheffield United. He transferred to Manchester City in 1998 for a £400,000 fee, and was loaned out to Port Vale, Queens Park Rangers, and Burnley. He moved permanently to Burnley in 2001, and joined Nottingham Forest for a £500,000 fee two years later. In 2006, he was loaned out to Crewe Alexandra, before signing with Tranmere Rovers. In 2008, he switched to Doncaster Rovers, and joined Conference club Wrexham a year later, following a brief spell on loan at Carlisle United. He retired as a player in September 2011, having scored 135 goals in 642 appearances across all competitions. In addition to an eighteen-year career in the Football League he also enjoyed a nine-year international career. He won a total of fifteen caps for Wales, and scored once, in a friendly against Scotland. He was eligible for the national side because of his Welsh-born father.
He went on to coach at Manchester City before he was appointed manager of the club's women's team in May 2020. He led the team to the FA Cup title in 2020 and League Cup title in 2022.
Club career
Bristol Rovers
Born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, Taylor started his career with Southampton, but failed to make any first team appearances and was released. Second Division Bristol Rovers then signed him in 1991. Over the course of the 1991–92 season he was loaned to Gloucester City, where he played two games without scoring. He made his Football League debut as a centre-back in a 6–1 defeat at Cambridge United in February 1992. He then had another loan spell, this time to Weymouth in 1992–93, where he made five appearances without scoring.
He did not play again until the first match of the 1994–95 campaign, by which time manager John Ward had converted him into a striker. His height meant he was a good target man and was exceptional in the air, scoring twelve goals (most of them headers) in his first full season alongside Marcus Stewart and Paul Miller in attack. His brace against Brentford on the final day ensured a Second Division play-off spot. After a tense away goals victory over Crewe Alexandra in the semi-final, Rovers made it to Wembley, though they lost 2–1 to Huddersfield Town.
Crystal Palace
After four goals in seven games at the start of the following season, he was transferred to Crystal Palace for an initial £750,000 rising to an eventual £1.25 million on 27 September 1995. He failed to make an impact at the London outfit and only managed 23 appearances and two goals.
Sheffield United
He was soon released by Palace, and was signed by Sheffield United on 7 March 1996. In 1996–97 he scored twelve goals, helping the club to the play-off final, though ironically United lost out 1–0 to Crystal Palace. The following season he hit ten goals. United again reached the play-offs, though went out to Sunderland at the semi-final stage.
Manchester City
He was bought by Manchester City for £400,000 in November 1998. In 1998–99 he again found himself in the play-offs, he was a late substitute in the final, replacing Lee Crooks. The 1999–2000 season saw a second successive promotion for the "Blues". Taylor didn't play a huge role in the promotion though, instead he joined Port Vale on a one-month loan in January 2000. In March, he joined Queens Park Rangers on loan until the end of the season. Stockport County were interested in his signature in November 2000, though nothing was to come out of it. He came close to a move to Sheffield Wednesday in January 2001, but the £100,000 deal did not go through. Instead he joined Burnley on loan the following month. That season he never made a Premier League game for Man City.
Burnley
He scored his first Burnley goal on 13 March in a 1–0 win at Watford; five days later the loan deal was extended. The loan deal lasted until the end of the season, Taylor having scored four goals in fifteen appearances. He moved to Turf Moor on a free transfer in July 2001, signing a three-year deal. Taylor had a highly successful 2001–02 season with the Lancashire club, scoring sixteen goals despite suffering an ankle injury in January. He also performed in the 2002–03 season, bagging seventeen goals in close to fifty games.