In defence of Gareth Taylor
20/10/05 | by Elliot Stanley

After reading, listening and, quite disturbingly, observing the criticism of Gareth Taylor in recent weeks I felt it was time someone fought his case. So here it is: the Gareth Taylor Protection Society is born.

Firstly I would argue that ‘criticism’ is the wrong word; on many occasions what I have seen and heard is nothing short of disgraceful abuse. There are questions to ask of the people dishing it out, not to mention questions over each and every one of their abilities to understand football. Put simply, some may say harshly, but I believe fairly, these morons have no place within our club and if I’ve just reduced out attendance by 5,000 then so be it. Similarly if you disagree, so be it. All I ask is you read the below for the defences reasoned argument. 

Gareth Taylor has never, to my knowledge, claimed to be a world-beater. It is plain to see he isn’t. Does that mean that he is, as many fans seem to think, ‘useless’ or ‘a donkey’? Hardly. For those with memory loss, Gareth Taylor’s goals were part of the reason we mounted a successful fight with the relegation trapdoor first time round – if we’d gone on the following season to clinch promotion he’d probably have moved on and sealed himself legend status for staving off the disaster of demotion. The fact we did go down ruined that chance, but it does not remove anything from his achievements. 

Also prominent during that initial relegation battle was Taylor’s commitment. He may not plaster it over the press, but Taylor cares about Nottingham Forest. Given that over the past few years this is something that we have all questioned throughout the teams that have perennially disappointed in, you would think such desire and passion for the club would be welcomed with open arms. 

I’ve said this before, but just in case you missed it... For those who moan and groan as Gaz struggles to control a 60-yard Nicky Eaden missile that’s about as accurate as American ‘friendly fire’, try out this simple experiment. You will need a football, a large grassy area and a large central defender, plus someone who can kick a ball around 50-60 yards, preferably with minimal accuracy. Simply ask your Nicky Eaden stand-in to punt the ball in your area (if it lands within 3 yards begin the experiment again). As the ball is in the air the defender must be instructed to impede you in every way possible. Now attempt to control the ball and distribute to the nearest tree. For a more complex, but more realistic, experiment include a short-sighted bloke dressed in black who penalises you for unknown reasons on at least two occasions out of every three. 

In recent times Gaz’s form hasn’t been great, but I’d argue, with a fair degree of factual ammunition, that his form has been nowhere near as bad as David Johnnson’s last season, yet he remained a hero throughout! With the winner against Tranmere and what was effectively the winner against Hartlepool, Gareth Taylor has a massive part to play in our season. The fact that we have four strikers all vying for a place also seems to have boosted him with his performance against Tranmere being the best for some time in terms of holding up play and dropping deep to help out defensively. 

I won't make any apology for the fact this article potentially alienates some so called Forest ‘fans’. We all long for the days of another Teddy, Stan or Pierre, but let's get a grip with reality and at the same time show a bit of common sense. If you can’t support players who have Nottingham Forest at heart then quite frankly you’re better of jumping on a train to the Sheep Dip where you can join those of a similar intelligence level. We all have a moan now and then, it's normal, but constant abuse is wrong and out of order, especially when it has no merit whatsoever. Grow up and maybe, with some decent support, we might just go up.