Paul Lambert’s arrival at Wolves also proved the catalyst for another new addition to the coaching team at Molineux – Stuart Taylor, who had worked as Aston Villa’s Under-23 coach during Lambert’s time at Villa Park. Taylor boasts extensive coaching experience at different levels of the game, and is relishing the new opportunity handed to him at Wolves, working alongside Rob Edwards and the rest of the staff in supporting Lambert in his role. We caught up with him ahead of the first home game of a new era, against Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow(3pm).
When Stuart Taylor got the phone call from Paul Lambert introducing the opportunity of a new job and new challenge at Wolves, the response was as swift as it was unequivocal.
“I didn’t need any time to think about it,” says the 41-year-old Scot, who has slotted seamlessly into place at Compton Park alongside the new gaffer.
As he says himself, there are many reasons why he was so keen to take up a first team coaching position at Wolves, but perhaps chiefly the opportunity to once again link up with Lambert, and the challenge and the potential of the task in hand at Molineux.
“I was delighted when Paul and the club offered me the opportunity to come to Wolves, and the chance to link up with him again was one which really appealed,” says Taylor.
“I know what Paul is like, in terms of how in-depth he is, and the knowledge and the enthusiasm that he carries.
“The way that he goes about his work is great for me to learn from.
“I enjoyed my spell with him at Aston Villa when I was working with the Under-23’s squad.
“Paul made sure there was a link right throughout the club which he will do here as well.
“He always makes sure he gets to watch so many games – Under-23s, Under-18s, home and away – and to be able to link up with him again is really important for me.
“He has been there and done it in getting promoted from this division and he has done well to stay in the Premier League as well.
“He has an unbelievable knowledge of the game and of players and possesses great man management skills.
“And for me, Wolves as a club also has massive appeal.
“I have been to a few games here before, particularly with being so close whilst at Villa, so I have seen a fair bit of the first team and the Under-23s.
“The opportunity to join the staff here was a really good one for me and I am loving every minute of it.”
As mentioned Taylor has settled quickly into life in the Wolves backroom team, both in terms of the work with the squad on the coaching field, and the togetherness and dedication of those on the staff.
“There has been a great attitude about the players so far, and it is just a case of getting the work ethic to the level which the gaffer wants,” he explains.
“The players that we have been working with over the last couple of weeks have certainly done that, and have given everything that they have got.
“That is the first thing, that the players buy in to what the gaffer is wanting to do - showing that professionalism and the hunger and desire that they want to succeed.
“That has been enjoyable to work with, and I am really looking forward to the games now.
“As soon as I came here, the first thing I noticed is that the staff at the football club are so welcoming.
“By that I don’t just mean the coaching staff – the office staff both at Compton and Molineux, the dining hall, reception, kitmen – everybody has been brilliant.
“When you have got an environment like that then I think people are happy to come to work.
“That is a big thing for the gaffer, getting everyone at the club together and feeling they have a part to play.
“And the staff have been great as well.
“Speaking closely to Rob (Edwards), Tony (Daley), Pat (Mountain), Phil (Hayward) – all of the coaching and backroom staff – there is a very good ethic and togetherness among the staff and everyone wants to succeed and do well for the football club.”
Taylor’s path into coaching was forged very early in his playing career, when he quickly realised his interest in the game went way beyond just kicking a ball around for 90 minutes.
His spell as a midfielder in Scotland, including several years plying his trade in the Premier Division with teams such as Partick Thistle and Hamilton Academical, laid the foundations for the ‘second’ career he is now pursuing.
He has also played for several other clubs in Scotland, and coached or managed both at Airdrie and Hamilton and then Al Khor FC in Qatar and Limerick in Ireland before joining Villa.
“Even when I was playing I always felt I wanted to go into coaching,” Taylor recalls.
“I did my badges quite early and I was fortunate enough to work under some good coaches and good managers.
“When I was playing I would always take notes after sessions about what we had done because I knew it was something I was really interested in.
“I started out at Airdrie as a player/first team coach and I also took the Under-19s team to get some experience.
“I wanted to take as many sessions as I possibly could, spend as many hours as possible on the training field, and I was like a sponge learning as much as I could as quickly as I could.
“I then went to Hamilton as a player/assistant manager and took the Under-19s and the reserves as well as the first team.
“That was two sessions a day, every day, being involved in the three teams, which was a great experience for me particularly with some of the younger players who came through.
“James McCarthy, James McArthur, Brian Easton – there was a whole list that came through at that time.
“Being part of their development was a great experience for me.
“I have also worked for the Scottish FA in coach education, and then went out to work in Qatar before getting a job as the manager of Limerick.
“That was a real challenge, the first season after the club had been promoted into the top flight in 19 years.
“So the task was to stay in the league.
“In doing that I tried to make improvements to the Academy there and put some of my own ideas into it.
“We finished mid table which was a good achievement whilst also bringing some young players through into the first team and a couple also got moves to Huddersfield.
“Then halfway through the second season I moved on to Villa which was a great opportunity for me just to step up a level.
“Then it was about working with a better standard of player and working in top class facilities.
“That brought another challenge – there is no excuse when you are working in such great facilities either as a coach or as a player.
“It was good for me to challenge myself working with better players and also learn from people like the gaffer and his backroom staff.
“It was another really enjoyable time and now here I am hoping to put all that experience to good use in this new role at Wolves.
“This is a real proper football club and I am working with better players and bigger aspirations.”
Aside from all the tactical and technical work involved in aiming to be a success in the Sky Bet Championship, there is one straightforward, guiding principle which Taylor believes can stand any player or coach in good stead as they chase their ambitions.
Just make sure every day is better than the last.
“I always say to players, ‘be the best you can be every day’, and I am no different,” he says.
“You have to have more knowledge of the game and more experience and that has to be the aim every single day.
“Learn as much as you can – and take everything in.
“Learn from other people and make sure that the people you are working alongside can learn from you as well.
“There is a saying that we are not looking for perfection right now, we are looking for progression.
“If you can keep progressing all the time then you will get there.”
