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General Category => Altrincham FC First Team => Topic started by: PaulClementsLaments on October 01, 2018, 10:26:42 AM
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Sad to hear today of the passing of ex Alty Manager Bernard Taylor.
From John Laidlar's excellent Alty Files website...
BERNARD TAYLOR
The death has been announced of former Altrincham FC manager Bernard Taylor who passed away last Wednesday. Bernard was manager of Altrincham FC from March 1998 to May 2000. He was appointed to the role after the resignation of John King and Graham Heathcote which had taken place on 5 March 1998. At the time, Bernard was the Altrincham FC Reserves' manager.
His first managerial success came in May 1998 when Altrincham won the UniBond League Cup defeating Gainsborough Trinity at Chesterfield's Saltergate stadium.
In 1998-99 he was manager of the team which regained promotion to the Football Conference, following the club's first ever relegation in 1997. With coach Graham Heathcote alongside Bernard, Alty started the 1999-2000 season quite well. However, by the end of the campaign, although the team had only lost 14 of its 42 games, a total of 19 draws meant that Altrincham had not gathered enough points and were relegated back down to the Northern Premier League.
Bernard resigned at the end of that season and was succeeded by Mark Ward. Bernard's later roles in football included managing Kidsgrove Athletic.
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RIP a lovely likeable popular manager.
Brought the fans together and built a good side.
Like PP he was under pressure to succeed and he did.
And we played good football.
Very sad news my thoughts go to his family.
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Sad news, indeed.
My condolences to his family and friends.
My abiding memory from his entertaining rollercoaster tenure as Alty's manager:
RUNCORN...0 ALTRINCHAM...3
Unibond League Premier Division
Saturday, 26th December 1998
There's nothing quite like a Boxing Day outing to the exotic climes of a blustery and rainy Runcorn and one of my enduring memories of this particular excursion relates to the Alty manager Bernard Taylor being rendered a fashion victim by his ill-advised decision to wear a pair of fancy beige slip-ons. I recall watching with a sense of increasing trepidation as he struggled to remain upright and slithered through the cloying mud along the touchline whilst undertaking his precarious trudge to the away dugout in front of the main stand.
I count myself fortunate enough to be one of the 630 people who can truthfully say 'I was there' when the discussion turns to that astonishing afternoon when Stuart Coburn both scored a goal and saved a penalty within the same game. This rarely-seen 'double' helped to propel Alty to the top of the league that day and they proceeded to attain promotion back to the Nationwide Conference just over four months later.
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Unbelievably sad news. So many happy memories and a lot of good times, on and off the pitch.
RIP Bernard. :'(
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Very sad news. A very warm hearted man who seemed to have a special rapport with the fans, and who brought success to the club.
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My last personal memory of Bernard as Alty manager was his trying to apply a temporary fix to the Moss Lane boundary fence where a car had crashed into it the night before. This was the morning of the season-ending Kidderminster game, where they sealed their Conference championship and Altrincham were relegated. I still feel some responsibility for having wished him luck for "this afternoon".
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RIP Bernard
Very very sad news
A top class bloke who would do anything for anyone
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Possibly one the nicest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
A true gentlemen and amazing guy. What a sad loss to his family and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him
RIP Bernard
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Terribly sad news, a real gentleman and I must say a most unlikely manager.....but he did it and with style and good fun along the way. RIP Bernard.
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One of the nicest guys I've ever met. They say nice guys don't make good managers - what do "they" know ? If you'd cut Bernard he would have bled in red and white stripes. RIP mate.
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Sad news, indeed.
My condolences to his family and friends.
My abiding memory from his entertaining rollercoaster tenure as Alty's manager:
RUNCORN...0 ALTRINCHAM...3
Unibond League Premier Division
Saturday, 26th December 1998
There's nothing quite like a Boxing Day outing to the exotic climes of a blustery and rainy Runcorn and one of my enduring memories of this particular excursion relates to the Alty manager Bernard Taylor being rendered a fashion victim by his ill-advised decision to wear a pair of fancy beige slip-ons. I recall watching with a sense of increasing trepidation as he struggled to remain upright and slithered through the cloying mud along the touchline whilst undertaking his precarious trudge to the away dugout in front of the main stand.
I count myself fortunate enough to be one of the 630 people who can truthfully say 'I was there' when the discussion turns to that astonishing afternoon when Stuart Coburn both scored a goal and saved a penalty within the same game. This rarely-seen 'double' helped to propel Alty to the top of the league that day and they proceeded to attain promotion back to the Nationwide Conference just over four months later.
happy memories
RIP Bernard another legend passes . Loved the nights in Chequers as well
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One of the truly decent and likeable men in football; I think his time at the club was one of the most enjoyable and fun as his character became the character of the club.
My condolences to his family and friends.
RIP Bernard.
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RIP Bernard - some of my earliest memories of Alty were that Unibond championship and him coming over to embrace the fans in the Golf Road End.
Kenny will be giving him some grief already
GET YER SUBS ON BERNARD!!!
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Another sad day for the club and his family he was a great bloke.
I remember the Bishop Auckland game in 1996 and him and Vic squaring up to thier
fans when they kicked off.
Then after the game he bought me and a couple of others a pint in the bar as thank
you for pulling his daughter Angie and her friend out of the away snack bar before they turned it over.
RIP Bernard
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Sad news, indeed.
My condolences to his family and friends.
My abiding memory from his entertaining rollercoaster tenure as Alty's manager:
RUNCORN...0 ALTRINCHAM...3
Unibond League Premier Division
Saturday, 26th December 1998
There's nothing quite like a Boxing Day outing to the exotic climes of a blustery and rainy Runcorn and one of my enduring memories of this particular excursion relates to the Alty manager Bernard Taylor being rendered a fashion victim by his ill-advised decision to wear a pair of fancy beige slip-ons. I recall watching with a sense of increasing trepidation as he struggled to remain upright and slithered through the cloying mud along the touchline whilst undertaking his precarious trudge to the away dugout in front of the main stand.
I count myself fortunate enough to be one of the 630 people who can truthfully say 'I was there' when the discussion turns to that astonishing afternoon when Stuart Coburn both scored a goal and saved a penalty within the same game. This rarely-seen 'double' helped to propel Alty to the top of the league that day and they proceeded to attain promotion back to the Nationwide Conference just over four months later.
i was there that day and you are also forgetting concorde flew past as well a very memorable day it was
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Sorry to read that Bernard has died
Condolences to his family and friends
RIP fella
Ray Sant
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Very sad news RIP Bernard
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Devastated to find out about the passing of Bernard today, someone I looked up like a father figure second only to my Dad. Had time for everyone, door was always open, hilarious, warm and knew how to get the best out of the people he worked with.
Was he a master tactician? God no, but he knew far more than people gave him credit for and he made you want to do things for him.
I'll never forget when I was commercial manager and the players got a holiday in Magaluf for winning the league, one of the lads had to drop out last minute as his Mrs was pregnant and the place was going to waste. He talked me into going with about 12 hrs notice and I had the funniest week of my life with Bernard, Vic, Graham, George and Keith Mairs, never saw the players but that might have been for the best.
I could tell stories for hours but those that knew him knew what he was like. A true gentleman, god bless you Bernard.
Spoke to Vic Green this morning, when funeral details are known then all Altrincham fans are welcome to attend. He would have loved that.
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Terribly sad news. Loved Bernard.
Too many happy memories from back then, but Guiesley away (when we’d already won the Unibond league) stands out for me. When, in the rush to invade the pitch post-match to gather shirts and other mementos from the players, Bernard ended up (willingly!) stripped of what he was wearing. Only for his daughter to have to come onto the pitch and salvage his clothes for him 5 mins later because he didn’t have anything else to travel home in!
I also remember the end of one season after the last game when he came round the flags outside the NWS giving out beer to the lads who had been going home and away all year, as a ‘thank you’ for their support over the season.
And after we’d won the Unibond League Cup (which, at the time, felt so much bigger than it probably was) he personally took the trophy into hospital with him to visit a long-time Altrincham supporter who was unwell at the time and unable to attend the final. Lovely gesture.
The bond he cultivated between the players, management team and fans was special, and won’t be forgotten. Good times. Top bloke.
RIP Bernard.
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So sorry to hear about Bernard's death. My long abiding memory of Bernard is his joy at us winning the Unibond League Cup and coming over to the fans and passing the trophy amongst us all behind the goal.
RIP Bernard, thanks for the memories and my deepest condolences to his family at this sad time.
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rip bernard and thanks for the memories
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Last Friday's article on the club's website announcing details of Bernard's funeral had just one rather glaring omission - the date. Sincere apologies for what was an oversight on my part, and thanks to Mark Eckersall for pointing it out. For those who still haven't heard, it is taking place this Thursday, October 11th, and, as stated in the original post, Bernard's family have stressed all Alty fans are welcome to attend. Full details can be found in an updated version of the article currently on the website.
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The information, below, has just been posted on the club's website.
One final detail about Bernard Taylor's funeral for all Altrincham supporters who wish to pay their last respects to the former Robins manager, whose death was announced last week. The funeral procession will be passing the ground at 1.30pm tomorrow afternoon (Thursday) and will pause for one minute on its way to the church. The funeral will be at St Vincent's Church, at the top of Regent Road at 1.45pm, followed by a service at Altrincham Crematorium at 3pm then a reception at the Masonic Hall, Clay Lane, Timperley.