Taylor: Maik Stefan (Maik)

2011-2012 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Hildesheim, Germany: 04-09-1971

Debut: None

6’4” 14st 2lb (2006)

German born Taylor, whose father was a sergeant in REME in the British Army stationed in that country, started his early football career with ASC Nienburg, but returned with his father to England as a schoolboy and later joined REME and was educated at Princess Marina College at Arborfield in Berkshire. He moved with the Army to Borden in Hampshire and played for his regiment and also played for Isthmian League sides, Petersfield Town and Basingstoke Town and Farnborough Town of the Southern League from 1992-93 to 1994-95. He played forty-two times in the Conference League and won a Southern League Premiership with Farnborough Town in 1993-94. He was transferred to Third Division Barnet on 7th June 1995 for £700, where he started seventy games in the League, three in the F.A. Cup, eight in the League Cup and two in other games. He was signed by Graham Souness for EPL side Southampton for £500,000 on 31st December 1996 and made his debut for them on 11th January 1997 in a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough and became the Saints' first choice, taking over from Dave Beasant, in a struggling side which narrowly avoided relegation. When Souness left Southampton during the close season he was replaced by Dave Jones who brought Paul Jones with him from former club Stockport County and Taylor was relegated to the bench and never added to the eighteen League starts he had made in the 1996-97 season. Kevin Keegan took him to Fulham on 14th November 1997 for £700,000 and went straight into the first team, making his debut on 18th November 1997 in a 1-1 at Craven Cottage with York City. He helped Fuham to the Second Division title in 1998-99 and the First Division championship in 2000-2001 which took them into the EPL. Taylor as called up to play for Northern Ireland as he was the holder of a British Passport and was born abroad. He gained an Under-Twenty-One Cap in 1998 and an Ireland B Cap against Wales at Wrexham in a 0-1 defeat on 9th February 1999 before making his debut for the full Northern Ireland team on 27th March 1999 against Germany in a European Championship Qualifier in Belfast in which they were beaten 0-3. He remained first choice at Fulham until the club reached the EPL when Jean Tigana signed Edwin Van Der Sar and Taylor was relegated to the bench, making only one League appearance in 2001-02. This came after he had replaced Van Der Sar in the eighty-first minute of a 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at Craven Cottage after he had been injured. Van Der Sar was able to take his place with Taylor on the bench for the game at home to Leicester City four days later but was left ot of the final match of the season in a 0-3 loss at Ewood Park to Blackburn Rovers when Taylor was in goal and Marcus Hahnnemann was on the bench. On 21st December 2002, Van Der Sar was injured in the sixty-second minute of the away game at Newcastle United and Taylor replaced him. Taylor took over for the 1-1 draw at Upton Park against West Ham United on Boxing Day 2002 with Martin Herrara on the bench as his deputy. The combination carried on until 24th February 2003 when Taylor was sent off in a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur when Herrara had to take over. He served his suspension on 15th March 2003 in the match at Craven Cottage against Southampton when Martin Herrara was in goal and Glyn Thompson was on the bench and Taylor returned as first choice on 22nd March 2003 when Herrara was on the bench. Van Der Sar was fit for the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 26th April 2003 but had to be content with a place on the bench as Taylor was preferred and maintained his position until the end of the season, in which he had started eighteen League games. That brought his appearances at Craven Cottage to one hundred and eighty-nine in the League, of which two had been as a substitute and he had also started twenty F.A. Cup ties, Twenty-two League Cup ties and three European games and one Football League Trophy game. On 8th August 2003 he signed a one year loan with Birmingham City and had started twenty-seven League, four F.A. Cup and one League Cup game before Steve Bruce decided to make the move permanent and on 22nd March 2004 he paid £1.5 million to bring him permanently to St Andrew's. He was their first choice keeper for six seasons from 2003-04 to 2008-09. In 2009-10 he was replaced by loan signing Joe Hart of Manchester City and while he was on the bench for the whole season, he did get to play twice when Hart was not available to play against his parent club. He signed a one year contract in May 2010, but again was restricted to the bench by a loan goalkeeper in the form of Ben Foster from Manchester United. He did, however win a Football League Cup winners' medal when he was on the bench as Birmingham score a goal in the final minute to beat Arsenal at Wembley on 27th February 2011. He was not offered a contract at the end of the season and he became a free agent. After signing for Birmingham on a permanent basis Taylor had started one hundred and eighty-seven League, fourteen F.A. Cup and nine League Cup games. He trained with Leeds United for two weeks in November and signed a short term contract until January 2012 as Leeds were having goalkeeper problems. First choice Andy Lonergan was out with a broken finger, deputy Paul Rachubka had a confidence crisis and Junior keeper Alex Cairns was inexperienced. Leeds Manager Simon Grayson solved this by taking Alex McCarthy on loan from Reading and making Taylor his deputy. Taylor never played a game for Leeds, but was on the bench for the first time on 26th November 2011 against Barnsley at Elland Road. He was on the bench for further games at Nottingham Forest three days later and at home to Millwall on 3rd December, but when Lonergan returned he took over on the bench from Taylor for the game at Watford on 10th December. As Leeds' next game was at home to Reading it meant that McCarthy could not play against his parent club and so Lonergan regained his goalkeeping gloves and Taylor was included on the bench for the 17th December clash. For the Boxing Day clash with Derby County at Pride Park McCarthy was back and made understudy to Lonergan and the same took place for the New Year's Eve game with Barnsley at Oakwell and with Burnley at Elland Road two days later. On 6th January 2012, Simon Grayson renewed Taylor's contract until the end of the season, McCarthy returned to Reading and so Taylor was back on the bench for the F.A. Cup tie with Arsenal at the Emirates on 9th January 2012. Taylor was deputy for the 14th January game at Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace and the 21st January for the Elland Road game against Ipswich Town, for who Alex McCarthy made a swift return to Elland Road after joining them on loan. On 31st January the Leeds Junior keeper, Alex Cairns was loaned to Barrow for a month, but Taylor remained on the bench for the home game with Birmingham City that night and the defeat saw the sacking of Simon Grayson as Leeds Manager. Neil Redfearn took over as Caretaker-Manager and Taylor was on the bench for all four games played under him. 4th February at Bristol City, 11th February at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, four days later at the Ricoh Arena against Coventry City and on 18th February at home to Doncaster Rovers. He never even made the bench once Neil Warnock had taken over as Manager preferred not to name a goalkeeper as a substitute, and, with on 12th March 2012 Maik Taylor was loaned to Millwall for the rest of the season. He made his Millwall debut in a 2-3 at the New Den by Southampton on 17th March 2012 and, in his third game for the Lions a week later Leeds allowed him to play against them as they won 1-0 at the New Den. His form was so good that he was nominated as Championship Player of the Month for April. He started ten League games for Millwall while on loan. Warnock did not renew his contract at the end of the season and he joined Millwall on a free transfer on 2nd May 2012 on a one year contract. Despite not currently playing for a League club,Northern Ireland recalled him to their squad in August 2011. on 11th October, after a year's absence from International football, Taylor was recalled as Captain against Italy in an away game in the European Championship Qualifiers to make his eighty-eighth, including three as a substitute, appearance for his adopted country.