Famous Premier League coach Anthony Taylor recently accepted an exclusive interview and talked about his life trajectory, law enforcement experience, professional mentality, professional pressure and other topics. May 31, 2023 should be one of the b...
Famous Premier League coach Anthony Taylor recently accepted an exclusive interview and talked about his life trajectory, law enforcement experience, professional mentality, professional pressure and other topics.
May 31, 2023 should be one of the best days in Anthony Taylor’s life. He reached the top and became one of the few Englishmen to officiate in a European final. So he did something unusual—he brought his wife and adult daughters to the game.
They almost never watch him referee games, but this trip was meant to be a celebration for the family, and the Taylor family took their seats at the Puskas Arena in Budapest with joy and pride. Then the game - the Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma - began. The scene was out of control: trivial fouls, diving, throwing objects, bench protests about everything. When the call didn't go their way, the players surrounded Taylor.
"This is not unexpected, " Taylor, 46, said. "I've refereed Roma's game against Feyenoord before in Rome. The whole focus was on how we deal with (on-field) behavior. But this was probably the most difficult game I've ever refereed. "
He had to show 14 yellow cards and nearly 30 minutes of added time, and UEFA praised the way he handled the chaos. The referee evaluator said there was no error. But Roma's manager, none other than Jose Mourinho, was waiting for him in the stadium car park, roaring "fucking disgrace" and walking towards the van Taylor was about to board.
The next night at the Budapest airport, the Taylor family was drinking coffee while waiting to fly home. It was a cheap flight.
Roma fans noticed them and soon a crowd of more than a hundred people gathered, forcing security personnel to escort the Taylor family to a side room. A fan pushed one of the couple's daughters from behind. Another threw a chair in their direction.
"Maybe I shouldn't be traveling with my family," Taylor reflected. "It was not a pleasant experience. They may never come to a high-profile game again. "
"They don't come to many games anyway. There are factors outside of our control, like flight delays. But at the end of the day, what happened happened - and that was partly a consequence of people's behavior the night before. "
Tyler described the mixed emotions he felt sitting on the flight back to Manchester with his loved ones. Feeling sad for what they had to go through and wishing they weren't the center of it. But there is also a hint of pride.
"Contrary to popular belief, I just don't want the attention. People have this weird notion that referees do things to annoy other people, or to annoy some team. We're not. You never want that kind of attention. "
"But then deep down, in the back of your mind, you think that only a small percentage of refs are chosen to officiate a game of that difficulty. And it's a compliment that you were chosen," he said, pausing and smiling to himself. "Some people might think this is a bit of a masochistic approach to life. "
No, I say, it's understandable: the reward after getting through a difficult experience is that sense of accomplishment.
"Well, it was high risk and high reward," Taylor said, "because I never refereed an Italian team after that night. "
Has he been chosen to referee a Mourinho game since then?
"No. "
Angry pub team, inmates and Maresca
Talking over a coffee near his home in Altrincham, Taylor decided to do the interview because Tuesday is World Mental Health Day and he wants others to understand the inner stress and processing involved in refereeing at an elite level - and, yes, one hope is that people might have a little more sympathy for officials, but the other purpose is to inspire others.
Tyler became a referee because of his mother. She is a teacher. He was a typical 16-year-old who went to an Altrincham game with his friends and came home blaming the referee for the loss. His mother said she had heard enough of his complaints and if he thought refereeing was an easy job, then give it a try.
His first games were Sunday football games at Wythenshawe. There were some semi-professional players from non-league on the pub team to make some extra money. Decent audience. A tall, often angry man. "Is it always enjoyable? No, probably not," he said. "But when young people try refereeing in youth football, it can be a huge benefit to their interpersonal skills, their confidence. "
Between that time and becoming a full-time referee in 2010, Taylor worked as a prison guard for 13 years. Few things scare him, and staying calm under pressure is second nature to him. "The two jobs are very similar. It's about controlling situations, but it's also about guiding people to make better choices," he said.
Still, despite his vast experience (more than 600 professional games, including nearly 150 international games), he still feels the pressure. Refereeing a Premier League match is "like jumping out of a helicopter."
"You don't know what's going to happen," he said. "You don't know how the team is going to perform, or if a certain player is in a bad mood. "
It's best to keep an open mind. Before games, he and his longtime assistants Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn would share their concerns. "You can't go into the game with the idea of 'I won't make mistakes'. That's putting unrealistic pressure on yourself. "
Many years ago, on the wet Park pitch at Wythenshawe, he had players, coaches, spectators, parents screaming at him. This way of treating referees continues in almost every game in England, from children's level upwards.
"To be honest, it's an outdated psychological tactic for trying to influence decisions, and it's never been very successful," he said. "Look at how parents or coaches treat young players. "
What is the biggest challenge involved in officiating in the Premier League today?
"Speed. I'm not sure what the numbers are now, but I know a few years ago race speed improved 20% in five years. The referee's top speed reached 26, 27 km/h or even higher. Well, it's a younger referee! "
I asked about Jordan Henderson. The "captain only" rule didn't seem to stop him from chattering to the referees. "Jordan loves to talk," Taylor said with a laugh. "He's funny. I refereed the Brentford game earlier this season and I joked, 'Hey, you're not allowed to talk to me now. ' "They laughed together. " Actually, the captain-only approach doesn't prevent players from talking to you. That's just about interpretation. "
The best/toughest player and manager to referee? He's not going to talk about it. One of the things that has propelled Taylor to the top refereeing status in England (tied with Michael Oliver) is his people skills.
He understands that it's an emotionally charged game." One of the best examples I can think of is Roy Hodgson. He was one of the nicest people to deal with and one of the managers on my Premier League debut (Fulham vs. Portsmouth in 2010). "
"He was Blackburn's manager a few years ago. You know when you watched the old football prime show on Sky? You might see it there. The referee sent off a Blackburn player, a completely wrong decision, and footage showed Roy ripping off his jacket, throwing it to the ground and stomping on it. "
"You wonder, 'Why did Roy Hodgson do that? 'Even the nicest people in football can react in extreme ways on a given day. It all comes down to trying to understand people. "
