Stuart Taylor

[dan78]

Getty

The last picture we can find of Stuart Taylor playing football. This was taken in March 2013

In the world of football, there are plenty of cushy jobs. But is there any sweeter gig than that of the reserve goalkeeper?

Ask Stuart Taylor. Remember him? Back in the late 90s, Taylor was the young back-up keeper at Arsenal, who was apparently destined for great things.

It didn't quite work out that way. Now 34, Taylor today made his league debut for Leeds United. In itself, not a massive story.

However, Taylor ACTUALLY PLAYING FOOTBALL should really be headline news. In the last 10 years, the full-time substitute has played a total of 24 league games.

That means he plays an average of 2.4 league games a year.
Good God. It would be easy to scoff, laugh and mock Taylor, criticise his apparent lack of ambition and accuse of him accepting a life of simply sitting on the bench. But think on this.

Taylor has spent the last decade earning a lot of money to play football every day (training) without having the stress and hassle of performing in actual matches.

It turns out the man's a genius…

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/shock-horror-stuart-taylor-plays-5542362

 

[rascal]

Reminds me of the back up QB in Blue Mountain State. He just wanted to sample the lifestyle and do everything possible to avoid playing lol

 

[toffeejack]

puts it all into perspective

 

[Dario Terracotta]

I want to be Carlo Nashlol

 

[Eric Djemba-Djemba]

Steve Harper did it for the best part of 20 years at Newcastle. What a life.

 

[Durham Toffee]

I've always commented on this to mates. They've argued it lacks ambition to sit on the bench for most of your career, but imagine being paid even £25,000 a week to keep yourself fit, have a training regime, have a great deal of free time and have the kudos of a career in which you really experience no expectation, no stress and no worry. And - since you're a goalkeeper - imagine you can probably milk this gig from being 18 years old until you retire at around 38 years old. That's a twenty year career that you can retire from with basically no detrimental effects...

Insane.

 

[Ashtonian]

Not as bad as Winston bogarde.

Chelsea had him on a relatively high wage athe the time and told him to move on a year or so later. The guy refused and basically lived off his 40 grand or so a week, living in Holland and just flew in every day for training sessions before flying back out. saw out his contract with them I think doing that.

 

[Caolam]

I wish I had not read this, It's hard enough

 

[Durham Toffee]

Appearances throughout Stuart Taylor's career...

1997–2005 Arsenal 18
1999 → Bristol Rovers (loan) 4
2000 → Crystal Palace (loan) 10
2001 → Peterborough United (loan) 6
2004–2005 → Leicester City (loan) 10
2005–2009 Aston Villa 12
2009 → Cardiff City (loan) 8
2009–2012 Manchester City 0
2012–2014 Reading 4
2013 → Yeovil Town (loan) 0
2014– Leeds United 1

 

[summerisle]

Any of the Royal Family

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Not as bad as Winston bogarde.

Chelsea had him on a relatively high wage athe the time and told him to move on a year or so later. The guy refused and basically lived off his 40 grand or so a week, living in Holland and just flew in every day for training sessions before flying back out. saw out his contract with them I think doing that.

I think that's largely a myth.

 

[Seamus Colemole]

"Lack of ambition" is such a ridiculously desperate attempt at criticising someone.

 

[MikeH72]

Remember him having dead long hair and looking like a member of Hanson when he was at Arsenal, don't recall anything he's ever done on a football pitch though

 

[Ashtonian]

I think that's largely a myth.

it may well be mate but I'm sure he never played for them again after a certain point yet continued to be at the club

 

[Durham Toffee]

I think that's largely a myth.

Bogarde signed for Chelsea in 2000–01, after following the advice of compatriot Mario Melchiot to join him at the Premier League side.[3] He was signed when Gianluca Vialli was manager, although the latter had no idea the transfer was happening, it arguably being conducted by director of football Colin Hutchinson –[4]Emerson Thome, also a centre-back, was shipped off to Sunderland.[5] Only weeks after signing his contract, newly appointed manager Claudio Ranieri wanted the player to leave.[6]

According to Bogarde, it would be next to impossible to find a team that would offer him a contract comparable to the one he had at Chelsea: he was astounded at the salary the club had agreed on, as his value depreciated severely due to lack of first-team action, and decided to stay and honour his contract to the letter and appear for training every day, despite being only rarely selected to play.[7] Of his contract he said, "Why should I throw fifteen million Euro away when it is already mine? At the moment I signed it was in fact my money, my contract." In the end, he only appeared eleven times during his four-year contract, reportedly earning £40,000 a week during this period.[8][9][10]

After playing as a substitute against Ipswich Town on Boxing Day in 2000,[11] Bogarde only made one more appearance for Chelsea's main squad before his contract expired in July 2004; it was also made from the bench, against Gillingham for the season's League Cup on 6 November 2002.[12]

During his period at Chelsea, the club attempted to sell Bogarde due to his large salary, and demoted him to the reserve and youth teams in an effort to force him to leave. In response to press criticism, he responded: 'This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them. Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do. I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership but I don't care.'[13]