Announced as new GK coach. Delighted with this.
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Walsall FC are delighted to announce the appointment of former Northern Ireland international Maik Taylor as our new goalkeeping coach.
The 47-year-old becomes the latest addition to manager Darrell Clarke’s backroom staff, following the appointments of Marcus Stewart and Brian Dutton.
Taylor, who knows the Midlands well from his eight years with Birmingham City, played for a whole host of teams during his 21-year career, including spells with Southampton, Fulham and Millwall.
“I am really looking forward to working here,” he told iFollow Walsall. “I am looking forward to getting started.
“I have my own philosophies as a goalkeeping coach but I am going to work closely and alongside what Darrell wants in terms of how he wants to play and use the goalkeeper in a tactical sense.
“I spoke to Darrell and he had had spoken to Gary Bowyer at Bradford City where I worked towards the end of last season and he said he had heard good things.
“It’s a good for me and, hopefully, will be a good for Walsall. Living local obviously helps but it is a fantastic opportunity, it is a great club, I have played here many times."
Taylor has over 600 competitive appearances to his name, including nearly 90 international caps for his country over a 12 year period.
The goalkeeper enjoyed his most successful spell as a player with the Blues, making over 200 appearances and he featured on the bench when Alex McLeishs’ side won the formerly known Carling Cup in February 2011.
Previous to taking up his new role with the Saddlers, Taylor studied for his UEFA B Licence and UEFA A Licence and was appointed as Northern Ireland’s goalkeeping coach in 2013.
Most recently, Taylor was part of the Bradford City set-up from March 2019 until the end of the campaign.
Following his appointment, manager Darrell Clarke revealed that Taylor’s experience was a key deciding factor as to why he was chosen ahead of other applicants.
“His experience was a key factor in my decision,” Clarke added. “He was a top class goalkeeper during his playing days but he has also worked with some top class goalkeepers as well.
“When we get him out on the grass to coach the lads, we will be looking to use that experience and he will be working hard to improve our goalkeepers throughout the club and I know he will be a very useful addition.
“Maik will be working hard with our goalkeepers over the course of the season.
“The goalkeeping coach is an important part of the team and the backroom staff and I am really pleased that we have managed to get things sorted. I spoke to quite a few people about the post but Maik was the standout candidate.”
Good keeper in his day with great coaching experience. Happy with this.
Welcome Maik…lets hope you can restore the confidence of Liam Roberts.UTS
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Happy with this, also has international coaching experience. Anything is better than Oakes. Just hope people don’t compare him to Cutler as he was a standout coach who we were lucky to have for so long.
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Welcome Maik, good keeper in his day, nice guy as well, my nephew met him shopping in the bull ring a few years ago, and he was happy to pose for pics while he was buying trainers for his son 
Very happy with this. Good keeper in his day, let’s hope he can add some of that to Roberts and whoever else comes in!
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Looks like a good appointment.
Nice to see DC getting someone from outside his clan rather than it just being another Bristol R old boy.
Yes Maik was a solid keeper for Blues and Northern Ireland so hopefully he can get to work on Liam’s confidence.
all of Clarke’s appointments are proven winners, who have all acheived throughout their career… I like this guys strategy.
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Coaching staff sorted thenđź‘Ť
Seem to remember he had a good schooling from Ray Clemence early on in his career who was then Barnet manager before Taylor moved on for a very good career further up the ladder.
Thought we’d signed him to play when I first glanced at it! 
Should be a good addition to the staff.
Hoping that he can recommend some Irish talent. They have plenty of experienced defenders that could do a job for us on a one year deal…
Gareth McAuley? Rangers only signed him until the end of last season I believe.
As well as the Maik Taylor links, he played alongside James Chambers at Leicester back in the day.
Personally, I would make him captain, push Clarke to RB and Scarr in the middle to learn from the maestro.
Worth a phone call, surely?
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I sort of agree, but there is a serious danger that it would turn into Russell Martin MKII
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You better ask the Rangers fans about that! One likes to head a ball, put his body on the line and be a warrior, the other likes to blame everyone else around him and not get his kit dirty…