Martin Taylor (footballer)

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For other persons named Martin Taylor, see Martin Taylor (disambiguation).
Martin Taylor
Personal information
Full name Martin Taylor
Date of birth November 9, 1979
Place of birth Ashington, England
Height 6ft 4in
Nickname Tiny
Position Defender
Club information
Current club Birmingham City
Number 4
Professional clubs*
Years Club Apps (goals)
1997-2004
2000
2000
2004-
Blackburn Rovers
Darlington (loan)
Stockport County (loan)
Birmingham City
88 (5)
4 (0)
7 (0)
43 (1)

* Professional club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 19/10/2006.

Martin "Tiny" Taylor (born November 9, 1979 in Ashington, Northumberland, England) is an English football player who currently plays for Birmingham City F.C. as a defender.

Tiny (who got his nickname as a joke from his team-mates for his imposing 6' 4" frame) initially played for Blackburn Rovers F.C., signing a full contract for the start of the 1997-98 season. He initially signed as a potential replacement for defenders Henning Berg and Craig Short, but, as Berg left the side, instead of giving Tiny his chance to play, manager Graeme Souness signed Lorenzo Amoruso, who quickly took Tiny's place.

Souness then proceeded to accept a 1.25 million pound bid from Birmingham City F.C. as he decided Tiny was surplus to requirements. In February 2004 he moved to Birmingham, signing a contract due to end in 2007.

His Birmingham debut came in a 3-0 victory against Everton F.C., and in his next game against Middlesbrough F.C., he scored in a 3-1 victory.

After being unable to dislodge the central defensive partnership of Matthew Upson and Kenny Cunningham in the 2005-06 season, this term has seen an upturn in fortunes for 'Tiny'. He was named captain after Damien Johnson suffered a broken jaw, and his rapport with fellow centre-back Radhi Jaïdi helped Birmingham to maintain a strong position in the Championship in the 2006-07 season.


Birmingham City F.C. - Current Squad

1 Taylor | 2 Kelly | 3 Sadler | 4 Taylor | 5 Upson | 6 Clemence | 7 Larsson | 8 Dunn | 9 Forssell | 10 Jerome | 11 Gray | 12 Nafti | 13 Doyle | 14 Campbell | 15 Kilkenny | 16 Tébily | 17 Danns | 18 Oji | 21 N'Gotty | 22 Johnson | 23 Birley | 24 Jaïdi | 25 Aluko | 26 Muamba | 27 Bendtner | 28 McSheffrey | Manager: Bruce