To many Leicester City fans, Martin O’Neill is one of, if not their favourite managers of all time.
Sure, Claudio Ranieri won Leicester the Premier League and then Brendan Rodgers ended the wait to lift the FA Cup for the first time whilst Nigel Pearson is also held in high regard, but O’Neill had something about him.
Joining in 1995, the Northern Irishman took the Foxes back to the top flight and won two League Cups before O’Neill then left to join Celtic in 2000.
During his time at Filbert Street he brought players to the club that would establish themselves as true icons.
One of those was Gerry Taggart. Also from Northern Ireland, Taggart was convinced to join Leicester while on the way to sign for Charlton Athletic.
He formed a rock-solid partnership with Matt Elliot and has many fond memories of his stint at the East Midlands, despite some difficult moments.
Gerry Taggart explains why Leicester players didn’t pass to Robbie Savage
Taggart was part of a team that featured plenty of talent. Steve Walsh, Muzzy Izzet and childhood friend Neil Lennon were all part of the squad and laid the foundations for success.
Robbie Savage was also in that squad and was just as important as everyone else but, during an interview with The Athletic in 2019, Taggart explained how O’Neill gave him and his teammates strict instructions not to pass to Savage.
MORE LEICESTER STORIES
He said: “We played to our strengths. He built the team around certain players, like Muzzy Izzet, Emile Heskey and Tony Cottee.
“I wasn’t in the team to look like a ball-playing centre-half or a footballer. I was in the team to keep the ball out the net. That simple.
“Then I had to give the ball to someone else, unless that someone was Robbie Savage. I used to get a ——— if I passed to Sav. I could give it to Muzzy and Lenny (Neil Lennon), but not to Sav. His job was to run around and be a nuisance, which he was very good at.”
10 Dec 2000: Robbie Savage of Leicester City shouts at referee Steve Dunn during the FA Carling Premiership match against Coventry City played at Highfield Road, in Coventry, England. Coventry City won the match 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster /Allsport
10 Dec 2000: Robbie Savage of Leicester City shouts at referee Steve Dunn during the FA Carling Premiership match against Coventry City played at Highfield Road, in Coventry, England. Coventry City won the match 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster /Allsport
When did Gerry Taggart play for Leicester City?
Taggart officially joined the Foxes in June 1998 from Bolton Wanderers. A defensive pairing of himself, Elliot and Walsh coincided with one of Leicester’s most successful periods.
Not only did they secure top-10 Premier League finishes, they reached back-to-back League Cup finals.
It was heartbreak the first time around as Tottenham Hotspur beat them 1-0 but one year later, they were 2-1 winners against Tranmere in the final League Cup final to be played at the Old Wembley Stadium.
Appearances (all competitions) Goals Assists
141 12 3
Gerry Taggart’s Leicester City stats
He also scored his first European goal in the UEFA Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade but after O’Neill departed for Celtic, the defender’s playing time drastically decreased.
As Leicester fell down the table, Taggart fell out of favour and eventually joined Stoke City on loan in December 2003 before making the move permanent a month later.