BBC NEWS; Exeter City: Swift manager choice a masterstroke by the Supporters’ Trust.

Promoting from inside when a management quits is always risky.

All managerial choices are a gamble to some level, unless you’re a petro-state club signing the world’s finest boss after years of engaging his loyal confidants and putting every conceivable building brick in place.

In contrast, when Paul Tisdale departed Exeter City in 2018, Matt Taylor was quickly appointed as his successor.

Tisdale had been at St James Park for a dozen years, riding the rollercoaster from the Nationwide Conference to League One and back down to League Two, with consecutive play-off final losses in his final two seasons.

Many City supporters had only known Tisdale, and his two-year absence had a negative impact on the club’s morale.

When it was officially confirmed that Tisdale was leaving, City supporters hardly had time to speculate who would take his place as former club captain and double-promotion-winning defender, before coach Taylor was introduced as his replacement later that day.

The timing of the announcement was unexpected, but it was also the most clear of all potential outcomes.

Taylor’s start with Exeter City

Taylor definitely has leadership abilities, as seen by his four outstanding seasons at the club since signing under Tisdale in 2007.

What was less clear was how he would adjust to life on the hot seat. Many people hoped for changes on the field as well as in terms of fan communication.

Taylor, a burly former centre back, was tasked with playing rock-solid defence and pinching one on the other end.

It was also no-nonsense off the pitch, with few details revealed in pre- and post-game interviews.

While Tisdale did not necessarily have a win-at-all-costs mindset, Taylor appeared to place a greater focus on the outcome rather than exploiting the potential of whichever fresh talent was emerging.

He didn’t have to, of course, given the money Tisdale made from sales, and perhaps the mission had shifted from ‘let’s survive’ to ‘let’s push forward’.

You fear to think of the response Tisdale would have received from the Big Bank and beyond if he had placed ninth in 2018/19, as Taylor did in his first season in command, but City fans were willing to give their new manager a lot of leeway due to his reputation in EX4.

Exeter City’s promotion in 2021-22

Taylor exuded authority and achieved desired outcomes on the pitch, culminating in a 4-0 playoff final loss to Northampton Town at a Covid-closed Wembley Stadium.

While it was not to be, any manager who made it to a playoff final with Ryan Bowman as their main scorer should be congratulated.

Another sluggish year followed, with a ninth-place finish in 2020/21, but Taylor’s role as former under 23s coach began to shine as a decent group emerged, including Alex Hartridge, Archie Collins, and Joel Randall, while Matt Jay finally came of age, with the diminutive forward leading the way with 18.

The elusive promotion out of the fourth division was ultimately achieved at the tenth try, due primarily to two of Taylor’s’marquee recruits’, Sam Nombe and the magnificent Jevani Brown.

Both signings were met with a shrug, yet both were critical before each finishing their City careers in dramatically different ways after earning that coveted promotion.

Nombe followed Taylor to Rotherham in the Championship for about £1 million, while Brown was shut out after pleading guilty to a city center brawl with a lady in February 2023, just hours after a deal to Portsmouth fell through.

Matt Tayor was correct to leave Exeter when he did.

Taylor’s transfer to the Millers in October 2022 came at an ideal moment for him, as City was struggling in the third division and faced a difficult schedule.

He arrived at the correct time and departed at the ideal moment. His hiring was little underwhelming, yet it proved to be the perfect decision for the club.

The lack of a procedure for choosing a manager in Taylor’s hiring at Exeter felt like a cop out, the continuance of a tiresome system that had hit a glass ceiling.

However, Taylor was familiar with the young players, as well as the boardroom and the boot room.

He profited from the funds Tisdale was able to get, and he was permitted two off seasons out of four full ones due to his reputation and the fact that City was always in the postseason picture.

Taylor guided City into League One with some really solid football in the 2021/22 season, even if it wasn’t always glamorous or exciting.

Finally, he demonstrated that he was the right guy in the right location and, entirely on a hunch, the board’s correct choice.

Perhaps most critically, he had the insight to leave at the proper time, ensuring his reputation as a City legend.

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