Matt Taylor on Exeter, Rotherham And His Desire To Return To The Dugout | OneFootball

You’ve had a diverse managerial career, with spells at Exeter City, Rotherham United, and most recently, Bristol Rovers. Each role presented unique challenges and contrasting experiences. How do you reflect on your time away from the game, and in what ways have those varied managerial stints shaped your perspective and approach moving forward?

“I reflect on them all positively in the sense that I was able to learn so much from each club because they were all very different clubs, each offering contrasting experiences.

“Exeter City was obviously where I had my playing connection and my coaching background before stepping into the managerial role. It’s a trust-owned club, which means as a manager, you essentially have full accountability for everything: the budget, the running of the club, team selection, and player recruitment. It’s a simple but effective model, which is both attractive and successful.

“However, you’re also fully aware that you need to generate funds to keep the club going. There’s no wealthy owner or chairman injecting money. The trust does its best to raise funds, but ultimately, the club relies on player sales—this was not just the case during my time but also before and after, most notably under Paul Tisdale. The club thrived on fees generated from selling players, many of whom came through the academy.

“So, there was a huge emphasis on developing young players, getting them into the first team, and turning them into sellable assets—all while striving for success on the pitch. The one thing I always reflect on with Exeter is that 18 months into my tenure, COVID hit.

“That was a massive challenge. The League Two season was suspended while we were in a playoff position, and although we made the playoffs, we lost at Wembley. But the real test came in the 18 months to two years that followed—managing the club through COVID was the biggest off-the-pitch challenge of my managerial career.

“With no income from matchdays and limited player sales due to the lack of exposure, keeping the club on a steady course was incredibly difficult. I wouldn’t go as far as to say we were keeping the club afloat—that would be an exaggeration—but guiding the team, the staff, and the club through that period was a real challenge.

“It became about people—the sacrifices everyone made and the resilience we built together and, fortunately, we came out of it stronger.

“Then, in our fourth season—post-COVID—it all came together, and we earned promotion. Over half the team on the pitch were academy graduates—fantastic young players, huge assets for the club—alongside a couple of shrewd signings that got us over the line.

“That promotion was the result of not just my three and a half years of hard work but also everything Paul Tisdale and the club had put in place beforehand. Those four years at Exeter were absolutely invaluable for me as a young manager.

“In terms of leaving Exeter, when I moved on, I joined Rotherham in the Championship. That was a totally different challenge. Rotherham, and I say this with no disrespect, is a fantastic football club—I loved my time there—but at that time, it was effectively a League One club competing in the Championship. History backs that up—the previous three times they had been promoted, they were relegated at the first attempt.

“Our goal was to stay in the division, and we did that in our first season. If managing Exeter during COVID was my biggest off-the-pitch challenge, keeping Rotherham in the Championship was undoubtedly my biggest on-the-pitch achievement.

“It was a massive success, but ironically, it probably shifted the expectations of the club. Suddenly, survival at that level seemed achievable. However, when we struggled 12 games into the following season, I lost my job. Given the club’s history and the challenges we were up against, I felt it was a little harsh, but in some ways, we were victims of our own success—the bar had been raised.

“Working at Championship level was fantastic—the quality and the demands of that division are immense. You just wish you could have more players of that calibre at their peak at your disposal. However, ultimately, that comes down to budget and resources.

“Despite those constraints, the Training Ground staff and players at Rotherham were outstanding. They gave absolutely everything to keep us in the Championship, and I can’t speak highly enough of them. The level is so demanding, the club needed to put more emphasis and investment into supporting the players, giving them the chance to compete with adequate facilities, staffing and infrastructure in all the provisions that could help make Rotherham a consistent Championship club.

“Then, probably in hindsight, because I was so disappointed and felt I was a little unlucky to lose my job at Rotherham, I jumped straight back into management with Bristol Rovers. The club was very complicated behind the scenes, and that made it a difficult environment to manage in.

“But that was a different experience again and one I’ve learned so much from. I spent over a year at the club, but I never once felt in control—on the pitch or off it. That’s partly on me, but there were also a lot of external factors at play. It was a frustrating time, as I never had the influence I would have wanted or expected in that role.

“However, as with every experience in management, it leaves you in a position better equipped for the future.”

Since leaving Bristol Rovers, how have you approached your time away from the game? Have you used it as an opportunity for reflection and personal growth—whether through visiting other clubs, observing different setups, or focusing on your own development as a manager?

“Things have been difficult as I don’t know if many people are aware of the circumstances towards the end of my time with the club.

“At that time, we had a lot going on family-wise. My sister, Hannah, who was pregnant, and her family were staying with us in Bristol. We were preparing to welcome their third child to the world, but complications at birth tragically meant Elsie lived for one week.

“Hannah almost lost her life during the delivery and in the hours that followed. As you can imagine, that week was the most painful I’ve ever experienced. To see people you really care about in that amount of pain was hard for me to accept. As all leaders do, we feel we can help or influence most situations that we encounter, but that feeling of being totally powerless was new to me. I’m still grateful that I got to meet my beautiful niece and spend an incredible week with her before we said goodbye.

“It was the most challenging and difficult time of our lives because of everything that happened.

“That meant that in all honesty, both in my body and in my mind, I was not really in a place to think about football—even after I lost my job. For the first couple of months, I was very much focused on family—grieving and supporting each other to make sure we were all where we needed to be.

“It’s only in the last month or so that I’ve really started to process my experience at Bristol Rovers. I’ve been getting out to spend time with managers at other clubs – which has been invaluable – as well as networking, applying for jobs, and getting a sense of where my stock is at the moment.

“But, as you know, family always comes first. So, for those first couple of months after leaving Bristol Rovers, my focus was entirely on them. It’s only more recently that I’ve settled into a bit of a routine—reflecting on everything and starting to build towards what’s next.”

“That’s the beauty of this job—you never truly know what’s around the corner. I’m not the type of manager who, when out of work, obsessively tracks other people’s form, waiting for the next vacancy. Instead, I just watch football as a whole—constantly learning and looking for ways to improve.

“My preference at the moment would be the EFL because it’s where I’ve built my career. I know the divisions well, having worked across all three below the Premier League. However, I’m always open-minded and would love to embrace a new challenge elsewhere, too.

“I would love the opportunity to work abroad—whether that’s in Scotland which is a footballing nation and structure I have a lot of respect and admiration for. I would also consider working further afield, depending on the opportunity.

“I am excited by the prospect of new challenges, wherever they may be, because I believe that I am a stronger manager now than ever for my experiences across the EFL so far with Exeter, Rotherham and Bristol Rovers respectively.”