Friday 13 January 2017 13:22, UK
Arsene Wenger said the death of Graham Taylor marked "a very sad day for English football" as tributes continued to pour in for the former England manager.
Taylor enjoyed great success in club management, particularly at Watford and Aston Villa, before taking charge of his country in 1990.
He died on Thursday morning of a suspected heart attack, aged 72.
English Football League clubs will stage a minute's applause ahead of all fixtures this weekend as a mark of respect, while Watford - who he led from the fourth tier to the first between 1977 and 1982, will hold a similar tribute at their Premier League clash against Middlesbrough at Vicarage Road. The Hornets will also wear black armbands for Saturday's fixture.
Arsenal boss Wenger was one of many current managers to pay tribute to Taylor.
He said: "He was a very nice man, a very welcoming man and I always had big respect for him.
"We were close at some stage as he was manager at Watford. I had lunch once or twice with him, he had big passion and he was competent and absolutely focused on the game.
"It was a very sad day for English football. He was an honest, educated man. Pat Rice had him as a manager and spoke to me about how passionate and interesting it was to work under him at Watford."
Two of Taylor's former clubs - Wolves and Aston Villa - meet in the Sky Bet Championship at Molineux on Saturday.
Villa boss Steve Bruce said: "I am, like everybody else, in total shock. I have two close members of my staff who played for him for a number of years in Tony Coton and Tommy Mooney. Of course there are people on the staff who worked with him for years.
"The one thing that shines out above anything is what a very, very good human being he was and a delight to work for.
Bournemouth chief Eddie Howe grew up near Watford when Taylor was in charge at Vicarage Road and said he was the first manager who inspired him.
"My first team that I watched was Watford," said Howe. "I lived in Chesham and was born in Amersham, so very close to Watford.
"He was probably the first manager who inspired me without really knowing it. That would have been in the early 1980s that I would go there, not necessarily regularly, but to see the fantastic team that he produced in the
First Division at the time.
Stoke boss Mark Hughes also expressed his sadness.
He said: "It's a real shame when huge football people pass. I didn't know Graham personally, but our paths did cross on occasions.
"I never spent a lot of time with him but clearly from his career and the impact he had on the game, he was clearly in love with the game.
"It's too soon for him to go to be honest. And when you hear stories from people who had closer relationships with him than I did the thing that comes across clearly is that he was well liked, loved and respected."
