Gordon Cowans who was at Aston Villa for a third spell during his career was full of praise for his teammate Paul Mcgrath. Having seen both sides of the player as an opponent and as a teammate, he was thankful that Graham Taylor had signed the player despite his reputation blazing a trail all the way down the M6 from Manchester to Birmingham.
Gordon Cowans said “Thank God Graham Taylor had the guts to sign him. Paul is a world class defender. It was one of the best signings any manager in England has ever made and certainly reflects great credit to Graham. McGrath even now is just incredible. The confidence he brings to the people at the back is just unbelievable. And its not just once in a while, he plays superbly every week. If Graham had listened to all the stories about his drinking problems and leading United players astray he would have never signed him. But thank goodness that he did.”