He has ability, but sometimes the timing of the situation takes over."Under Taylor, Watford were runners-up to Liverpool in 1982-83. Whether he would be prepared to abandon that responsibility remains to be seen.Roeder had been at Watford since July 1993 and had been handed a new one-year contract only 10 days ago before he was released."If you look back at Glenn's time at the club, he's done some very good things," the Watford chairman, Stuart Timperley, said "I'm sure he has a future in football. The pop singer is now life president.Rice became part of the club's success in the early 1980s after a lengthy spell at Arsenal and he has been at Highbury running the youth team since 1984. A number of other ex-Vicarage Road men were also being linked with a possible place in the management set-up, including Pat Rice, Kenny Jackett and Luther Blissett.Mike Walker, the former Norwich and Everton manager, was also thought to be in the running but Taylor was the No 1 choice after his original triumphant stay, which started back in 1977.He marched the then Fourth Division strugglers up to League title runners- up in the space of five spectacular seasons with the financial help of his chairman, Elton John. Substitutes not used: Radebe, Beeney (gk).Port Vale (4-5-1): Musselwhite; Hill, Griffiths, Aspin, Tankard; McCarthy, Walker, Porter, Bogie, Guppy; Naylor. Substitutes not used: Glover, Talbot, Mills.Referee: P Durkin (Portland, Dorset).. Football Graham Taylor yesterday turned back the clock nearly two decades and rejoined Watford as general manager. Watford, rooted to the foot of the First Division, made the appointment less than 24 hours after the departure of Glenn Roeder.Taylor, the former England manager who resigned as Wolves manager in December, will have "overall responsibility for running all aspects of the club on a day-to-day basis".

John Rudge, his opposite number, was generous to a fault in describing Leeds as "an exceptional side," adding: "We've done it once by beating Everton. Now we've got to see whether lightning strikes twice."Leeds United (4-5-1): Lukic; Kelly, Wetherall, Beesley, Dorigo; Wallace, Palmer, McAllister, Ford, Speed (Deane, 35); Yeboah. Speed, with a low shot well held by Paul Musselwhite, and Mark Ford, whose drive struck the keeper's legs, briefly raised Leeds' hopes. Paul Beesley's free header, which ended up closer to the corner flag than to goal, was more typical of their finishing.

Vale, indeed, came closer to settling the contest, Guppy skying McCarthy's driven cross and Naylor forcing a fine save from Lukic with eight minutes left."We live to fight another day," Wilkinson said, taking role reversal to new extremes. The Leeds keeper soon saved well from Tony Naylor and from Ian Bogie, the scourge of Neville Southall, while McCarthy somehow failed to connect with an Allen Tankard centre as the home defence appealed forlornly for offside. Vale were also without an influential attacker, although the withdrawal of Martin Foyle due to a stomach ailment did not noticeably affect their game plan.That involved Andy Porter sticking like a limpet to Gary McAllister, and releasing at every opportunity the wingers who did so much to undermine Everton.Steve Guppy and McCarthy were seldom quite as destructive against two of the Premiership's quickest full-backs, yet Vale still created the majority of the infrequent openings.As early as the fourth minute, John Lukic tipped over Porter's goalbound drive. But the Swede would be ill advised to hold his breath, having been deemed unworthy of even a place among the substitutes on this occasion.Leeds, unsurprisingly, were unhealthily dependent on Tony Yeboah, who was held with relative ease by Neil Aspin, a defender off-loaded early in the Wilkinson era.