[3] Loan spells at Darlington and Stockport served to improve his self-belief,[4] and in May 2001 he won his first and only cap for the England under-21 side, as a half-time substitute for John Terry in a 3–0 friendly win against Mexico.

[7] Blackburn manager Graeme Souness felt that Taylor had enough ability to reach the top, but had for some time believed that without adopting a more aggressive physical approach – one befitting his 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) frame, which caused his teammates to nickname him "Tiny" – he would not fulfil his potential.

[10] Though injuries among his defenders made him reluctant to sell, Souness needed to generate transfer funds,[11] so in January 2004, Blackburn accepted a £1.25 million bid from Birmingham City.

[12][13] Rob Kelly, then head of youth coaching at Blackburn, while complimentary about his reading of the game and ability with both feet, felt that working with Birmingham manager Steve Bruce, a former top-class centre-half, in new surroundings might help bring out his unfulfilled potential,[14] an assessment with which Taylor himself agreed.

Unable to dislodge the established central defensive partnership of Matthew Upson and Kenny Cunningham, he played regularly for the remainder of the season, but mainly in his less favoured position of right back.

[15] When Bruce brought Taylor to Birmingham he mentioned his admiration for the player's ability to play in any defensive position;[16] this versatility ideally suited him to a backup role in the event of injury to any of the first choice defenders.

[17] The departure of Cunningham and Melchiot following Birmingham's relegation from the Premier League, with Upson still injured long-term, provided an opportunity for Taylor to establish his first-team place alongside newly arrived Bruno Ngotty.

He was named captain after Damien Johnson suffered a broken jaw, and his rapport with fellow centre-back Jaïdi helped Birmingham to maintain a strong position in the Championship in the 2006–07 season.

[22] Following Alex McLeish's arrival as Birmingham manager, Taylor was told that he was surplus to requirements; the club accepted an offer from Queens Park Rangers, reported at £1.25 million, but the player rejected it.

[23] However, injury to Rafael Schmitz, Jaïdi's absence on international duty and McLeish's failure to sign any of his defensive targets gave Taylor a first league start of the season in a 1–1 draw with Derby County in January 2008.

[25] In his post-match interview, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger called for a life ban for Taylor,[25] but retracted his remarks later that day, admitting they had been excessive and made in the heat of the moment.

[35] After USA defender Jay DeMerit left the club,[36] Taylor and Adrian Mariappa were manager Malky Mackay's preferred central defensive partnership for the 2010–11 season.

[44] He finally returned to league action at West Ham United in early March, as substitute for the concussed Dale Bennett,[45] and was made captain for his first start since the injury, away to Bristol City two weeks later.