on loan. Though injuries among his defenders made him reluctant to sell, Souness needed to generate transfer funds, so in January 2004, Blackburn accepted a £1.25 million bid from Birmingham City. Birmingham City On 2 February 2004, Taylor left Blackburn for Birmingham City, signing a contract due to end in 2007. He linked up with former Blackburn teammates David Dunn and Damien Johnson highlighted Taylor's footballing ability and comfort on the ball. 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, an assessment with which Taylor himself agreed. He made his Birmingham debut in a 3–0 victory against Everton, and in his next game, a 3–1 victory against Middlesbrough, he scored his first league goal for the club. 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. When Bruce brought Taylor to Birmingham he mentioned his admiration for the player's ability to play in any defensive position; this versatility ideally suited him to a backup role in the event of injury to any of the first choice defenders. In the 2004–05 season, the form and fitness of Upson and Cunningham, together with the arrival of Dutch international fullback Mario Melchiot from Chelsea, considerably restricted Taylor's appearances. In the second half of the 2005–06 season he had a long run in the side due to Upson's ankle injury, a run which coincided with some of Birmingham's better performances. 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. But Bruce also recruited Tunisian international Radhi Jaïdi, and preferred the more robust physical approach of Olivier Tébily while Jaïdi built up match fitness. However, Ngotty's suspension proved the catalyst for an upturn in fortunes for Taylor. 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. In recognition of his value to the club, in April 2007 he