Gordon Taylor has hailed the award of his OBE as deserved recognition for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) in their centenary year.

Taylor, who turned 63 today, has worked for the PFA full time for the last 27 years since he succeeded Cliff Lloyd as secretary in 1980.

A former forward with Bolton, Birmingham, Blackburn and Bury, Taylor became a PFA member in 1960, was elected onto the management committee in 1971 and was chairman from 1978-80. After becoming secretary, he became chief executive of the association.

Taylor said: ``This is a nice honour for me personally and it is also lovely recognition for the PFA in our centenary year.``It is a tribute to Billy Meredith and Charlie Roberts, the founding fathers of the association back in 1907.''

Taylor is reputed to be the highest-paid union leader in the country, with an annual salary of more than £500,000.

He has always argued he could have made much more money by becoming a players' agent.

Under Taylor, the PFA have broadened out so that players can hire them to act as agents and negotiate with clubs.

He has never been afraid of confrontation with the ruling powers of the game either.

In 2001, he threatened to call a players' strike unless the Premier League agreed to increase the amount of money they gave to the union toward helping young, injured and otherwise needy players.

The strike was averted when the Premier League and the PFA agreed a compromise, and fixed up an agreement stretching for 10 years.