Terry Venables
Terence Frederick Venables (6 January 1943 – 25 November 2023), often referred to as El Tel,[2] was an English football player and manager who played for clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers and won two caps for England.[9] When he was 13, his parents moved to run a pub in Romford, Essex, sending him to live with his maternal grandparents Ossie and Milly, who fostered his love of football.[22] Docherty placed Venables on the transfer list towards the end of the 1965–66 season, with Chelsea again losing an FA Cup semi-final and heading towards a fifth-place finish.[32] Chairman Jim Gregory opted to sack Les Allen and appoint Gordon Jago as manager, who took Rangers up to fourth-place in 1971–72 – just two points behind promoted Birmingham City.[45] It proved to be a busy month for Venables, as he turned down the surprise offer to walk out on Palace to succeed Bertie Mee as Arsenal manager and also had a para-sailing accident in Majorca which required 40 stitches.[46] Venables spent £1,500 to sign striker Rachid Harkouk from Feltham, coming up with half of this sum out of his own funds on the understanding that he would receive 50% of any future transfer fee for the player.The following season started badly for Venables; expensive high-profile signings failed to gel, and by October 1980, Palace were bottom of the First Division, attendance was plummeting and the club was in financial difficulties.Venables left during October to join Second Division Queens Park Rangers; although the exact reasons behind his sudden departure have never been made clear.His departure from Selhurst Park coincided with a decline in form for Palace, who were relegated at the end of the season and did not regain their top flight status for another eight years.Venables drew a number of players over to Queens Park Rangers which, as reported at the time, gave an additional financial boost to his personal earnings.Venables gained a good reputation as a manager with his successes at Crystal Palace and QPR, and this attracted offers from some of Europe's most prestigious clubs.[54] Venables used a very English system, a classic 4–4–2, which took advantage of outstanding defenders like Gerardo, Migueli and Julio Alberto, and a hard-working midfield led by West German Bernd Schuster.Venables' side overcame a 3–0 first-leg defeat to Swedish club IFK Göteborg, winning the second-leg of the 1986 semi-final at the Camp Nou in a penalty shoot-out after a 3–3 aggregate score.[56] Venables was dismissed by Barcelona in September 1987, after failing to repeat his title success at the Camp Nou and losing home and away to eventual finalists Dundee United in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup six months earlier.[53] Venables had brought both Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne to Spurs and was a favourite to replace Bobby Robson as England national football team manager when the job became vacant in 1990, but doubts about his probity led him to be passed over in favour of Graham Taylor.[58] After a failed £20m bid to take over Spurs with Larry Gillick, Venables was appointed chief executive by Alan Sugar, who had won the takeover battle against Robert Maxwell in June 1991.[59] He came under intense scrutiny and censure in the media for his business dealings, which led MP Kate Hoey to state in Parliament that Venables was unfit for the post of national team manager.[60] He appointed Bryan Robson,[61] Don Howe and Mike Kelly as coaches, and put Dave Sexton in charge of the England under-21 team."[73] On the Euro '96 team, Rob Smyth wrote in The Guardian, "Under the managership of Terry Venables, this was an admirably enlightened, flexible and relaxed England side, one for the modern age; they even played a genuine 3–5–2... against Scotland and Germany.[81] After a spell of inconsistent results the Goldberg dream of building Palace as a force was over in January 1999 when Venables was released as the club faced financial problems and narrowly avoided going out of business, although they did at least finish in a secure position in Division One.[82] Having been linked with Chelsea weeks earlier,[83] Venables was appointed head coach at Middlesbrough in December 2000 in a bid to help the club avoid relegation.[86] In July 2002, Venables was released from his ITV punditry job to become Leeds United manager on a two-year deal, replacing the sacked David O'Leary.[89] Leeds were further weakened in January 2003, when Jonathan Woodgate was sold to Newcastle United without Venables being informed, in an attempt to pay off mounting debts.[92] Venables was later linked in the media with many managerial vacancies, including those at the Republic of Ireland,[93] Bulgaria,[94] Queen's Park Rangers, Hull City,[95] and Wales.[99] In 2007, Rob Smyth of The Guardian described Venables' tactical approach with England at Euro 96 as "flexible" and "modern", noting his use of the 3–5–2 formation in certain matches.[100][101] Following his death, Phil McNulty of BBC Sport wrote that Venables was known for his "superb man-management style and his razor-sharp tactical acumen", saying that he was "one of football's brightest minds and most innovative coaches"."[106] According to Luke Ginnell, writing for football magazine FourFourTwo, Venables' career "arguably promised more than it delivered", and he was dubbed the "False Messiah" by sports writer Mihir Bose.[117] Venables served the Professional Footballers' Association as vice-chairman in the 1970s, and represented QPR teammate Dave Thomas at his tribunal against Burnley chairman Bob Lord.[124][125] On 26 November, Tottenham Hotspur announced that its players would be wearing black armbands, and that there would be a minute's applause in his honour at their home game against Aston Villa that day.
DagenhamMidfielderChelseaTottenham HotspurQueens Park RangersCrystal PalaceSt Patrick's AthleticEngland YouthEngland AmateurEngland U23EnglandThe Football League XIBarcelonaAustraliaMiddlesbroughBryan RobsonLeeds UnitedfootballFIFA Confederations CupSecond Division1982 FA Cup FinalLa Liga1986 European Cup Final1991 FA Cup Final1996 European ChampionshipsBarkingClydach ValeRomfordWest Ham UnitedManchester UnitedStamford BridgeMalcolm AllisonGreat Britain1960 Summer OlympicsFA Youth CupPreston North EndEvertonDuncan EdwardsTommy DochertyTed DrakeLeague CupLeicester CityFA Cup1964–65LiverpoolAnfieldGeorge GrahamBarry BridgesJohn HollinsMarvin HintonEddie McCreadieJoe FascioneBert MurraycurfewBurnleyBlackpool1965–66Dave MackayMillwallPortsmouthBristol CityBirmingham CityNottingham Forest1967 FA Cup FinalWembley StadiumJimmy RobertsonFrank SaulBobby TamblingBill NicholsonJim GregoryLes AllenGordon JagoBobby CampbellAston VillaIan EvansDon RogersThird DivisionarthritisLeague of IrelandamateurUnder-23full international teamAlf Ramsey1966 FIFA World CupBelgiumNetherlandsSouthamptonBertie MeeMajorcaPeter TaylorRachid HarkoukFelthamJeff BourneDerby CountyBrighton & Hove AlbionStoke CitySunderlandM23 derbyEnglish Football Leaguethe club's highest ever league finishSelhurst Park1983–84UEFA CupAlan MulleryLoftus RoadBobby RobsonDoug EllisJoan GaspartGerardoMigueliJulio AlbertoBernd SchusterCataloniaSpanish league title1986 Copa de la LigaCopa del ReyReal ZaragozaSteaua BucureștiIFK GöteborgCamp NouGary LinekerMark HughesBayern MunichDundee UnitedPaul GascoigneGraham Taylor