Terry Venables

Terry Venables may well be remembered as one of England’s
more successful managers, while his time
with Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur yielded plenty of
success too, but back in the 1960s he was just another
young footballer trying to make his way in the game.
Having been born in Dagenham, Essex, on 20 January 1943,
the right-back initially had unsuccessful trials with local
clubs Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur before he was
eventually snapped up by Chelsea as a 15-year-old. He was
a tough defender who filled in at right-half on occasion,
but it was at right-back that he made his name for the Blues.
In fact, he played 212 consecutive games at right-back
at one stage during his time with Chelsea.

However, it is with the England team that he will always be
synonymous. Venables won six England caps as a player,
making his debut in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley
on 18 May 1966 – just a fortnight before England’s World
Cup triumph. He had been a late replacement for the
injured Sheffield Wednesday defender Mick Jones, and it was
an injury that also prevented him from playing in the
tournament itself. Despite that disappointment, Venables
always retained a great pride in having been a squad
member for a World Cup-winning team.

In 1989 Terry Venables became Barcelona coach and enjoyed
great success winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the
European Cup Winners’ Cup in his first season in charge.
A long-term injury to Gary Lineker in only his third game in
charge was a setback, but Venables steered the team to
Cup Winners’ Cup glory with a 2-1 win in the final against
Sampdoria. The following season, he led Barcelona
to a 4-0 semi-final second leg triumph over Real Madrid.
That match will always be remembered for a sizzling
second-half performance from Michael Laudrup, who scored
two goals, set up Ronald Koeman for another and hit the
post twice.

Venables left Barcelona at the end of the 1989-90 season
and took over at Tottenham Hotspur. In his first season in
charge, he led Spurs to FA Cup glory. It was a memorable
victory, especially for Venables, who had also been
involved in another famous cup win at White Hart Lane
as Tottenham’s reserve team manager in 1971. That
night, Chelsea were beaten 2-0, and the Spurs side included
an 18-year-old Glenn Hoddle. In the years to come,
Hoddle would work under Venables as both a player and
coach at Swindon Town, Tottenham and England.

In fact, Venables would work with many of the Tottenham
players who helped him to FA Cup glory in 1991 at
various stages of his career. Paul Gascoigne, Gary Lineker
and Stuart Pearce were all subsequently coached by
Venables while on international duty with England.

Terry Venables was appointed England manager in 1994
and took his team to the semi-finals of the 1996 European
Championships. England lost on penalties to the eventual
winners Germany, with Gareth Southgate stepping up to
take the crucial final kick. Venables was criticized for
his team selection that night, as he left Paul Gascoigne on
the bench. However, he could have few regrets about his
overall reign as England manager. He had inherited a
team struggling to qualify for tournaments, and by the time
he left, they were one of the most feared in the world.

After leaving the England job, Venables managed Crystal
Palace, Middlesbrough and Leeds United. He was also
“a bit of a father figure” to other managers.
Glenn Hoddle and Steve McClaren were both mentored by
Venables, and Gareth Southgate also always
acknowledged the debt of gratitude he owed to his old
manager.

Venables’ managerial career spanned nearly three decades,
during which time he became one of the most respected
managers in English football. He was a shrewd tactician who
got the best out of his players, and he was also a great
motivator. No wonder he was so successful and had such a
big impact on managers who came after him.