Terry Venables

Terence Frederick Venables (born January 6, 1943 in Dagenham, London) is a retired English football player and manager, who managed the England national football team.

Playing career

Venables joined Chelsea as an apprentice in 1958 and signed as a professional for them in 1960. He emerged as the captain and one of the key players in the Chelsea side which challenged for honours in the 1960s, narrowly missing out on League and FA Cup success, and winning the League Cup in 1965. But Venables' deteriorating relationship with his manager, Tommy Docherty, an equally strong personality, culminated in him and seven other players being sent home for breaking a pre-match curfew and ultimately led to his sale to Tottenham Hotspur for £80,000 in 1966. He made 202 appearances for Chelsea and scored 26 goals.

He played 115 League games and scored 19 goals for Spurs, with the highlight being an FA Cup Final win over his old side in 1967. In 1969 he transferred to Queens Park Rangers F.C. for £70,000 playing 179 games and scoring 19 goals, eventually in 1974 he transferred to Crystal Palace F.C. for the same fee, but only played 14 games for them before being appointed manager in June 1976The Guardian, Terry Venables factfile, 8-July-2002..

As well as receiving two International Caps for England, Venables was the first to play at all international levels (schoolboy, youth, amateur, Under-23, and for the full international team)BBC Sport, Ask Albert - Number 5, 19 February 2001..

Managerial career

He took over as manager of Crystal Palace when they were in the Third Division, he coached them to the Second Division in 1977 and the First Division (now the Premiership) in 1979. After a mid-table finish in 1980 he left for Queens Park Rangers, whom he led to promotion in 1983 and a very respectable 5th place in the First Division the following season. He also guided Rangers to the FA Cup final in 1982 while still a second division side, but lost in a replay against Tottenham Hotspur.

His growing reputation bought him offers from some of Europe's most prestigious clubs and in 1984 he took the role of manager at Barcelona, earning the sobriquet El Tel. During his three seasons in Catalonia, Venables led the club to the Spanish title and league cup but lost in the final of the first post-Heysel European Cup to Steau Bucharest on penalties. He was sacked in September, 1987, after failing to repeat his title success at the Camp Nou.

In November 1987, he returned to the UK to manage Tottenham Hotspur. His success with the north London team was varied, with the side finishing in mid-table for most of his tenure, though they did win the FA Cup in 1991 and finished 3rd in 1990. 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. 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. A clash of personalities developed and Sugar dismissed Venables on 14 May 1993, over his business dealings. After gaining a temporary injunction he was reinstated, but lost a 3-day high court hearing and ordered to pay costs.

By November 1993, the England national football team had reached a nadir under Graham Taylor, who resigned after being unable to take England to the World Cup finals. Venables, though not active in the game, seemed to have the presence and charisma that could re-ignite some patriotic pride and achievement. However, the speculation coincided with Venables' business dealings falling under some scrutiny and censure. The Football Association struggled to identify an alternative candidate but their discomfort with his soiled reputation for probity was articulated in their appointment of him as England coach rather than under the traditional title of manager. His highest achievement came through his masterful tactical insights during the 1996 European Football Championship. His skill in analysis, coaching and motivation resulted in some of England's best ever footballing performances, including a famous 4-1 demolition of the Netherlands, and only ended in the bitter disappointment of losing to Germany on penalties in the semi-final.

However, Venables' business dealings offered a constant distraction and he left the England job shortly afterwards, going on to become a consultant and then chairman at Portsmouth. He eventually left in controversial circumstances with the club in turmoil both on and off the pitch. This ran parallel with a spell coaching the Australian national team. His side swept through the Oceania World Cup qualifying group but were beaten in a play-off by Iran on away goals after letting slip a 2-0 second leg lead.

On 14 January 1998, he was disqualified by the high court from acting as a company director for seven years under section 8 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. The case was brought by the Department of Trade and Industry who cited instances of bribery, lying, deception, manipulation of accounts and taking money that should have been given to creditorsBBC Sport, Venables fans' choice despite flaws, 11 October, 2000.. In the same year he returned to Palace for a brief period before leaving acrimoniously in January 1999.

His first experience of the FA Premier League came in 2000 when under-fire Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson appointed him as his assistant in a bid to help the club avoid relegation. The club eventually finished 14th and survived. However, Venables felt Teesside too remote a base for his media and business interests and he left the club in 2001. In July, 2002, Venables joined Leeds United as manager. By December of that year, the side had crashed out of both the League Cup and the UEFA Cup and were languishing in mid-table. Leeds were already caught in a downward spiral of footballing failure, disappointing revenues and escalating wage costs and in January, 2003, the club's most effective and valuable players began to be sold to meet mounting debts. Under such circumstances, he was unable to stem the club's decline and he left in March, 2003.

He was set to become the technical director of the Newcastle United Jets, and participate in the replacement for the Australian National Soccer League, the A-League in 2005.

However, his many commitments in the UK prevented him from taking up a role within the club, subsequently his agent announced that he did not sign any deal with the club.

It has recently been reported that he would look favorably on becoming involved with the England coaching setup under Steve McClaren.

On May 27 2006 Venables guided the England Legends and Celebrities squad to victory in the charity Soccer Aid programme.^*

In May 2006 he nearly returned to full time managment with Middlesbrough F.C. and was close to accepting the post, but after much agonising he decided that at his current age he wasn't able to manage a Premier League football club full time.

Football Pundit

Terry is currently part of "ITV Sport's World Cup Squad" (2006), offering his insight into various 2006 World Cup games, during half-time analyses. His charismatic style always ensures the action does not stop at half-time. Notable quotes include:

"Dynamite Shot"

Other interests

In 2002 Venables recorded a single for the World Cup together with the band Rider. England Crazy reached number 46 in the UK charts.

In addition to his widespread business interests, Venables has co-authored four novels with writer Gordon Williams and is credited as co-creator of the ITV detective series Hazell. Having been a football pundit for BBC since the mid-80s, he left for ITV in 1994, following a legal dispute with the corporation over allegations made against him in the Panorama programme. Terry Venables is rumoured to be a talented jazz singer, although not much is known of his work.

Venables descibed the Baddiel and Skinner hit 'Three Lions' as 'a real key tapper' whilst being in charge of the England team.

Venables is left-handed.

Bibliography

Football

Venables, T & Hanson, N (1995) Venables: The Autobiography ISBN 0140240772
Venables, T (1996) Venables' England: The Making of the TeamISBN 0752216643
- (1997) The Best Game in the World ISBN 0099185628

Fiction

Venables, T & Williams, G (1973) They Used to Play on Grass ISBN 0583120776
- (1994) Hazell Plays Solomon ISBN 0140244166
- (1994) Hazell and the Menacing Jester ISBN 0140244182
- (1995) Hazell and the Three Card Trick ISBN 0140244190

References

External links

Interview on FA website
Notice of disqualification as a company director
^* Venables on the cover of Private Eye.
Venables in line for 'one last big job' on Teesside

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