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Neville leads the tributes to Venables

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Sunday 26 November 2023 13:55

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has led the tributes to former England manager Terry Venables, who has died at the age of 80.

Venables enjoyed a distinguished playing career from 1960 to 1976 and regularly faced a United side featuring George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law.

He moved into management with Crystal Palace, QPR, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, before a popular spell in charge of England. He famously led the Three Lions to the Euro 1996 semi-finals on home soil, with a squad featuring Gary and Phil Neville, ex-Red Paul Ince and future United striker Teddy Sheringham.

Venables went on to manage Australia, Palace again, Middlesbrough (with Bryan Robson) and Leeds United. He was later an assistant coach to Steve McClaren with his beloved England. 

The announcement of Venables’ passing was made by the League Managers Association and the football world is reacting to the extremely sad news…

George Best and Terry Venables during a match between Chelsea and United in 1966.

TRIBUTES TO A LEGEND

Gary Neville: “So sorry to hear the news of my very first England coach, Terry Venables. A man who gave me a chance to play for my country and became without a shadow of doubt my number one England coach in my whole career. 

“There were three things that were important to me about Venables. The first is when we hear people that play for Pep Guardiola now say that he can call the outcome of a game in training a few days before the match arrives, Terry Venables had that very same capability, he’d come through the Barcelona system. In Euro 96 as a right back, I played as a conventional right-back in the first match, the right of a back three in parts of the second match against Scotland and as a right winger when we were in possession through our goalkeeper in the third match against Holland and in the fourth match against Spain in the quarter final as a right wing-back. The ability that we had to change systems during matches and from game to game was incredible, it blew my mind. England certainly needed more like him and it was a real sadness when he left at the end of Euro 96, I felt it never got as good again for England as it was under him.

 

“The second thing was that he was an unbelievable personality and character, larger than life. He was someone who was a players’ man, looked after his players, stood up for his players in big situations like the pre-96 trip to Hong Kong and the dentist chair incident. He was someone who the players trusted and had great faith in and he always spoke openly and he was a personality that was far too big for the then rigid and stiff FA and that’s why they got rid of him after Euro 96 and why the relationship ended.

“The third thing is what all great coaches need. He had an unbelievable ruthlessness and clinical side to him. We had brilliant leaders in that dressing room like Ince, Adams, Shearer, Platt, Gascoigne, Southgate and Seaman. He handled them all really strongly and they all knew who the boss was. There were many times where he would come in at half-time and call out one of the senior players and there were few England managers who could do that and Terry had that quality.

“I sit here today thinking back to my special times with Terry and can say he is without doubt the most technically gifted British coach we’ve ever produced.”
Steve McClaren was assisted by Venables during his spell as England manager.

FOOTBALL REACTS

 

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