By Elliott West
“If you can’t stand the heat in the dressing room, get out of the kitchen”.
Terry Venables
Introduction
The world of football has lost one of its greats. One of the best and most charismatic England managers and one that can rated up there with Sir Alf Ramsey, Bobby Robson and Gareth Southgate. Terry Venables was a class act and as a player at Chelsea and manager at Crystal Palace, Queen’s Park Rangers, Barcelona, Tottenham, the Australian team, Middlesbrough and Leeds, there was nothing but genuine love and admiration for this highly gifted individual. A man who played and worked hard, open-minded and forward-thinking. Someone who had the gift to spot talent a mile away but always made his players feel special, creating a team bond that was like a family connection. As a new or experienced player, he made you feel that anything was possible and that you could walk on water.
The Lad from Dagenham
Terrence Fredrick Venables was born in 1943 in Dagenham, Essex. His father Fred was a Navy petty officer from Barking and his mother Myrtle was from Clydach Vale in Wales. When Terry was 13, his family moved to Romford to run a pub and during that time, the young Venables was sent to live with his grandparents Ossie and Millie who encouraged his love of football. This is the story of a lad who came good. A young lad with bags of natural talent and someone who was quickly spotted for his football potential. A player who represented his county and went on to earn caps for England Schoolboys and quickly attracted the attention of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Manchester United football clubs.
In 1958 at the age of 15, Terry left school and signed for Chelsea as an apprentice. He would later join the club as a player and the club offered his father a job as a scout as a result. However, he delayed turning professional for a while as he wanted to see if he could get into the Great Britain team for the 1960 Summer Olympics. A dream that didn’t come to fruition and he turned professional afterwards. Terry went on to help win the FA Youth Cup for Chelsea, beating Preston North End in 1960 and Everton in 1961. Making his first appearance for Chelsea as a senior in 1960, a match they lost to West Ham 4-2, he was billed as the new Duncan Edwards.
Under a new manager, Tommy Docherty, Chelsea had mixed fortunes. A man whom Terry described as having a difficult relationship and someone who was tactically limited but was someone who was highly influential on Venable’s career nonetheless. The club was relegated to the second division under his watch at the end of the 1961-62 season but they regained their place in the first division the next season and finished in second place. Terry helped them lift the League Cup and they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup in 1964-65. A club where Venables was between 1960-1966, making 202 appearances and scoring 26 goals.
Terry would go on to play for Tottenham (1966-69), for a £80,000 signing fee, Queens Park Rangers (1969-1974), Crystal Palace (1974-75) and two appearances for St Patrick’s Athletic on loan in 1976. Terry helped win Tottenham the FA Cup in 1967, beating his old club, Chelsea 2-1 in the final and promotion to QPR in the 1972-73 season. Terry also made appearances for England in 1964. He retired as a player after the 1974-5 season with Crystal Palace due to arthritis.
Managerial Career
Terry came to the England manager job with a wealth of experience in 1994. He had already won the Second Division championship with Crystal Palace in 1979, reached the 1982 FA Cup final and reached the Second Division with Queens Park Rangers in 1983, won La Liga in 1985 and reached the 1986 European Cup Final with Barcelona and guided Tottenham Hotspur to victory in the 1991 FA Cup Final. So the England job was just up his street. So when it came to Euro 96 with England as the host country, what better way to prove your worth? England put on a barnstorming performance in Group A, reaching the semi-finals after drawing with Switzerland 1-1, Scotland 2-0 Netherlands 4-1. and beat Spain on penalties, 4-2. They drew Germany in the semi-finals and drew 1-1 but lost on penalties. It is still described as one of England’s best performances as Terry used a 3-5-2 formation for the matches against Scotland and Germany.
The Man Himself
Terry Venables just looked like that salt-of-the-earth type of guy you would have loved to have a pint down the pub with and one you have wanted on your pub quiz team for his extensive knowledge of football. A man who in his past, ran tailors with George Graham and Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, ran a hotel with his wife in Spain and co-wrote five novels including four on the detective Hazell with Gordon Williams under the pseudonym of P.B Yuill. ITV went on to make a series about Hazell. He was also a very good singer. A brilliant football pundit in his later years, Terry left a big hole in British football, passing away after a long illness, at age 80. A diamond geezer with an infectious smile.
