Former England manager, Terry Venables, has died at the age of 80.
The ex-manager led the Three Lions during Euro 96, guiding them to the semi-final, and also took charge of Barcelona, Leeds and Tottenham during his managerial career. His last role was as Steve McClaren’s assistant during his ill-fated time in charge of England.
A family statement read: “We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness.”
Venables was on the books of Chelsea, Tottenham and QPR during his playing days. One of his highs in management was leading Tottenham to the FA Cup at the old Wembley in 1991. Current England national team boss, Gareth Southgate, who played under Venables with the national side, had previously talked up the impact he’s had on him.
He had said: “As a player, you play for coaches who help you develop as a person and a player. He (Venables) challenged us tactically. With international players, you’re dealing with top players so they want to keep learning. He created an environment that was fun to be in. One of his sayings was ‘this is not a rehearsal.”
Venables landed the England job in 1994 after the disappointing reign of Graham Taylor but decided to stand down just two years later, before Euro 96, over contract demands.
But despite intense media scrutiny, he took England to the semi-finals of the competition on home soil before the heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Germany.
It remained England’s best performance in a major competition since 1966, until Southgate – who missed the decisive penalty at Wembley – led the Three Lions to the final at Euro 2020.
“It was the summer of a lifetime. People still stop me in the street to bring it up. It was magnificent, the biggest sporting occasion I have ever been involved in. The nation was behind us and we thought we had enough to win it, but that’s life,” Venables said back in 2021.
He later had spells in charge of the Australian national side, Crystal Palace and Leeds, while also joining up with Bryan Robson at Middlesbrough.
