Terry Venables: a life in pictures

26 Nov 2023

The Guardian

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The famed player, manager, pundit and occasional crooner has died. From his roots in Dagenham, ‘El Tel’ rose, via Barcelona, to manage England during a highly successful career in the game

Terence Frederick Venables was born on 6 January 1943. The 15-year-old midfielder is photographed here at his local park in Dagenham, east London, shortly after signing as an apprentice for Chelsea.

Photograph: Bob Haswell/Getty Images
Venables made his senior debut for Chelsea in 1960 against West Ham, who had hoped to sign him as a youth. Here he defends an Everton attack at Stamford Bridge on 1 October 1960.

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Venables suffered relegation with Chelsea in 1962 but the club were promoted back to the First Division at the first attempt. After winning international honours at schoolboy, youth, amateur and Under-23 levels, his reputation was growing.

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Venables was soon called into the England senior squad and won his first cap against Belgium in 1964. He is seen here training with England at Stamford Bridge.

Photograph: PA Images/Alamy
Venables under the care of Harry Midhurst at Chelsea in 1965.

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Venables and West Ham’s Ken Brown enjoy a kickabout with children on Bonham Road, Dagenham, the street on which they both grew up, in January 1965.

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Venables captained Chelsea to his first major trophy when they defeated Leicester to win the 1965 League Cup final. Here he drinks from the trophy held by the manager, Tommy Docherty, cheered on by John Boyle and Ron Harris.

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In the same season Chelsea were in the title race but, after a defeat by Liverpool, Docherty enforced a curfew that was broken by some players including Venables. Docherty banned the offenders

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Venables married the dressmaker Christine McCann at St Cedd’s Church in Goodmayes, London, on 4 April 1966. Venables and his Chelsea clubmate Peter Bonetti stand either side of McCann, with John Hollins also next to Venables.

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The following season, Chelsea transfer-listed Venables and he joined Tottenham. Venables was on the reserve list for the 1966 England World Cup squad but wasn’t called upon.

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Spurs made the FA Cup final in 1967 and the keen crooner Venables revelled in recording the traditional Cup final song.

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Tottenham were victorious at Wembley, defeating Venables’s former team Chelsea 2-1.

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Venables moved to Queens Park Rangers and was soon back in the top flight after promotion in 1973. Here captain Venables leads Gerry Francis on to the pitch at Loftus Road.

Photograph: PA
With Stan Bowles in 1974. By now Venables was supervising training sessions at QPR.

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Ever the showman, Venables never resisted the chance to pick up the microphone. Here he sings during an appearance on the Russell Harty Show.

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Venables’s playing career was drawing to a close. Here he enjoys a cuppa behind a messy desk in 1974.

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Venables signed for Crystal Palace in 1974, but after 14 Third Division appearances he retired because of arthritis. He is pursued here by a young Paul Mariner during a draw against Plymouth.

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Venables moved seamlessly into coaching. Palace reached the 1976 FA Cup semi-final. Here they practise their Cup final song, but they didn’t make it.

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Venables in September 1980, shortly before he left Crystal Palace and returned to QPR as manager.

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Venables with the Division Two trophy in 1983. QPR finished fifth in their first season back in the top flight. A successful spell earned Venables a big move to Barcelona.

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Venables and his assistant Allan Harris pose with Steve Archibald and Bernd Schuster at Barcelona’s Camp Nou in July 1984.

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In 1985 ‘El Tel’ led Barcelona to a first La Liga title since 1974. They reached the final of the European Cup the following season, but lost on penalties to Steaua Bucharest.

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After a successful stint in Spain, Venables returned to manage another of his former clubs, Tottenham. He guided Spurs to victory in the 1991 FA Cup final and led out his team, holding hands with Nottingham Forest’s manager Brian Clough.

Photograph: Getty Images/Hulton Archive
With his star players, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker.

Photograph: Alamy
Venables is surrounded by members of the press as he leaves White Hart Lane after being sacked by Tottenham’s chairman Alan Sugar on 14 May 1993. He challenged the sacking all the way to the high court, where he lost his appeal.

Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Venables was appointed England manager in 1994.

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As hosts, England qualified automatically for Euro 96. After memorable victories against Scotland and the Netherlands, it took a penalty shootout to beat Spain in the quarter-finals. Venables is with his team here before the shootout.

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England couldn’t repeat the feat in the semi-final against Germany, with Gareth Southgate missing the decisive penalty.

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Venables was replaced by Glenn Hoddle in the England job, and went on to manage Australia, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and here at Leeds United.

Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA
Venables also enjoyed a long career as a football pundit, seen here with Des Lynam and Ally McCoist on ITV’s Premier League show.

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Venables returned to the dugout in 2012 as technical director of non-league Wembley FC, joined by a host of former pros including Martin Keown and David Seaman.

Photograph: Daniel Hambury/Getty Images
Terry Venables

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