Football has lost one of its greatest characters

TERRY VENABLES was the last English coach to win La Liga but, as a leader of men, he was captivating, charming and always had a twinkle in his eye.

- MIKE WALTERS

Now that twinkle belongs to constellations among the grand old game's finest coaches in the celestial dugout and football has lost one of its greatest characters.

Venables, the former England coach who threw a great party at Euro 96, has died at the age of 80 following a long illness.

Under weeping skies at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, the grief among one of his old flocks was almost tangible.

When his Midas touch was invincible, El Tel walked into Barcelona but never had the chance to work with Diego Maradona who was sold. But he replaced him with Scotland's very own Steve Archibald - a worthy striker in his own right, though hardly a like-for-like replacement and won the title.

The following year in 1986 he led Barca to the European Cup Final, a forgettable stalemate which ended in defeat in a shoot-out against Romanians Steaua Bucharest.