Brains, heart.. & sparkle

Boss who auigh nation to Delleve in Euro 96

- SANJEETA BAINS

Singer, TV detective series writer, novelist, restaurateur... and he somehow found time to almost bring football home.

Terry Venables, or El Tel, as he was crowned during his time in Spain, was a jack of all trades.

But he was certainly master of at least one the beautiful game.

His colourful and controversial life often made as many headlines as his on-field achievements. As the man himself said: "I like to be busy or lazy.

There's nothing in the middle for me. But his cheeky-chappy, wheeler-dealer public persona masked a shrewd footballing brain.

He took over from Graham Taylor with the national side on its knees after failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, and carried the Three Lions on a wave of Cool Britannia stardust to the Euro 96 semi-finals.

In the words of Baddiel and Skinner's song, adopted by a fervent Wembley crowd, football came home.

The wave crashed down in penalty heartache against Germany, current gaffer Gareth Southgate fluffing his lines. It was Venables' second big disappointment his Barcelona. side lost the 1986 European Cup final on spot kicks to Steaua Bucharest.

But Venables was no "nearly man". He won the League Cup and FA Cup as a player with England Chelsea and Spurs in the 60s, and the Spanish league and cup with Barca as a manager in the 80s, before masterminding Tottenham's eighth FA Cup triumph in 1991.