Tributes pour in for former England boss Terry Venables - 'He was much more than just a great manager'

Tributes have poured in for former England manager Terry Venables, who has passed away at the age of 80 after a long illness.

In a statement, the family of Venables said they were “totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully”.

Venables began his senior playing career at Chelsea and went on to make more than 200 appearances for the Blues before moving to Tottenham Hotspur.

Spells at QPR and Crystal Palace followed, while he also earned two caps for England in 1964.

He won the FA Cup and Football League Cup as a player and clinched more silverware as a manager.

Venables began his managerial career when he succeeded Malcolm Allison at Crystal Palace in 1976 and enjoyed further spells at QPR, Barcelona and Tottenham, before landing the England job.

Venables took the Three Lions on a memorable run to the semi-finals of Euro 1996 in front of home fans before losing agonisingly on penalties to Germany.

After stepping down from England, he went on to manage Australia, Middlesborough, Leeds United and return to Crystal Palace.

Spurs, where Venables won the FA Cup as a player and manager, led the tributes.

“The club is extremely saddened to learn of the passing of former player and manager Terry Venables,” a Spurs statement read. “Our deepest condolences are with Terry’s friends and family at this incredibly difficult time.

“In tribute, we shall hold a minute’s applause prior to kick-off and our players will wear black armbands during this afternoon’s fixture against Aston Villa.

“Rest in peace, Terry.”

Alan Shearer, who scored the opening goal of the Euro ’96 semi-final, described Venables as “amazing” in an emotional post.

“Extremely sad news the great Terry Venables has passed away,” Shearer wrote. “RIP Boss.

“I owe you so much. You were amazing.”

Gary Lineker also heaped praise on Venables the manager and person.

“Devastated to hear that Terry Venables has died,” Lineker said. “The best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for.

“He was much more, though, than just a great manager, he was vibrant, he was charming, he was witty, he was a friend.

“He’ll be hugely missed. Sending love and condolences to Yvette and the family. RIP Terry.”

Gary Neville echoed Lineker’s thoughts, saying Venables was “without a shadow of a doubt my number one England coach in my whole career.”

There was also a tribute posted by the official England social media for the former player and manager.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Venables at the age of 80,” it read. “Having won two senior caps as a player, Terry went onto manage the #ThreeLions between 1994 and 1996 - proudly leading us to the semi-finals of Euro 96.

“Our thoughts and condolences are with Terry’s family, friends and former clubs.”

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media