Terry Venables will forever be remembered as the manager who oversaw the summer when football came home. The charismatic boss, who has died at the age of 80, enjoyed a colourful and controversial career, the undoubted highlight of which was leading England to within a penalty shoot-out of reaching the final of the European Championship on home soil in 1996. That fixture was his last as the national team’s manager after he left the role to focus on his upcoming court cases, but by the end of the year he was, perhaps typically, combining a new role as Portsmouth chairman with another as Australia coach. That ‘wheeler-dealer’ streak saw Venables court controversy for his dealings outside of football. ‘El Tel’, as he became known during his time in charge of Barcelona, also co-owned and managed Tottenham, and was the subject of allegations of improper business conduct, as well as claims he once paid Brian Clough a bung. The one-time midfielder was born in Dagenham, Essex, on January 6, 1943, and was an only child. Having shown promise as a footballer, he joined Chelsea as an apprentice in 1958 before signing professional terms two years later, and then winning a League Cup winner’s medal in 1965 following a 3-2 victory over Leicester. He had earned his two England caps the previous year in fixtures against Belgium and Holland, having represented his country at schoolboy, youth, amateur and under-23 level. It was his transfer to Tottenham in 1966 that led to his most successful period as a player, during which he won the following year’s FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over his former club. He left Tottenham for QPR in 1969, moving on five years later to Crystal Palace. His talents did not just lie on the pitch, though. During his playing career, Venables co-wrote detective novels, which were later turned into the TV series Hazell about a wise-cracking cockney private eye. It ran for 22 episodes from 1978-79. It proved a significantly bigger hit than one of his early business ideas – the ‘Thingummywig’, a hat with a built-in wig so women could go out without removing their curlers. After one season as a player at Palace he retired and joined the coaching staff and, in 1976, he was promoted into the role that proved his most natural fit – manager. Venables required only one year to lead Palace to promotion from the Third Division and just a further two to secure the Second Division title. In October 1980 he resigned to take over at QPR, leading the second-tier side to the 1982 FA Cup final, which they lost to Tottenham in a replay. The following season he guided them to the Second Division title, while becoming both their major shareholder and managing director. He led QPR to a fifth-placed finish and qualification for the UEFA Cup in the 1983-84 campaign, but in May 1984 he resigned to become manager of Barcelona. He charmed the crowd present at his first match in charge by addressing them in Catalan and, more significantly, in his first season he led the club to their first Spanish league title in 11 years. Venables signed Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes during his time at the Nou Camp, also selling Diego Maradona. However, Barca only finished runners-up in the league during the following two seasons, also losing in the final of the 1986 European Cup as Romanian opponents Steaua Bucharest triumphed on penalties after a goalless draw. His dismissal in September 1987 was followed by his appointment as Tottenham manager in October. He brought Paul Gascoigne to the club and linked up with Lineker again. Venables led Spurs to 1991 FA Cup glory with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in the final, although the match was overshadowed by Gascoigne’s cruciate ligament injury. When Venables and Alan Sugar won the takeover battle for the club that June, he was also appointed chief executive, but his relationship with the then chairman gradually broke down. In 1993 Sugar sacked him, and later that year the BBC’s Panorama programme alleged misdealings connected with Venables’ businesses, which he responded to by threatening libel action. Despite any damage to his reputation, in January 1994 he was appointed England manager, and his first fixture in charge came two months later when they defeated Denmark 1-0 at Wembley. That August, police also dropped their inquiry into allegations he paid Clough a £50,000 bung to arrange a player transfer. In January 1996 Venables revealed he would resign as England manager after that year’s European Championship to focus on pending court cases, but the imminent conclusion to his reign could not take the gloss off what so nearly became such a glorious summer for the hosts. With Arsenal’s Tony Adams as his captain at the heart of defence, Alan Shearer in form up front and a rejuvenated Gascoigne pulling the strings in midfield, they progressed to the knockout stages following a 4-1 thumping of Holland that still ranks as one of England’s finest performances. Venables’ use of the ‘Christmas Tree’ formation was considered instrumental to their success, which also included a penalty shoot-out victory over Spain in the quarter-finals. England produced another memorable display in the semi-final, only to lose on penalties to eventual winners Germany. Despite the cruel nature of the defeat and the fact it proved his final match as England manager, he later described that summer as the “best time of my life”. That July, Venables made an unexpected return to the sport as Portsmouth’s director of football and by November he had been appointed Australia manager, also becoming Portsmouth chairman, having bought the club for £1. In January 1998 he stepped down from his role of chairman and also agreed to a High Court order banning him from holding company directorships for seven years. His return to Palace as manager that April was short-lived, but he was recruited again, this time by struggling Middlesbrough, in December 2000. Having left after leading them to Premier League survival, in July 2002 he returned for one last job in club management, this time at financially-troubled Leeds. The sale of key players including Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Jonathan Woodgate contributed to their plight and in March, as the threat of relegation loomed, he was sacked again. Venables surprisingly returned to the England set-up as new manager Steve McClaren’s assistant in the summer of 2006. Failure to qualify for Euro 2008 saw them dismissed in November 2007. Having speculated in clubs and property, his final business venture began in 2014 when he opened a boutique hotel and restaurant with wife Yvette in Penaguila, Spain. Venables, who died on Saturday, is survived by his wife and daughters Tracey and Nancy. Read More Jurgen Klopp hails ‘super influential’ Trent Alexander-Arnold after Man City draw On This Day in 2020: Gunners have a good night against Rapid Vienna Erik ten Hag: Schedule has already crossed limits of what players can handle Mikel Arteta hails Aaron Ramsdale despite errors in Arsenal’s win over Brentford Novak Djokovic handed ‘bitter’ end to season as Jannik Sinner stuns Serbia We have to be better – Brendan Rodgers says Celtic’s penalty record must improve

Tottenham are confident Harry Kane will see out his career at the club, former captain Gary Mabbutt said Wednesday, despite persistent rumours of a big-money...

A federal appeals court in Washington has ordered a new sentence for a North Carolina man who pleaded guilty to a petty offense in the Capitol riot

President Joe Biden intends to nominate Michael Whitaker as administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, the White House announced Thursday.

The North Carolina General Assembly has given final approval to Republican-backed legislation that would shift control of the State Board of Elections away from the governor and to lawmakers entering the 2024 election season

As search continues for a missing sub, Michael Guillen relives his near-death experience on a similar dive.

SAVE UP TO $30: The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick 4K Max,

U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Friday after a three-day selloff on Wall Street, as evidence of

For those who plan on playing a lot of MyCareer NBA games in NBA 2K23 on Next Gen, it appears the Leadership Skills system has plenty to offer you. Whether you'

Adin Ross and MoistCr1tikal reacted to Pokimane's 'broke-boy' comment, dubbing it 'rude and nasty'

Between her co-hosts, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Haines, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin, and Joy Behar, Alyssa Farah Griffin is the youngest

Internet reacts as Lisa Rinna gets compared to 'Bratz Doll' in latest photoshoot for Rinna Beauty