He allowed England players to flourish but his legacy was tarnished by his sometimes dubious business dealings
Terry Venables was so popular with the Euro 96 generation that senior England players consistently argued for his return to the nation’s radioactive tracksuit. Glenn Hoddle sacked? “Bring Terry back”. Kevin Keegan quits in the Wembley toilets? “Get Venners in again”.
There are only echoes of it now, but for decades after 1966 English football was racked by ideological struggle over how the national game should be played. The Route One-ists favoured howitzer football: native aggression and directness with minimal elaboration. Idealists fought for the global mainstream of sophistication. In the middle of this battle stood Terence Frederick Venables, a myth to his enemies, a prophet without honour in his own land to his disciples.
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