In 1984 it was Sir Bobby Robson who recommended Terry Venables to the President of FC Barcelona Josep Lluis Nunez as the ideal replacement for Cesar Luis Menotti, who had failed to capture the Spanish league title despite having Diego Armando Maradona leading his side. After only year at the club and in the wake of Maradona’s departure to Napoli, Menotti lost his job and Barcelona were in search of a new manager – the seventh in a decade.
The name given to them at the time was the manager of Queens Park Rangers, Terry Venables, who had come fourth in the English First Division.
It was his time at Loftus Road that made him stand out in Robson’s mind and so it was in the summer of 1984 he arrived at Barcelona with Allan Harris as his Assistant Manager. There was history at the Catalan club of hiring English managers, the last being Vic Buckingham in the 1969, who as a player had been with Tottenham Hotspur like Venables. Despite winning the Spanish Cup, Copa del Rey in 1971, he was dismissed after only two seasons.
However there were more recent success stories that would have helped Terry’s case in La Liga at that time as former Liverpool striker John Toshack had secured two titles with the modest San Sebastian club, Real Sociedad, for two consecutive seasons in the early Eighties. In some ways British managers might have been more in vogue as a result.
Unfazed by the history Terry Venables’ arrived just after another Basque side had dominated the league championships for two years with Athletic Bilbao, under Javier Clemente, doing a “Toshack” again with only Basque players. With Cataluña awash with its own political agenda the Club President was weighed down also with the history of Spain’s most successful team, Real Madrid records all over the press and so he was determined to see his club “Barca” regain the glory days. With no a title since 1973/74 after the arrival of the “Clockwork Orange” triumvirate of Rinus Michels, Johan Neeskens and Johan Cruyff from the World Cup in Germany there had been few achievements to be celebrated at the Camp Nou for decade.
The objective for Venables was therefore very clear and the Catalan followers desperate for not only for sporting success but also increased political success for the region, as they continued to seek independence from the centralist Madrid government . No better way to do so than beat Real Madrid at football they thought. After all if the Basques clubs could win four titles in as many years with two modest clubs then surely Venables could do the same for them with all the resources at his disposal.
With flair and appeal the former Chelsea, Spurs, Crystal Palace and QPR player set off on his journey seeking to bring hope following a dour season under Argentinean Menotti, who despite a reputation from the World Cup in 1978 had struggled to get Barcelona more than a cup title during his short tenure. This was deemed insufficient at the end of the 1983/84 season and he was sent on his way.
Within weeks of settling in Venables earned the nickname “El Tel” from the English media and despite not being proficient in Spanish he clearly communicated his ambitions and desires from the first day. His charm and purposeful approach were refreshing for the local fans and the Dagenham man’s astuteness was clear from the outset as he elected to use an official translator every time he engaged with the media. Cleverly he used a local resident British soccer journalist, Graham Turner, as the official club translator. This system lasted almost for the duration of his tenure at Barca and ensured that there were few times the busy Spanish radio and sports dailies got the better of Venables.
It was clear those added moments between question, translation and his reply allowed him asses and analyse the trickiest of questions and never overreact to a voracious and prying media. Overall he learned to deliver informed and balanced answers on most occasions and even as his Spanish got better the system stayed the same. Indeed, in the Spanish media he was never really called El Tel but always known respectfully as “Mister Venables” - the respectful protocol of the Spanish language.
On the playing side he was also very wise signing a proven goal scorer, Steve Archibald from Spurs, with whom he could easily communicate and explain how to deliver the goals he would need to get the expected results. Few British strikers ever succeeded in Spain up to that time, including Laurie Cunningham who came to Madrid in 1979, and it looked a risky decision at the time. But with two 2 FA cups and one UEFA Cup medal in the preceding three years seasons at Tottenham Archibald was full of confidence and proved a key element for Venables in his first season at the club. It also allowed him adopt a more favoured system at the time of 4-4-2 which was in general unfamiliar to Spanish players all of whom were accustomed to playing with a sweeper and with fast counter attacks...
The Barcelona side he inherited was no mean side either and was centred around the current Real Madrid manager, German midfielder Bernd Schuster, who was probably at his best in the Camp Nou environment. Alongside him Pichi Alonso, a winner with Athletic Bilbao the previous season – and father of Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso - who was a strong runner and able foil for Schuster's magical footwork. With a robust defence of Julio Alberto and Migueli both Spanish internationals “El Tel" was on his way to building a side that was hard to beat and could also score goals.
All in all it worked and history recalls that Barcelona held off the challenge of Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao to win their first La Liga title in eleven years with Club President Josep Lluis Nunez in tears with the result.
The following year 1985/86 though Terry was unable to hold back arch rivals Real Madrid who won the Spanish Cup - Copa del Rey - as well as the league title and Barcelona runners up. Although short on the domestic trophies took Barcelona to the final of the European Cup which that year was hosted in Sevilla. In the era of the post Heysel ban on English clubs, Everton had not been able to defend their trophy and all the English interests were represented by the Venables, Harris and Archibald combination that night. Although favourites and with “home advantage” to count the match remained scoreless after 120 mins in what was a dour encounter. When it came to penalties Barcelona failed to score four of theirs and so the cup was brought back to Romanian capital leaving Venables flying home empty handed. This time his President was shedding tears of sadness.
With the start of the 1986/87 Venables knew he had to make some more signings knowing that failure to retain the league and the loss in Sevilla the previous year could set the clock ticking and change the atmosphere at the Camp Nou for him. Again he wisely chose to buy players he knew bringing in Gary Lineker from his Golden Boot exploits in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Alongside him would sit the Manchester United midfielder, Mark Hughes.
Again the plan was to rebuild the strike force for the season and with the three foreigner rule in effect at the time, Archibald became excess to requirements and returned to the First Division. Unfortunately for Venables the “English Revolution” struggled with Hughes particularly unable to settle or adapt his game to the Spanish league. His robust and forceful style did not endear him to referees either and over time it affected his confidences and his game. Lineker on the other hand proved a great success and went on to make an impact in his first season. He was to remain a favourite at Barca until the return of Johan Cruyff years later and who continually played him out of position.
With Madrid stealing a march once again that season Venables tenure was under scrutiny early doors and with the UEFA cup as the possible alternative it all fell apart when Barca lost to Dundee United 3-1 on aggregate I the quarter final. Unlike the new man at Real Madrid, Leo Beenhaker, who had a new president just settling into his job, the Barcelona man. Josep Luis Nunez was becoming unsettled and in time Venables career was to end in the summer of 1987 season. His trophies included a coveted Spanish league title in 1984/85, and a League Cup in 1985/86. The current Spanish manager, Luis Aragones, was brought into to replace him.
Since his time in Spain Terry Venables returned to England and managed at various clubs, as well as with England in EURO 96, reaching the semi finals and losing on penalties to the eventual winners, Germany.
He also tried his hand with the Socerroos in Australia years later.
However his challenge at Barcelona was at the time the hardest job in Europe, the most political of clubs and the best place to lose a reputation at the time. Yet history records a level of success that is too easy to understate until compared to what other Barca heroes at the club like Johan Cruyff found hard to emulate when he returned as manager years later. Although he did go one step further with the European Cup at Wembley when a Ronald Koeman goal beat Sampdoria.
Despite all the years of Dutch influence at Barcelona, which continued with Frank Rijkaard and Johan Neeskens in the hot seat, it was that period in the mid eighties that saw the first major revival of Barcelona. It all came from an English influence and the result of a suggestion made by Sir Bobby Robson.
His words then proved well founded and indeed it earned him years later a stint at the Catalan club as well.
OSM Copyright: First published August 2009
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