Terry Venables: Former England manager dies aged 80

Published

12 months ago

November 26, 2023

admin

Former England football manager Terry Venables has died at the age of 80.

His family said he “passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness”.

Venables guided the men’s national team to the semi-finals of the 1996 European Championships, where they were knocked out by Germany 6-5 on penalties at Wembley.

During his managerial career, he also was in charge of clubs including Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers and Barcelona.

In Spain, Venables, often referred to as El Tel, won the domestic title with the Catalan side in the 1984/85 season and then claimed the FA Cup with Tottenham in 1991.

Live updates: ‘RIP boss’ – England footballers lead tributes

In tribute, Spurs held a minute’s applause before Sunday’s fixture at home to Aston Villa and players wore black armbands.

As a player, Venables represented sides including Chelsea, Spurs and QPR and made more than 500 appearances. He also had two England caps.

But he made his real mark as a coach, including for England which he managed between 1994 and 1996.

Former England captain Gary Lineker, who Venables signed for Barcelona from Everton in 1986 and then brought to Tottenham in 1989 after he took the job at White Hart Lane, was among those paying tribute.

“Devastated to hear that Terry Venables has died. The best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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

Former England striker Alan Shearer, who spearheaded Venables’ Euro 96 side, posted on X: “Extremely sad news the great Terry Venables has passed away. RIP Boss. I owe you so much. You were amazing.”

Gareth Southgate, who missed a penalty for England in the 1996 shootout against Germany and is now the coach of England’s men’s team, described Venables as “tactically excellent” and “capable of handling everyone from the youngest player to the biggest star”.

“He was open-minded, forward-thinking, enjoyed life to the full and created a brilliant environment with England that allowed his players to flourish and have one of the most memorable tournaments in England history,” said Southgate.

“A brilliant man, who made people feel special, I’m very sad to hear of his passing.”

An England statement on X said: “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.”

A statement issued on behalf of Venables’ family said: “We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness.

“We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives.”

Sky’s sports correspondent Rob Harris said: “So many, of course, will remember his reign as England manager.

“One of the high points really of English football for the men’s game – Euro 96 and taking England through to the semi-finals and of course just missing out to Germany as so often.

“It was really part of the rebirth of English football after some of the challenges throughout the 70s and 80s in particular, and the whole Football’s Coming Home was really so heavily associated with Terry Venables.”

Venables, who was born in Dagenham in 1943, won La Liga with Barcelona.

Harris said: “An Englishman winning the top trophy in Spanish football was really a notable achievement, as well as reaching the European Cup final with the Catalan club [in 1986].

“So really someone who saw so much across the game, someone with such a distinguished reputation throughout football, not only as a player but also as a manager as well.”

Venables also coached Australia but the team failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1998 after losing in a playoff to Iran.

His final coaching spells were back in England with Palace, Middlesbrough and Leeds. He later was assistant to the then manager of the men’s national side, Steve McClaren, between 2006 and 2007.

UK

Remembrance Sunday commemorations in pictures – as King leads event at Cenotaph in Whitehall

Published

12 hours ago

November 10, 2024

admin

Remembrance Sunday commemorations in pictures - as King leads event at Cenotaph in Whitehall

The King led the nation’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations as he laid a wreath at the Cenotaph during a two-minute silence.

Charles, who is still receiving cancer treatment, paid his respects without the Queen, who did not attend events in central London due to a chest infection.

He appeared alongside his son Prince William and daughter-in-law, Kate, Princess of Wales, who carried out two consecutive public engagements for the first time this year after her cancer treatment ended.

Sunday was the King’s third Remembrance service as monarch.

The Royal British Legion’s veteran parade along Whitehall featured 10,000 veterans from 326 different armed forces and civil organisations.

Similar memorial events took place in Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, as well as smaller towns and cities.

Politicians from the four nations laid wreaths in capital cities, while veterans and their families also gathered for events in Portsmouth, the home of this year’s D-Day anniversary commemorations, and the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Thousand of people, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and eight of his predecessors, watched as the nation fell silent at 11am.

Among the former leaders were Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, Lord David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Sir Tony Blair, and Sir John Major.

Kemi Badenoch, the new Conservative Party leader, also laid a wreath alongside the prime minister.

On Saturday evening, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, along with the King.

Hours beforehand, Buckingham Palace announced Queen Camilla would not be attending either of the Remembrance events. It is understood there is no cause for concern but that doctors did not want to hinder her recovery or put anyone else at risk.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings of the Second World War and the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo.

It also marks the 75th anniversary of NATO and the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between the UK and France.

UK

UK is ready to fight a war but will need to be stronger in future, head of armed forces warns

Published

14 hours ago

November 10, 2024

admin

UK is ready to fight a war but will need to be stronger in future, head of armed forces warns

The UK is ready to fight a war, the head of the armed forces has insisted, after the defence secretary recently suggested the military is not prepared for a conflict.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin also stressed the importance of continuing to back Ukraine when asked about the potential impact of the re-election of Donald Trump on Russia’s war.

He said more than 1,500 Russian troops had been killed or injured in the warzone every day during October. That equates to more than 46,000 people – equivalent to more than half of the British Army.

The Chief of the Defence Staff used the Russian casualty figure to underline the cost to Vladimir Putin of his invasion, but analysts say the Kremlin has proven itself more than capable of absorbing high attrition rates without changing its war aims.

Admiral Radakin was speaking in an interview on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Asked if the UK could fight a war at scale, he said: “Absolutely. So our servicemen and women will always be ready to serve their nation and to do as the government of the day directs us to do.”

Last month, however, John Healey, the new Labour defence secretary, told a Politico podcast that the armed forces were not ready to fight after being hollowed out and under-funded during 14 years of Conservative rule.

In reality, the hollowing out and under-funding also took place under the previous Labour government.

Pressed by Trevor Phillips on whether the army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had the capabilities to fight a war, Admiral Radakin said: “We do have the capabilities. And then the reassurance is that we do that alongside our allies.

“And for those biggest fights, then we will always do them with our allies.”

He conceded, though, that the UK needs to be “even stronger in the future”.

Admiral Radakin added: “Some of that is about having deeper stockpiles. Some of that is being better at bringing technology and learning the lessons from Ukraine… And some of that is also recognising that you need to have a defence industry that can better support those demands.

“We’re in a more dangerous world.”

The top commander repeatedly stressed the importance of being part of NATO to be able to counter the biggest threats faced by the UK.

But the re-election of Donald Trump to the White House has raised new concerns about US support for the transatlantic alliance. The United States is by far its most powerful member.

The president-elect threatened to quit NATO when he was US commander-in-chief the first time around, and he has repeatedly berated member states that do not meet a minimum spending commitment of 2% of national income.

Mr Trump is also expected to take a different approach to the war in Ukraine to Joe Biden, saying he will end the fighting – but without yet explaining how.

Trevor Phillips asked Admiral Radakin how confident he was that the United States would continue to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine.

The defence chief declined to speculate on potential US policy so soon after the election.

Instead, he said: “What you’re seeing is a Russia that is making tactical gains and is seizing more territory, but is doing that at enormous cost, enormous cost in terms of its soldiers – over 1,500 people a day are either killed or wounded in October.”

Admiral Radakin also pointed out how the war prompted NATO to grow, with Finland and Sweden joining.

“At the strategic level, Russia is losing,” he said.

“Russia wanted to subjugate Ukraine. It’s never going to subjugate Ukraine.

“And that’s what we should be really clear about – that we continue our support for President Zelenskyy and his people in their existential fight.”

UK

‘Renegade’ UK could be spared from Donald Trump’s tariffs, US governor says

Published

1 day ago

November 9, 2024

admin

'Renegade' UK could be spared from Donald Trump's tariffs, US governor says

The UK could be spared the impact of Donald Trump’s proposed trade tariff increases on foreign imports, a US governor has told Sky News.

In the aftermath of the Republican candidate’s decisive election win over Kamala Harris this week, attention is turning to what the former president will do on his return to the White House.

Mr Trump has said he wants to raise tariffs – taxes on imported products – on goods from around the world by 10%, rising to 60% on goods from China, as part of his plan to protect US industries.

But there are fears in foreign capitals about what this could do to their economies. Goldman Sachs has downgraded its forecast for the UK’s economic growth next year from 1.6% to 1.4%, while EU officials are anticipating a reduction in exports to the US of €150bn (£125bn).

However, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy – a Democrat – says he believes Mr Trump may consider not including the UK in the tariff plans.

Speaking on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the governor said he cannot speak for the president-elect but he has a “good relationship” with him.

His gut feeling is that Mr Trump will not impose tariffs on goods from allies like the UK. “But if I’m China, I’m fastening my seatbelt right now,” he said.

Mr Murphy said that Mr Trump may look favourably at the UK after its departure from the European Union.

The president-elect is considering offering the UK a special deal that would exempt British exports from billions of pounds of tariffs, according to The Telegraph.

“Donald Trump (has) some sympathy with the renegade who has courage,” Mr Murphy continued. “I think there’s some of that. I think that’s a card that can be played. We’ll see.”

Asked about whether UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer can build a rapport with the incoming president, Mr Murphy said: “I’ve been able to find common ground with President Trump, and I’m a proud progressive, although I’m a cold-blooded capitalist, which is probably the part of me that President Trump resonates with.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she is “confident” trade flows with the United States will continue despite the tariff proposal.

Will Brexit help UK in Trump trade talks?

Jon Craig

Chief political correspondent

@joncraig

Could Brexit help Sir Keir Starmer and the UK government in trade negotiations with President Trump – who calls himself “tariff man” – and the US?

The suggestion – ironic, given the PM’s hostility to Brexit and his pledge for a “reset” with the EU – has been made by a Trump ally and confidant, albeit a leading Democrat.

The claim comes from Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, in an interview for Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News.

Murphy says he has a good relationship with Trump, who has a palatial home he calls the Summer White House, a 500-acre estate and a golf club at Bedminster, New Jersey, just 45 minutes from Trump Tower in New York.

He says his “gut feeling” is that Trump has sympathy with the UK for having the courage to pull out of the EU, “this big bureaucratic blob” and “that’s a card that can be played” by the UK in trade talks.

Really? As Trevor politely pointed out, that might benefit the UK if the prime minister was Nigel Farage rather than Sir Keir.

Mr Farage, however, speaking at a Reform UK regional conference in Exeter, described Trump as a “pro-British American president” who’d give the UK “potentially huge opportunities”.

But there’s one problem, according to the Reform UK leader. Favours from Trump will only come, he claims, “if we can overcome the difficulties that the whole of the cabinet have been rude about him”.

You can watch the full interview with Governor Phil Murphy as well as other guests on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips from 8.30am.