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Very sad news. He was one of a kind. When he left for Barca, you just knew that things would never be the same. And they weren't. The memories just roll back. For me, chanting "Terry Venables' Blue and White army" at Highbury in '82 as we reached our first FA Cup Final was fantastic. Halcyon Days indeed. A great player, our greatest manager and a lovely person. Remember how he comforted our players after that Cup Final Replay that we really deserved to win? Or when he comforted Gareth Southgate after that penalty miss in '96? Bottled up his own disappointment to comfort others. That was the kind of man he was. But as someone said: Nobody really dies as long as we remember them in our hearts.
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Terry Venables RIP on 14:14 - Nov 26 with 2899 views
That 82-83 season we went to Sheffield Wednesday, who were in the promotion hunt, annoyed the home fans by continually catching the Owls offside and won the match 1-0. The next day one of the Sunday tabloids stated we trapped them 27 times! How we could do with such a well drilled defence today. Then on the run in we kept winning and it seemed as though Tony Sealey and John Gregory scored in every game, including the 2-0 at the Fulham Broadway ground. I can vaguely remember the trophy presentation at home, (against Fulham, I think). We finished ten points clear of second place Wolves.
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Terry Venables RIP on 14:25 - Nov 26 with 2853 views
He was a master of the 'trick' free kick ...someone may correct me as I am not up on Chelsea history but I read there was an occasion where he said to Charlie Cook or Bobby Tambling ?? that he would walk through the wall and, the moment the wall parted, they were to shoot and so he did!
The free kicks where Francis was on the end to the wall and Venables flicked the ball over for Francis to volley was, I believe, his idea. It didn't always work, but did at least once and that was great to see.
Yes it is sad, but with all such sad things, try to look and remember as this thread at what he did and smile...a great talent, personality and don't forget his "They used to play on grass' novel!
RIP Terry
Yes the Francis free kick was devised by him and actually worked a few times up until it was executed in a match that was covered by The Big Match, where it was forensically examined and could never be used again.
He was one of the great footballing brains, and I stand to be corrected, but I believe he was the first to introduce the "signalling" system at corners and free kicks, (I'd never seen it before).
My enduring memory of him was in 1982 not long before the final we were away at Barnsley and if we'd won still had a fair chance of promotion. Myself and some others decided to drive up. Needless to say we lost, but on the way back we pulled into a service area where we were met by the sight of the team coach. Seeing our scarves Stevie Wicks comes over and invites us on board. TV is at at the front with a glass of Champagne and the biggest cigar I'd ever seen. He asks "what did we think of the game?", which we told him wasn't great (or words to that effect), so he then asks "ah but were you up at Newcastle in the week?" (we'd won 4-0. I think), I straight away replied"Newcastle, on a Wednesday night, you do realise that some of us have to do a proper job to go to!? His face was a picture and he then burst out laughing and gave me one of his Cigars.
Top bloke, Dodgy Character but in a Del Boy sort of way.
RIP El Tel
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Terry Venables RIP on 14:30 - Nov 26 with 2838 views
Just a brief anecdote that I’ve always remembered. My old school playing fields backed onto what was then called West London Stadium and is now the Linford Christie Stadium. We used to cut through a gap in a fence to get to WLS if we had an athletics match or athletics training there. Rangers used to occasionally train at WLS in the 1970s at the height of their fame. As an avid QPR fan I can always remember when a small group of lads came back into school one lunchtime saying that they had gone over to West London Stadium to watch them and had ended up having a kick about with Terry Venables and a few of the other players. Not much of a story I know but it’s always stuck with me as showing what a nice character Terry was.
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Terry Venables RIP on 14:39 - Nov 26 with 2801 views
Used to call our crowd who stood on the halfway line in the paddock as ‘the strangely dressed characters’
When for some reason Gregory changed his mind about selling the club to TV was the biggest opportunity lost for our club to have been something. All the reserve and combination teams winning and developing players under him. George Graham was the reserve coach.
Loved watching his team following them home and away. Destroyed teams playing great attacking free flowing football when we had the ball. When we didn’t you know how that worked.
So proud to be a Rangers fan back then as I’m sure you all know there wasn’t many of us with home gates in the 10,000. Rangers in a FA Cup final, unbelievable it really was.
Very influential man on my love for the game. Thank you.
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Terry Venables RIP on 15:09 - Nov 26 with 2736 views
Can only echo what everyone else on here is saying. Going to watch QPR in an FA Cup Final at the age of 11, only now you realise how lucky you were. Also, the 1983-84 season I seem to remember we were genuinely challenging for the title very deep into the season. As others have said, what could we have achieved if he'd stayed. There was a video put on Twitter about a week ago showing Cifuentes doing a tour of Loftus Road. He goes into the Directors Lounge, looks and points at a photo on the wall and says "Terry Venables" I can't work out if he was surprised or not that he had QPR history, but it shows you how well he is known and respected around the world. RIP
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Terry Venables RIP on 15:22 - Nov 26 with 2700 views
Wonderful memories of watching QPR on the plastic under Terry Venables.
He was way ahead of his time and assembled a fantastic team that was a joy to watch.
They really were great days indeed. The semi final win at Highbury probably my favourite during his reign. He had a good No 2 in Alan Harriss too and a strong relationship with the Chairman Jim Gregory.
He was certainly a big part of my younger years growing up.
RIP Terry
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Terry Venables RIP on 15:48 - Nov 26 with 2622 views
I watched TV play for us and my immediate memories upon hearing this very sad news were based on those days. One of his trademark free kicks was to toe-lift the ball over the defensive wall, that included Gerry Francis, who would have anticipated it and received a ball in space, right in front of goal, scoring at least one goal that I can remember. When a friend accompanied me to an afternoon home game (power restrictions operational), he observed that TV seemed to manage to get in a position where every move was played through him, intercepted quite a few as well like a magnet. Often his contributions were undramatic but always an important cog in the team engine.
[Post edited 26 Nov 2023 17:45]
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Terry Venables RIP on 16:19 - Nov 26 with 2529 views
I was going to say, I raise my right hand in tribute, like Terry Fenwick leading the back four up together.
George Graham went and copied it and took it to Arsenal after being the youth coach at Rangers
And Bowles is onside, Swinburne has come rushing out of his goal , what can Bowles do here , onto the left foot no, on to the right foot
That’s there that’s two, and that’s Bowles
Brian Moore
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Terry Venables RIP on 16:27 - Nov 26 with 2517 views
Devastated a true one off and very much a Renaissance Man whose mind must have twirled and twirled all day and night. He is was and always will be for me the FInest Coach QPR have ever had and the concept of someone going from managing QPR to Barcelona is truly mind boggling these days. Remember seeing an interview with Graeme Le Saux where he told a story of how TV basically coached on how to defend against a cross by basically running in a diagonal line towards his near post and how it means you are most likely to be able to block a cross. Such a simple idea but remarkably simple. Oh but don't let him deal with your finances
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Terry Venables RIP on 16:29 - Nov 26 with 2528 views
Terry Venables RIP on 12:41 - Nov 26 by BerkoRanger
Can I share a true story with you. When I was a teenage sprog , just starting to go to away games, I was travelling with some fellow fans on a train from Paddington to Swindon, for, I think, the first game of the season, when word reached us that the team were on the same train in the buffet car. Plucking up the courage, I walked down the train with my autograph book in hand. Reaching the buffet, I walked up to Rodney Marsh, in awe, who unfortunately told me to go away (different words!) so I turned and started to walk back along the train. I got halfway back and felt a tap on my shoulder - turned and it was Terry Venables! He apologised and explained that Rodney was tired (!), asked me for my autograph book and said he would get ALL the players autographs for me. Imagine the look on all my friends faces when 15 minutes later, Terry arrived back with the book, all signed as promised. That was the mark of the man - a true gentleman. I am naturally very saddened by today's news. R.I.P Terry Venables.
absolute class....and i can truly say he was one of our legends at our great club. he was in my eyes anyway.
My favourite Rangers manager, took us from the lower end of Division 2 to European football in 3.5 years with an FA cup final and Division 2 championship sandwiched in between. A team built to win and attractive to watch. Great days. Doubt we’ll ever experience such rapid progress again.
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Terry Venables RIP on 17:17 - Nov 26 with 2335 views
Desperately sad news to come home to on a dark winter's day after having been out all day in the rain.
But also so many great memories, memories of the football but also of the person I was, the people I knew; some still friends, some I've lost contact with, some passed on.
I suppose 80 is a decent age but somehow he always seemed ageless - mature beyond his years as a young player, still more forward-thinking than most English managers long after he retired.
Thanks for everything, Terry, you were one of the greats, I'll raise a glass to you tonight.
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Terry Venables RIP on 17:27 - Nov 26 with 2291 views
The first time I saw Terry , I fell in love. It was 1967 and there was a picture of him in the Paper, holding the FA Cup, Spurs beat the scum.
I remember standing in the Boys Enclosure in front of the Loft, watching him play for us. The pitch always seemed like a mud patch, but he seemed to ping the ball all over the place.
As far as I aware, he is the only player EVER, who has played for England in every available age group, including England Amateurs.
The really sad thing about his career as a Manager, is he turned up at Barcelona when a certain Diego Maradona was there.
It was shortly after the Falklands War. Maradona was in his prime. But it was never going happen that he played for an English Manager at that time. So Maradona went to Italy.
But if he had stayed…..… We would have been privileged to see the best player in the world……….. Managed by the best Coach in the world….
Rest in Peace Terry. Sleep easy……….
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Terry Venables RIP on 17:54 - Nov 26 with 2188 views
The chipped free kick. The million dollar smile. The exotic name. Hazell. The real team of the 80s. Plastic or grass Rangers are class. Wembley. Twice. 10 points clear. Serenading European qualification at Goodison. Bush to Barca. El Tel. Immaculate Crombie. Holding hands with Cloughie under the two towers. 4-1 humiliation of the Dutch masters. Gazza’s extra time lunge…inches… And…what d’you want to make those eyes at me for.
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