MX23RW : Wednesday, March 19 13:37:04| >> :60:2108:2108:

On this day: Barcelona appoint Terry Venables

Thirty-one years ago today, Terry Venables was surprisingly appointed the new manager of Barcelona.

If Barcelona were to decide that they wanted to part company with head coach Luis Enrique this summer, it is highly unlikely that they would target Queens Park Rangers boss Chris Ramsey as a replacement.

However, it was a different story 31 years ago today as Terry Venables swapped Shepherd's Bush for the beaches of Catalonia.

Venables had just guided the Hoops to fifth place in Division One when, on the recommendation of Sir Bobby Robson, he received a telephone call from Barca president Josep Lluis Nunez, who offered him the opportunity to replace World Cup-winning coach Cesar Luis Menotti.

Speaking about his surprise move to BBC Sport recently, Venables recalled: "That call came right out of the blue. I just couldn't believe it. Well you wouldn't, would you?

"Going from QPR to Barcelona was amazing and it will never happen again. The stadium, the setup - it's all a bit different from Loftus Road. I pinch myself now really. I can't believe I ever did it. It was an amazing leap."

When Venables arrived at the Camp Nou, not only had Barca not won the La Liga title in a decade, he was also informed that the club needed to sell Diego Maradona for financial reasons.

Yet, even without the Argentine superstar, who headed to Napoli, Barca lost just two games during the 1984-85 campaign, finishing 10 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid.

One of the main contributors to that triumph was striker Steve Archibald. Despite resistance from some members of the board, Venables insisted that the Scot arrived and he went on to score 15 goals during that campaign.

The following term, 'El Tel' guided Barca to the final of the European Cup, where they were defeated on penalties in Seville by Romanian side Steaua Bucharest.

The summer of 1986 saw British frontmen Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes join Venables in Barcelona, but, just 12 months later, his spell at the helm came to an end when he was sacked and subsequently replaced by Luis Aragones.

Speaking in the Daily Mail, Venables said of his time in charge: "Winning La Liga for Barcelona is the pinnacle of my career in club management. It was an incredible time there. I loved every minute."

Venables returned to England with Tottenham Hotspur in 1987, before he was appointed manager of England following their failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

ID:223328: cacheID:223328:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4168:
Written by
Liam Apicella
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Deportivo's players celebrate a goal during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs RC Deportivo La Coruna at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 23, 2015
Read Next:
Deportivo achieve survival with Barca fightback
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona27193575274860
2Real Madrid28186459273260
3Atletico MadridAtletico28168446222456
4Athletic Bilbao281410446242252
5Villarreal27128749381144
6Real BetisBetis2812883835344
7Mallorca28117102834-640
8Celta Vigo28116114141039
9Rayo Vallecano2891093131037
10Getafe2899102523236
11Sevilla2899103237-536
12Real Sociedad28105132530-535
13GironaGirona2897123641-534
14Osasuna2771283339-633
15Espanyol2777132639-1328
16Valencia28610123146-1528
17AlavesAlaves2869133242-1027
18Leganes2869132643-1727
19Las PalmasLas Palmas2867153247-1525
20Real ValladolidValladolid2844201863-4516


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!