There has been an outpouring of tributes today after the news that former England manager Terry Venables passed away at the age of 80.
The Englishman had a long career as both a player and a manager, although he is remembered by most for his time as a manager. Along with his exploits at England at Euro 96, he also won a La Liga title at Barcelona and led them to a European Cup final. He also had varying levels of success at the likes of Spurs, Chelsea, QPR, and Crystal Palace.
One job that he never quite managed to get his hands on was the Ireland one.
Terry Venables was linked with the role on various occasions down through the years, most notably in 2007.
At that point, he was seen as the strong favourite to succeed Steve Staunton as Republic of Ireland manager. It was rumoured that he was the FAI's preferred candidate for the role and that they had leaked that information to the media.
It would never come to fruition, with the rumours linking him with the job resulting in one of the most infamous rants in Irish television history.
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Remembering Eamon Dunphy's infamous rant on Terry Venables
On the surface, Terry Venables had a CV that would have appealed to the FAI during this period. On the back of the failures of a manager who came into the Ireland job with very little coaching experience, brining in someone who had led successful sides at both club and international level would have been an intriguing prospect.
However, there were certain issues that would come along with Venables.
In terms of his managerial track record, it had been quite a while since he had experienced real success in a job. The years leading up to 2007 saw him have mixed spells at the likes of Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, and Leeds United. In fact, he had not managed at all in the four years prior to this.
During that time he did act as an assistant under Steve McClaren during his time with England, a period during which they failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and produced what was widely regarded as the nation's worst qualifying campaign in decades.
That all played a role in the infamous Eamon Dunphy rant produced on RTÉ as he rallied against the possibility of Terry Venables getting the Ireland job.
However, it was not only his footballing record that Dunphy had an issue with.
To start off the rant, he seemed to question the character of Venables away from the field of play. Not only would he question his apparent lack of commitment at the likes of Leeds United, but he would also raise the financial troubles that the Englishman experienced in his role as a director at Tottenham Hotspur and elsewhere.
It was an extraordinary piece of television.
Eamon Dunphy-Terry Venables Rant [Part 1 of 2]Nov 2007 https://t.co/HsR0XhvSvf via @YouTube
— eoin daly (@eoindalybsc) September 7, 2022
He hasn't stayed in any of his last seven jobs for more than two years.
On January 14th of 1998, he was disqualified by the High Court in London for seven years for acting as a company director for mismanagement of four companies...
They cited incidents of bribery, lying, deception, manipulation of accounts, and taking money that should have been given to creditors. There's a lot more on that rap sheet as well.
This man has just been sacked by England. He would not get a job from any English Premier League club...
Anyone who is pushing Terry Venables has not got the best interests of Irish football at heart.
The most well remembered part of the rant involved a clash with fellow pundit John Giles.
Dunphy had the utmost respect his RTÉ colleague, but he would be called out for his suggestions that Terry Venables would be a good fit for Ireland. It was pure entertainment.
The panel discuss Terry Venables candidature for the vacant Ireland Managers position in 2007
Bill really was the king of spin. “Eamon called him a hollow man in one of his writings and also indicated that you (JG) have bought into the myth”….
pic.twitter.com/R1UT7MJqSU— Irish Football Pics (@irish_pics) November 25, 2023
Giles: Eamon is entitled to his opinion...
I haven't bought into anything. I wouldn't be as harsh on Terry Venables, I wouldn't know his record as much as Eamon did...
I would have reservations about Terry Venables because he has been a bit flighty in his career, he hasn't concentrated on a lot of jobs that he has done.
The ones he has concentrated on doing have been good.
Dunphy: Excuse me for interrupting you John and I hate to do this. When he was appointed manager of Leeds United, he didn't turn up for the first match because he was doing a gig for the BBC's holiday programme. Sorry John.
Giles: I'm not doubting that Eamon.
Dunphy: It's a fact... How do we know he's going to concentrate?
Giles: We don't know Eamon.
Dunphy: Then why are we giving him the job then?
Giles: Hang on, he hasn't got the job.
Dunphy: Okay, sorry John.
As if you needed one, this clip was a reminder of just how much of a master the late great Bill O'Herlihy was at stirring the pot when the situation asked for it.
In the end, Terry Venables would not be offered the Ireland job. The position would instead go to Giovanni Trapattoni, who was not really discussed as a possible candidate during this period.
The Italian would go on to manage the side for five years, leading them to Euro 2012 and within a Thierry Henry handball of reaching the World Cup. Of course, Dunphy was not exactly enamoured with his style of management around this time either.
As for Venables, he would never take up another coaching role in the years that followed.
While he was never a direct part of Irish football (outside of a very brief spell as a player on loan at St Pat's back in 1976), his name will forever be synonymous with one of the most memorable moments we have witnessed during the coverage of the sport in the country.
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