A Son of the Rock

I was sad to hear of the death of Terry Venables, former footballer and England manager, with many strings to his bow.

Not least was that he became manager of Barcelona, whom he led to their first La Liga title in 11 years and to a first European Cup Final in 25 years. Soon nicknamed El Tel he had endeared himself to the fans just after his appointment by addressing them  in Catalan.

His interests outside football were less inspiring, with question marks over his business affairs.

More to his credit though was that along with Gordon Williams he was the co-creator of Hazell, a fictional TV detective. The pair also wrote a football based book together They Used to Play on Grass as well as several other novels featuring Hazell.

It is for his footballing legacy that he will be remember longest though.

Terence Frederick Venables: 6/1/1943 – 25/11/2023. So it goes.