Terry Venables was “the best English coach we’ve had”, said Gary Lineker as he led tributes to the former England boss after his death at the age of 80.
Venables signed England striker Lineker for both Barcelona and Tottenham.
Lineker said Venables’ death – which came after a long illness – had “hit me hard” because “he was not a coach or just a manager, but a friend”.
“He was charming, charismatic, witty but he was also tough – and that’s what you needed to be,” said Lineker.
“He understood football – he had an incredible football brain.”
Lineker, who presents Match of the Day on the BBC, drew a comparison between Venables and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
“He was a leader in terms of coaching – a bit like Pep,” Lineker told the BBC. “The kind of football he played – high press, keeping possession – was more difficult because of playing surfaces.
“I would put him up there in terms of the way he would tactically think about the game. I had so many lunches with him where we would just talk tactics. He had a huge brain for that.”
Full story: http://bbc.com/sport/football/67537553
