Leed-ing man

Former England coach Venables takes reins at Elland Road

O'Leary confident Venables can succeed at Leeds LONDON (Reuters) -- David O'Leary has tipped Terry Venables to succeed at Leeds United after the former England and Barcelona manager was named as the club's coach on Monday. O'Leary was sacked by the Premier League side last month, but remains proud of his achievements at the Yorkshire club and believes that his successor has inherited a squad that will vie for the title next season. In an interview published in The Sun on Tuesday, O'Leary said: "All I wish Terry is good luck in the job at Leeds. It doesn't matter to me who is in the job now, but I really do wish him well." The 59-year-old Venables has signed a two-year contract and will be presented to the media at a news conference on Wednesday, and O'Leary told the paper that "he just has to go on and win something for Leeds." "Terry is very experienced in coaching and management and has built up a fantastic reputation for himself down the years," O'Leary added. "I honestly believe that if he can keep hold of the players there that he needs to pick up trophies, then he will certainly win something. "The fact is that Terry has got to go in there, take it on and turn it into trophies. "Providing he doesn't suffer the same kind of off-field problems that I had to contend with over the last couple of years at the club, then he can do that without any shadow of doubt." O'Leary spent four years as manager of Leeds and led the side to the Champions League and UEFA Cup semiinals and finished fifth in the Premier League in the last two seasons but failed to win any trophies. "I have left Terry with a top-class squad packed with experience and talent," he said. "With a bit of luck, I don't think he will be far away from the title this season. "The team is in place there and they have shown their ability over the past four years."

LEEDS, England (AP) -- Leeds United on Monday named former England coach Terry Venables as its new manager. Now the man widely rated the best English coach has two years to end a decade without success for a club still in the shadow of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.

The 59-year-old former Tottenham, Barcelona, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace manager replaces David O'Leary who was fired 11 days ago having failed to bring trophies to Elland Road or guided the team to the coming season's Champions League.

Venables has signed a two-year deal after he was released from his lucrative television contract summarizing on Premier League and Champions Cup matches by broadcasters ITV.

"I had a call at my home in Spain last Friday night when I was told [Middlesbrough] wanted to meet me," Venables said. "They came out to see me on Saturday when I met the chairman. We had two hours of talks, and it was agreed I would become manager of Leeds.

"The whole business has been conducted like a whirlwind. It was irresistible. I feel good about taking this job. I'm excited, genuinely excited."

Leeds owner Peter Ridsdale said he believed he had the right man for the job.

"I am highly delighted," he said. "Leeds United is a massive club which is now in the most capable hands. Terry's pedigree is second to none, and I am confident in his ability to deliver unlimited success. In his vast experience he has coached at big-club level domestically and in Europe.

"Everybody you speak to in the game nominates him as the best coach and manager out there."

Leeds Australian international striker Mark Viduka played under Venables when the coach was in charge of the Socceroos.

"There is no better man to take over from O'Leary than Venables," he said. "He's a proven coach, and he's one of the best in England. I was surprised that O'Leary left, I didn't expect it, but I think Venables is a good decision.

"I don't think there is a better coach than him. Everyone who came away from that Australia team said he was an unbelievable coach, and I hope he can do the same here."

A former Chelsea, Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers midfielder, who became the first to play for England at every level from schoolboy to senior team, Venables is highly rated as a coach but has few major titles on his record.

Although he guided Tottenham to an FA Cup triumph in 1991, he has never won a domestic league title in England. He took Barcelona to the Spanish league title for the first time in 11 years but, on home soil in Seville in 1986, the club failed to beat modest Steaua Bucharest in the Champions Cup final, losing on penalties after a 0-0 tie.

With England, he led the team to the Euro '96 semifinal at Wembley, but it was beaten by Germany on penalties after a 1-1 tie.

Venables took over as coach of Australia and the team won its first 12 games in charge. But he failed to get it to the 1998 World Cup, the team surrendering a 2-0 lead to Iran with just minutes to go in the playoffs and losing over two legs on away goals.

Since then he has had connections with Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough - helping the Teesside club avoid relegation from the Premier League - but was overlooked by the Football Association when it decided to go for Sven-Goran Eriksson as England's new coach in succession to Kevin Keegan.

Critics also have said that, despite his tactical nous, Venables has often been sidetracked by his outside business interests which often have attracted negative headlines.

He quit the England job because of a series of court cases arising from his business interests and, ordered in 1998 to attend the High Court by the Department of Trade, he agreed to an order banning him from holding company directorships for seven years.

Leeds was reported to have put Celtic manager Martin O'Neill at the top of its list of candidates while another suggested target was Middlesbrough's Steve McClaren, who was assistant to Eriksson at the World Cup. Both had ruled themselves out.

Ridsdale denied that Leeds had tried to recruit McClaren after O'Neill had ruled himself out of the running.

"It is untrue [McClaren] turned down the job," the Leeds chairman said. "It was never offered to him and the suggestion is grossly unfair on Terry."

Leeds United Supporters' Club chairman Ray Fell said he thought Venables was a worthy successor to O"Leary, who led the club to the Champions League semifinal in the season before last (2000-01).

"The speculation is over and we know we have got a man with charisma and ability and a track record that we are looking for," Fell said.

"He has had a good coaching record both in this country and abroad, particularly the job he did with England -- he nearly pulled it off at Euro '96.

"On most occasions when a job comes up he tends to be favorite and his record speaks for itself and he will do a job for Leeds. The board have studied long and hard on this one, and this is the first approach they have made."

 

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