When Terry Venables died, I was sat in the car and cried my eyes out. Terry was a f**king diamond. He had to be, to put up with me' Paul Gascoigne on the manager he loved playing for most

"Terry Venables arrived at Tottenham in November 1987 and broke the British transfer record to bring Gascoigne to White Hart Lane the following summer, as the club paid 2.2million to gazump Manchester United and bring the prodigious 20-year-old to Spurs. Gazza responded by raising his game further, helping Spurs to a sixth-place finish in his first season at club and a third-place finish the following year."

"He would then announce his arrival on the world stage at Italia 90 and dazzle for Spurs in the 1990/91 season. His FA Cup semi-final free-kick against Arsenal that season would be a career highlight, with his subsequent knee injury in the Wembley final against Nottingham Forest again highlighting Gazza's more volatile side. That match marked the end of Venables' Spurs tenure, but the pair would reunite in the England set-up, with Gazza a key part of the Three Lions run to the Euro 96 semi-finals."

Paul Gascoigne combined prodigious skill with off-field volatility, requiring a manager able to handle his temperament. Terry Venables signed Gascoigne for a British record fee at Tottenham in 1987, and Gascoigne elevated his performances, helping Spurs to strong league finishes. Gascoigne announced himself at Italia 90, produced a memorable FA Cup semi-final free-kick versus Arsenal, and suffered a significant knee injury in the Wembley final against Nottingham Forest. Venables and Gascoigne later reunited with England, where Gascoigne played a pivotal role in the run to the Euro 96 semi-finals. Gascoigne identifies Venables as the manager he most enjoyed playing for.

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