Boro can show hero Tel just what he's missing

WHEN Terry Venables swept into Elland Road on a glorious sunny day in July, he was like an excited schoolboy who was just about to break up for his summer holidays.

Stepping into the managerial hot-seat vacated by David O'Leary proved the appetising carrot that was too good to turn down for Venables, as his eyes opened up to the real possibility of winning the Premiership crown.

But four months on, the Leeds United chief is already finding out that life's not all child's play when you are in charge of one of the biggest clubs in England.

And he desperately needs to summon up some of his old Middlesbrough magic if he is to reinvigorate ailing Leeds on his return to the Riverside today.

Venables is guaranteed a grand welcome on Teesside after preserving the North-East outfit's place among England's elite when he stepped in to aid struggling ex-Boro boss Bryan Robson in December 2000.

Robbo's Army were heading nowhere but the Nationwide League when Venables arrived as the first team's head coach, but he steered them to safety and up into a respectable 14th position.

El Tel - a nickname he claimed during his days in charge of Barcelona - was offered a lucrative contract to remain at Boro, but he opted instead to take up his role as an ITV summariser for the channel's highlights programme.

Whether Venables has regretted that decision only he knows. However, he has been made to sit up and take notice of his successor, Steve McClaren.

Boro have gone from strength to strength under McClaren, while the former England boss' current side go into the today's game without a win in their last five matches.

Leeds' home defeat by Liverpool last week led to Venables receiving criticism from many quarters and another reverse at Boro today will pile the pressure on the ex-Tottenham supremo even more.

But he is calling for time, something he believes McClaren got when he first took over the reins at his current club and something he believes will help him turn Leeds into a force in the top-flight.

"Steve has taken a full season to get his team how he wants it, and they are flying now," said Venables, who could have also taken over at Greek side Olympiakos after leaving Boro. "At the moment we are just talking about ten Premiership games. The time to judge it will come later.

"But both I and the players have been encouraged by many things despite our results, and we saw a lot of good things in the game against Liverpool.

"We haven't had the run of the ball too much, and that is important. But we've got fixtures coming up where we really should be getting some good results, so that will be all up to us."

After walking away from Boro, it was clear that the lure of managing an English side again would come calling again on Venables' door - and he was always more likely to take it.

He had been loyal to ITV for a period of time and he knew he was missing the training ground buzz at club level again, something he experienced ten-fold at Boro.

And speaking after his time at the Riverside came to an end, Venables admitted his love for the coaching side had returned.

"I didn't know what to expect when I started but it was packed full of good fun, a lot of hard work and I met some very nice people," he said.

"I miss the day-to-day coaching, but you can't have everything.

"It's maybe one of my best memories of all. It was only seven months at Middlesbrough, but it was definitely packed with everything.

"My wife and I enjoyed it immensely living in the area, everything about it.

"There was so much to do and so much I had to catch up with. There was no time for planning or pre-season, just hard work on a functional process to win games.

"We didn't start on an even keel, we just had to claw it back, and I thought the players were fantastic."

On the final match of Venables' Riverside reign - a 2-1 home win over West Ham United in May 2001 - he was greeted by chants of 'there's only one job in Teesside,' as the club's supporters did their best to persuade the main man to continue the good work.

But it was to no avail as both Venables and Robson's days at Boro were ended.

Chairman Steve Gibson was the Dagenham-born coach's biggest admirer and he did his best to keep his services by offering him a contract understood to be worth £2m a year.

And it is little wonder multi-millionaire haulage magnate Gibson, the man who had bankrolled Boro's big-time adventures during the seven years of Robson's roller-coaster reign, tried so hard to get his man as it saved the club £15m by staying in the Premiership

Gibson admitted back then that he will be forever in Venables' debt for the success he had with an ageing squad over a short period of time.

"Terry has been very modest and humble about his achievement here," said Gibson. "He's been the focal point and done a very good job for this club, and I will be eternally grateful."

But now, with Venables gone, there is a new, exciting era evolving under current chief McClaren.

Boro are sitting pretty in fifth place, just behind Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham.

And, ironically, when Venables comes back to town today McClaren, who was also touted for the Leeds job when O'Leary was sacked, has the chance to show his predeccesor just how far he has taken Boro during his 16-months in charge.

Regardless of the result this afternoon, the more experienced Venables can only have respect for what McClaren has achieved

Read more about Middlesbrough here.