After turning water into wine as Middlesbrough's Messiah, Terry Venables has in his grasp a jeroboam of footballing champagne.

If he could lift Boro out of the morass which triggered his arrival at the Riverside, bringing the good times back to Leeds should be simple for Troubleshooter Tel.

No offence to Middlesbrough, but having at his disposal the attacking riches of Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Alan Smith et al must be manna from heaven for Venables.

Having bolstered Boro's defence, and muddled by up front with Alen Boksic providing a cutting edge for the final five months of the 2000-01 season, Venables will relish working with Leeds' multi-talented, multi-million pound strike force.

Think back to the verve and elan that characterised the England team during his two-and-a-half-year tenure, most memorably in the 4-1 dismantling of Holland at Euro 96.

Venables will of course have to sell before he can buy - a £15m profit on transfers this summer is being demanded by his plc paymasters.

Don't be surprised to see Olivier Dacourt leave shortly, possibly followed by several other big names.

But former Middlesbrough defender Steve Vickers, whose career had fresh life breathed into it by Venables, believes Leeds fans are about to embark on a glorious new chapter in their history.

Vickers, now at Birmingham, said: "I can't see Terry being defensive at Leeds. There's far too much talent in their squad and they have too many attacking options for him to go that way.

"He'll spend the next few weeks assessing each and every member of the squad and then come up with a style of play which suits them. And believe me, it will be the right one.

"It was an education working with Terry for those few months and it will be the same for the Leeds lads.

"I was 32 when Terry came in but he improved me as a player. He changed a few things in my game. It wasn't a major overhaul, just little tips here and there.

"They paid off because I'd like to think I played some of my finest football under him. I also reckon I'm still a better player today for the experience.

"Just as you're never too old to learn, you're never too good to learn, so I'm sure lads like Rio Ferdinand can improve as well.

"It wasn't rocket science with Terry but there's no doubt about it, he's definitely got something.

"We were in dire straits and looked dead and buried, but he turned us into a well-organised team that suddenly became hard to beat and he instilled confidence into every player.

"Training was fantastic. There was never a dull moment because he brought a fresh outlook to the club.

"But Terry's not just a superb coach. His man-management skills are first class, and he had time for everyone - from the captain right down to the kitman.

"He would talk to us individually and collectively almost on a daily basis, and after just a few weeks we felt good about ourselves again.

"It's an excellent appointment and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Leeds doing really well this season."