Day I told Venables: You're Fired

Published 22:59 22/09/10 By Alan Sugar

In MirrorFootball's serialisation of his new book What You See is What You Get, businessman Alan Sugar looks at his other great love: football.

Friday 14 May 1993. The day I sacked Terry Venables, the day my son Daniel told me that this time I really had caused World War Three.

Never mind Bambi’s mum – I was the man who’d shot Bambi!

I don’t want to portray myself as a fanatical Tottenham supporter, but most people tend to follow one football club – and Spurs was my club, from when my dad and Uncle Jack used to take me.

Around 1991, I couldn’t help but read about a load of aggravation going on with Spurs’ finances and how it was on the verge of bankruptcy and being shut down.

To this day I don’t know what possessed me, but the following Monday after the FA Cup Final I put out a call to Venables.

My vision of Venables at the time was of a chirpy chappy, a shrewd lad. I told his adviser, Eddie Ashby, I was prepared to go ahead on the basis that Terry put up his £3million. I would then match it.

The essence of the deal was that Venables, as chief executive, would look after the football side of things, while I would oversee the business side and finances.

That was supposed to be the dream ticket. But the problems soon started.

I’d gone away on holiday straight after the Charity Shield and told Ashby we didn’t have the money to buy Gordon Durie from Chelsea. By the time I got back, Venables had gone ahead with the transfer without my permission.

I reminded him that I’d given my personal assurance to Midland Bank there would be no spending on players because of the £11m debt we’d inherited.

Venables seemed to be oblivious to this. He buried his head in the sand like an ostrich. As chief executive, Venables was totally out of his depth. He knew nothing about the commercial side of business.

He didn’t have a clue about things like Stock Exchange requirements, accounting, cash flow or marketing.

I was getting very concerned. On many occasions, at board meetings, Venables would make some totally stupid comment.

So much for the so-called dream team. Peter Shreeves was asked to leave as manager after the first season and Venables took over, jointly appointing Doug Livermore and Ray Clemence to assist him. It came to a head after a tournament which I’d had to beg Sky to cover to meet the contract.

Venables was convinced the deal was lining my own pocket.

From that moment on, I decided this arrangement with Venables was not going to work. It seemed the man loved to have an enemy, that Venables was not happy unless he had a fight of some kind on his hands.

And now I was the enemy he had to fend off.

I wanted to give Venables a clean way out of the situation. I’d offer to give him his £3m back and pay off the remainder of his outstanding contract.

Venables arrogantly believed he would be able to outride my challenge.

The date of the board meeting was set but the evening before, at the annual FWA Footballer of the Year Dinner, Venables and his associates leaked his imminent dismissal.

As we arrived for the board meeting, the forecourt of the club was packed with press, cameramen and fans, all screaming for my head. On my casting vote as chairman, Venables was officially fired there and then.

By 6pm that night, a judge reinstated Venables.

We had a disaster on our hands and by the time I’d got home there was a protest group outside my house. Of course we went to the High Court in the Strand. There were huge crowds standing outside, screaming my name, snarling abuse at me and calling me ‘Judas’, spitting on me and my wife Ann.

When we finally got to court, Venables’ barrister stood up and started to read out the section of my witness statement about Brian Clough taking a bung over the Teddy Sheringham deal.

The media went bananas about the Clough bung allegations. Venables had shot himself in the foot.

The judge called a halt to proceedings halfway through the second day. I was advised to exit the courtroom through his chambers and out the back entrance and to have my vehicle standing by.

When the court reconvened, the judge read out his decision and upheld the firing of Venables.

A few days later, Venables told the media he was going to continue his fight against me. After a lot of twists and turns, Venables finally threw in the towel. Businessman Philip Green called me to let me know that Venables was prepared to sell his shares to me for £3m.

But winning the battle was not the end. I realised things could potentially get worse.

Without Venables I was faced with having to run the whole football club.