Younger readers of JOE may only think of Barry Venison as a TV pundit, but they may be surprised to know he is a full international who has league honours with Liverpool.
By Declan Whooley
The flamboyant player has worked on both Sky Sports and subsequently ITV following his retirement and now resides in California where he enjoys life as a property developer in the Orange County. A throw-back to the early days of the Premier League, there never was anything conventional about the English defender.
While remembered mostly for his time on Tyneside, Venison began his career with Sunderland and became the youngest-ever captain in a Wembley Cup Final when he captained the Black Cats in the 1985 League Cup defeat to Norwich. He made nearly 200 appearances on Wearside before Kenny Dalglish paid £250,000 for his services to bring him to Anfield. A huge vote of confidence considering the Reds had just achieved the Double that season.
Venison goes for something less traditional on his wedding day
Fans were won over by his aggressive tackling and he became a fixture in the starting line-up, though the following season, the same season of the Hillsborough tragedy, Dalglish began to rotate his players more. Competition began to increase and with Graeme Souness at the helm, he was sold to Newcastle in 1992 with two league titles and an FA Cup medal in his pocket.
Venison switched to holding midfielder on Tyneside
The Magpies were an up-and-coming side under Kevin Keegan’s stewardship and had come up from the Second Division. Venison had by this point been transformed into a holding midfielder and his performances had caught the eye of England manager Terry Venables. Aged 30, he made his international bow against the USA in 1994 with a second and final appearance against Uruguay the following year.
Venison was instrumental in reviving Newcastle’s fortunes – in 1995 they qualified for Europe for the first time since the 1970s – but he did lose the club captaincy after allegedly being spotted in a wine bar outside the club curfew.
After two seasons in the new Premier League, he broke the mould in England by sampling the European game, and most likely a bigger pay packet, when Galatasaray bought him in the summer of 1995. Ironically it was Souness who signed the long-haired defender, three years after deeming him surplus to requirements at Anfield.
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Getting to grips with a young Ryan Giggs
However, it wasn’t exactly a Turkish Delight and lasted just five months before Southampton brought Venison back to the Premier League. That season was eventful to say the least as he played a central part in the Saints avoiding relegation on the final day by goal difference.
He would only play two more games for Southampton the following season – his final game against Leicester City saw him red carded – before injury forced him to retire from the game.
Sky Sports were keen to get him involved and his honesty (plus his highly questionable fashion sense) made him a hit with viewers. He was once described as the only man who could sport three different hair-styles at once. He then worked for five years with ITV covering World Cups and European Championships, while he even made an appearance in Mike Bassett, England Manager.
Now residing in California, he is a reminder of the early days of the Premier League and also proof that Sky Sports have upped the fashion standards for their current pundits.
