On this day: Barcelona appoint Terry Venables

If Barcelona were to decide that they wanted to part company with head coach Luis Enrique this summer, it is highly unlikely that they would target Queens Park Rangers boss Chris Ramsey as a replacement.

However, it was a different story 31 years ago today as Terry Venables swapped Shepherd's Bush for the beaches of Catalonia.

Venables had just guided the Hoops to fifth place in Division One when, on the recommendation of Sir Bobby Robson, he received a telephone call from Barca president Josep Lluis Nunez, who offered him the opportunity to replace World Cup-winning coach Cesar Luis Menotti.

Speaking about his surprise move to BBC Sport recently, Venables recalled: "That call came right out of the blue. I just couldn't believe it. Well you wouldn't, would you?

"Going from QPR to Barcelona was amazing and it will never happen again. The stadium, the setup - it's all a bit different from Loftus Road. I pinch myself now really. I can't believe I ever did it. It was an amazing leap."

When Venables arrived at the Camp Nou, not only had Barca not won the La Liga title in a decade, he was also informed that the club needed to sell Diego Maradona for financial reasons.

Yet, even without the Argentine superstar, who headed to Napoli, Barca lost just two games during the 1984-85 campaign, finishing 10 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid.

One of the main contributors to that triumph was striker Steve Archibald. Despite resistance from some members of the board, Venables insisted that the Scot arrived and he went on to score 15 goals during that campaign.

The following term, 'El Tel' guided Barca to the final of the European Cup, where they were defeated on penalties in Seville by Romanian side Steaua Bucharest.

The summer of 1986 saw British frontmen Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes join Venables in Barcelona, but, just 12 months later, his spell at the helm came to an end when he was sacked and subsequently replaced by Luis Aragones.

Speaking in the Daily Mail, Venables said of his time in charge: "Winning La Liga for Barcelona is the pinnacle of my career in club management. It was an incredible time there. I loved every minute."

Venables returned to England with Tottenham Hotspur in 1987, before he was appointed manager of England following their failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.