TERRY VENABLES spent last night considering not the small print but the large cost of a contract which could see him out of pocket if he takes on the management of England.

THERE was a rather touching moment in Cutting Edge's much previewed documentary about Graham Taylor (C4), in which the England manager travels to Spain to tell David Platt he's no longer captain. You don't actually see how he does it (the degree of access the film crew were given has been slightly exaggerated) but he's decent and consoling in the immediate aftermath. Pointing across a dusty square at three fat little boys with a beach-ball, Taylor suggests that they 'could go and have a game with those kids now'. He badly needs a win at this stage of the film and, despite being one man down, it looks doable. Platt considers it for a moment, but obviously decides it's too risky under the current management.

THIS WEEK a television documentary on the former England football manager, Graham Taylor, will show him using the F-word 36 times. A nation which is just coming to terms with press disclosure of the Prime Minister's private language - 'bastards' and the so far unsubstantiated 'f***ing' - will wonder once again about the discrepancy between public and private behaviour, even among the most bloodless of our leading figures.

'There has been some controversy about the language in this film,' said Neil Duncanson, producer of Graham Taylor: The Impossible Job, a documentary to be screened on Channel 4 on Monday night. 'For the record, Mr Taylor utters 38 fucks, three craps, two shits and there is an obscured wanker.'

THE sight last week of Stan Cullis leading out players from the history of Wolverhampton Wanderers prompted some grizzled veterans to wonder if he could have handled the modern pressures of football management.

FEW will lament Graham Taylor's passing. On the contrary, as an opinion poll conducted last year showed, this England manager was one of the least popular public figures in the country. Purporting to be a leader, Taylor was too eager to please, irritatingly desperate to explain himself with an eye, always, on self-justification. Yet, sadly, he was not the master of post-rationalisation designed to deflect the buck which was inevitably heading in his direction.

THE KING is dead, enter the kingmaker. The scene is not the palatial portals of Lancaster Gate but a poky little hi-fi shop in the back streets of Altrincham, from where the search for Graham Taylor's successor is being run.

To Chipping Norton, in the Cotswolds, to visit John Minihan, the world's most accomplished portrait photographer. I introduced him to Sam Beckett with strict instructions to discuss no topic but cricket or gossip. The consequence was a series of portraits that has toured the world.

DON HOWE is to be offered the post of England caretaker- manager, following Graham Taylor's resignation, despite stating categoricaly he is not interested in the job in any shape or form, writes Clive White.

Sir: I would like to nominate a colleague, Martin Bowdery, for the post of England manager. His experience is as follows: coach and manager of Muswell Hill under-10s; winner of the Fair Play award in the Enfield District League.

Sir: The next England manager needs to have the maturity of Ron Greenwood, but not have the personal life of Bobby Robson or the fallibility of judgement of Graham Taylor. He (or she) must be fit, have the experience of running a large organisation with the respect of the supporters.

Sir: If we are to learn from the mistake of appointing Graham Taylor, the next England manager must be:

Sir: The next England manager must know international football and, just as important, how he wants his team to play it.

Sir: In hindsight, Graham Taylor should have been sacked after the European Championships. In the end, I was pleased we did not qualify for America. Success would have kept Taylor in the job and the team would have continued to perform lamentably.