Hill oversaw Australian football from 1996-1998 and managed to bag one of world football’s most famous coaches - who only a year earlier famously took England to the Semi-Finals of Euro 96.

Venables’ exuberant style saw the Socceroos play an attacking and entertaining brand of football which saw him win his first 12 games in charge. It was a marked difference to the previous eras of Eddie Thompson and Frank Arok which were noted for their defensive approaches.

However unfairly as it may seem, one game would define Venables as coach of Australia. The date that is synonymous with what Australian football fans as the Iran Heartbreak - November 29, 1997.

In front of a then record crowd at the MCG the Socceroos were leading 2-0, but Iran came back to draw 2-2 and clinch the final spot for the 1998 World Cup on the away goals rule.

Hill remembers the aftermath vividly.

“I’ve never seen a worse scene in sport,” he said.

“Alex Tobin who was a very presentable captain was just not physically capable of getting to the press conference.

“Now the FIFA rule is the coach and the captain have to attend but Tobin couldn’t do it. It was awful so I sat next to Venables and all he could say was, ‘gutted, I’m gutted.’

“I was saying ‘that’s football’ – which didn’t help. People wanted more than that. They wanted pain. They wanted blood. They wanted recrimination. 

“I underestimated how upset people were.

”Everyone wanted to see some drastic response. Everybody wanted me to sack Venables but I thought he was fantastic for Australia and I wasn’t going to do that.

“All the established football fraternity wanted some sacrificial bloodletting but I just thought bugger it, Venables is too good for Australia.”

Venables never lost a game in that World Cup qualifying series. In his 24 games as coach he helped Australia achieve a top 30 FIFA world ranking, which before then had never seen the Socceroos able to crack the top 50.

Hill feels that the former Barcelona and English coach achieved a great deal for Australia during his short time.