By Simon Austin BBC Sport Online

The news that Terry Venables wanted his old pal Nick Barmby to join him at Leeds hardly sent shockwaves through the world of football.

Venables brought Barmby through the ranks at Spurs and picked him for his Euro 96 squad ahead of Peter Beardsley when he was England manager.

Does the old pals' act work? Have your say

The diminutive midfielder epitomises the kind of wily, thoughtful player that Venables prizes.

Coaches taking their favourite players with them from club to club is nothing new. BBC Sport Online looks at some of the most famous old pals' acts:

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Brian Clough and John McGovern
Clough was a famously fickle and unpredictable manager but he had unflinching faith in McGovern.

The pair met when Clough was cutting his coaching teeth at Hartlepool and McGovern was a raw, young midfielder.

McGovern captained Forest to European Cup glory

Clough took the Scot with him to Derby County, where they won the League championship, and then on to Leeds United.

Most of the big-name squad at Elland Road quickly turned against their new manager, but McGovern loyally stuck by his mentor.

Clough then moved on to Nottingham Forest, inevitably taking McGovern with him, and it was here that their greatest successes arrived.

McGovern lifted the First Division trophy with Forest in 1977 and then the European Cup in 1979 and 1980.

Neil Warnock and Adrian Littlejohn
Warnock is one of the most travelled managers in English football.

And every time he's joined a new club, the obvious question has been "when is Adrian Littlejohn going to join him?"

Warnock signed the speedy striker when he was in charge at Plymouth, Oldham and Bury.

And suprise, surprise, they are now working in tandem at First Division Sheffield United.

Graeme Souness and Dean Saunders
Souness was responsible for taking a host of mediocre British players to two famous European clubs in the mid-nineties.

He signed the likes of Michael Thomas, Mark Pembridge, Scott Minto and Brian Deane when he was manager at Galatasaray and then Benfica.

Another player who joined him at both clubs was Dean Saunders.

Souness first signed the Welsh international when he was at Liverpool and Saunders is now part of Souness's coaching staff at Blackburn.

Louis van Gaal and Ajax
Van Gaal is included, not for taking a particular player with him on his footballing travels, but rather a team.

The Dutchman imported pratically the entire Ajax team when he took over at Barcelona in 1997.

Van Gaal tried to recreate the Ajax magic

He had made his name with the remarkable Ajax side that won the Champions League in 1995.

When he moved to the Nou Camp he tried to recreate that success by signing Patrick Kluivert, Winston Bogarde, Frank de Boer and Michel Reiziger, who had all been in that great Ajax side.

Not all Barca fans were happy with their beloved team being filled with Dutchmen and Van Gaal was sacked in 2000.

Peter Taylor and Junior Lewis
Taylor first worked with Lewis when he was manager of Conference side Dover.

He then signed him when he was at Gillingham and the pair helped the Gills to promotion from the Third Division.

Taylor was snapped up by Premiership Leicester as a replacement for Martin O'Neill following his successes with the Kent side and before that the England Under-21s.

Lewis had not been one of the stars of Gillingham's promotion-winning side and it was a surprise when Taylor chose him, of all of his former squad, to join him at Filbert Street.

Taylor was sacked by the Foxes in October 2001 and moved to Brighton in an attempt to resurrect his career and again took Lewis with him.