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Could Harry’s charisma be the key?

Krafty

Well-Known Member
May 26, 2004
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Harry Redknapp’s arrival is like a breath of fresh air. Sunday’s performance was superior to anything we have seen this season, but while Harry brings in a new style and structure of management, one of the major positives of choosing him as our new manager may be away from the pitch.

Redknapp has a very close connection with the media. He is not afraid to talk to them, often giving honest and frank assessments, and being one of the few remaining English, traditional managers in the game, he is treated with a certain amount of respect and leniency. Some may say he has earned that respect, others might say it’s a result of being pals with them, but either way it could be a massive help to our team.

One example could be the way the media have viewed the capture of Redknapp to the one of Ramos. Ramos was a sneaky, underhand bid by the disgraceful Levy to steal another team’s manager, a manager who was coming over here for a massive pay cheque. Redknapp was the excellent acquisition of one of the genuine nice guys of the game, finally getting his big chance, even though he had walked away from Pompey for the second time. No doubt Levy handled himself a lot better in his approach for Harry, but would any other Premiership manager have been able to move clubs with so little criticism?

Even his defence of Gomes, who had a few moments on Sunday, may have been met with more question marks if it had been anyone else. The papers and the television pundits put Gomes down as someone who would be replaced come January, although I personally feel that to be incredibly harsh and short sighted, yet Harry comes out and defends him. Knowing you have a manager behind you who believes in you, and can move the media spotlight away from you in hard times must be very uplifting, and fill you with confidence. If Ramos had come out and said the same thing, would the reports be filled out in the same positive light? They would more likely bring more pressure on the manager and player.

Morale seemed to be very low under Ramos, and even under Jol there were voices of discontent. However you do not get the same feeling with Harry, a manager ‘players love to play for’. Even in the short time he has been in charge the noises from the squad have been very positive, and they have been echoed in the media. Its even got to a point where some sections are thinking we can come away from Ashburton Grove with the three points, which might be going a bit too far. One thing is for certain, we have gone from being the punch line of every joke, to being a source of optimism and hope once again. It might only be four days, but Redknapp has turned us around in terms of media image and vibe the club gives off, from distinctly negative to positively, erm, positive.

I cannot remember the last manager we had with such a rapport with the media, but with the players we have I cannot think of a better time to have someone in charge that can relieve the pressure on the players.

If Ramos had still been in charge and we had won 2-0, I don’t think the players would be feeling as confident as they do under Harry. Maybe being English helps to get the message across, but since the end of the Bolton game Harry must have described half a dozen players as world class. The players must be really riding high, and if they do catch Sky Sports News or glance at one of the papers, it will only enhance their mood, rather than drain it like last week.
 
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