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'Directors of football are just a joke' - Redknapp on Tottenham crisis

diamondlight

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2006
1,263
1,326
Redknapp just does not like Levy (who uses a DF) because he sacked him.

Best league finish I agree, then thought he was "Mr England" and rest is history. Harry is "just" a gun for hire and spoilt it for 'everybody' because he let his ego rule. A sad turn of events.
He finished fourth, pipped by Arsenal for third in the final game. That year RVP won the golden boot for Arsenal; Redknapp wanted a new striker, having lost Berbatov, and didn't get one. Everyone thought he was going to get the England job; all he did was refuse to rule himself out. Our form slumped, perhaps co-incidentally. Either way, we still finished fourth.

Levy ultimately sacked Redknapp by saying 'Harry arrived at the club at a time when his experience and approach was exactly what was needed.' The subtext is that his 'approach' - i.e. full control - wasn't needed any more. We haven't finished fourth since.

Which is worse: refusing to rule yourself out of a job you have spent thirty years dreaming of doing, or willfully sacking your best manager in thirty years on a point of principle?
 

SteveH

BSoDL candidate for SW London
Jul 21, 2003
8,642
9,313
He finished fourth, pipped by Arsenal for third in the final game. That year RVP won the golden boot for Arsenal; Redknapp wanted a new striker, having lost Berbatov, and didn't get one. Everyone thought he was going to get the England job; all he did was refuse to rule himself out. Our form slumped, perhaps co-incidentally. Either way, we still finished fourth.

Levy ultimately sacked Redknapp by saying 'Harry arrived at the club at a time when his experience and approach was exactly what was needed.' The subtext is that his 'approach' - i.e. full control - wasn't needed any more. We haven't finished fourth since.

Which is worse: refusing to rule yourself out of a job you have spent thirty years dreaming of doing, or willfully sacking your best manager in thirty years on a point of principle?

Loved on the 'touchline Harry'. Not so keen on 'media Harry'.

Harry was between a rock and hard place, we agree. On one hand England, his dream as you rightly said. On the other continuing the good job he was doing at Spurs.
Levy wanted him to stay and offered a new contract for Harry to commit for the longer term.
Harry said he could not turn down the chance to manage England. Levy started looking for a replacement.

Both rational decision. Also one which all party and fans went on to regret in hindsight.

Ill brush over the "willfully sacking" bit.
 

UbeAstard

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2005
3,354
2,413
Yeah fair point but I, like many others, base that belief on the fact that when a manager sees a player he wants and goes and gets him, they normally dont go 3 months without giving them a game do they?
Hence, who wanted this player?
edit- and then there's buying players when we haven't even got a bloody coach. Was that buy an agreement between coach and dof lol?

Who hasn't got a game in any competition?
 

slartibartfast

Grunge baby forever
Oct 21, 2012
18,320
33,955
OUOTE="UbeAstard, post: 4332603, member: 5033"]Who hasn't got a game in any competition?[/QUOTE]
Ok minor exaggeration on my part.
Bloody picky.
I was pissed ok.
You know the point I'm making.
 

scottlag10

Active Member
Aug 18, 2012
657
1,069
"Right, you're having him and him and him" may be a caricature, but the manager certainly has less control under the DOF structure. That was the whole reason Levy implemented it, by his own admission: taking player purchasing out of the hands of the manager meant that Levy was able to ensure 'continuity' between coaches. He certainly got just that: the continuity of mediocrity.[/QUOTE]

There is your biggest clue guys, Harry was our last Manager, since the reinstatement of a DOF we have 'a Head Coach', coaching the players he is given?
 

UbeAstard

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2005
3,354
2,413
OUOTE="UbeAstard, post: 4332603, member: 5033"]Who hasn't got a game in any competition?
Ok minor exaggeration on my part.
Bloody picky.
I was pissed ok.
You know the point I'm making.[/QUOTE]

I don't think I was being picky. Alex Ferguson signed several players and the few games he saw them in in whichever competitions showed him he couldn't trust them yet (if ever). They became rarely played or only had minutes from the subs bench. No DOF to blame. Its the nature of new signings.
 
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