Harry Rednapp's Autobiography

[Archibald&Crooks]

Even now. Personally I don't understand why people get so wound up by him, he's not the first person to not accept his failures or weaknesses.

What here on SC?

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

at no point during those 8 games did I seriously consider for one second that we could or would be relegated. it was just never going to happen. it makes for a great story to pretend 'Arry saved us from relegation, but it's just not the case. did he do a good job? of course, but this Great Escape story is simply not true.

 

[Spurger King]

Sorry if you found the reply patronising, I don't think it was but if that's the way you read it fine. I would say that I don't think it necessitated you getting quite as pissy as you did but whatever.

Having said that, after 8 games there was no chance that you or anyone else could say with any certainty we were getting relegated and therefore HR didn't 'save us' from anything.

It's the equivalent of saying that Lamela should be binned because he hasn't performed that well in his first 10 games, West Brom were going to be fighting for the title after the first 6 games of last season just because they had a good start, Man Utd haven't got a hope of finishing top 4 this season because they've had a slow start etc. etc.

Also, I don't think for a second that Levy was scrabbling around trying to find someone to save us from relegation and, let's be honest, the so called reputation you attribute to Redknapp for saving teams from relegation seems a bit thin on the ground - was it one season at Portsmouth and one at Bournemouth? I think he's been relegated more times than he's saved teams.

I think Levy realised things weren't working as they were, he wasn't sure that the continental structure was working so he replaced it with the best 'typical English manager' candidate that he felt was around at time.

This is all said as someone who didn't want Ramos to replace Jol in the first place, wasn't impressed with the time he was here and was pleased when he was replaced by Redknapp.

I don't think anybody has said we would go down for 'certainty', but I certainly think it was very likely if we didn't change things. It wasn't just a slow start - the whole atmosphere at the club was negative. Players like Woodgate said they had no idea what Ramos was trying to get them to do, and Ramos and Poyet in turn blamed the players as being "too stupid" to follow tactics. There was no drive, belief, confidence, or worst of all, the will to fight their way out of the corner the team had painted itself into.

I don't get why it's so hard to acknowledge that Harry took a club that was rock bottom of the league and not looking like it was going to change, and ended the season with us still in the Premier League. Did I miss the bit where we got relegated? Or do you really think we had such a star-studded team that any manager on the planet (including Ramos presumably) could easily motivate the players to turn around a situation few if any of them had ever been in before?

In Levy's words after bringing in Harry -

"At this stage, where Tottenham are, we need a fighter – someone that has inspiration," Levy said.

"I've often had various conversations with Harry down the years, he's almost got here and now he is here.

"I'm a Spurs fan and it's a sickening feeling to see Spurs where they are, we want to be back up where we belong."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-fighter-who-can-avoid-the-drop-Football.html

As for Harry being relegated more than he's saved teams - again you've not read what I've written. I said he was brought in because he knew what it takes to fight for survival. Of course he hasn't always been successful - if you're managing clubs in relegation dog fights, you're not going to win them all. However he certainly has the experience of being in a situation like that, and that was one of the main reasons he was brought in.

I'm not even one of Harry's biggest fans, but in his first season with us he certainly did the job expected of him. You make the comparison with Lamela, and highlight how it was only 8 games. As I've said before, the problems went back to the previous season. A more accurate comparison would be if Lamela had played badly for half a season, then played even worse in the first 8 games of a new season (not that I think Lamela is playing badly at all by the way!). Harry turned that situation around. Could other managers have done this? Probably. That still doesn't mean that Harry didn't do his job.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

at no point during those 8 games did I seriously consider for one second that we could or would be relegated. it was just never going to happen. it makes for a great story to pretend 'Arry saved us from relegation, but it's just not the case. did he do a good job? of course, but this Great Escape story is simply not true.

You weren't worried that we'd lost to Hull, Middlesborough, Sunderland, Stoke, Portsmouth and Aston Villa with Arsenal and Liverpool coming up? With the players looking lost and two stupid ****s in Bent and Pavlyuchenko up front?

 

[Coyboy]

We saw more ball in those games.

 

[mattstev2000]

No that's not true, he appointed Redknapp, someone who he had also approached previously, confirmed by both men as well, because he was the man he wanted. Redknapp was the one who didn't want to wok with Comolli or a DOF and that was why it was binned. People seem to think we were looking for any manager but that wasn't the case. Like it or lump it Levy had wanted Redknapp to be Spurs manager before he actually appointed him.

I also think it's disingenuous to say that 'anyone' could have got us out of the relegation zone. 2 of out next 3 games were against Arsenal and Liverpool, with our sorry bunch of individuals and abomination of a strikeforce, I could name you 20 managers that would not have been able to even get our side looking like footballers. Mark Hughes for one. Then all of a sudden we're 11 games in with 5 points and even further from safety.

It's disappointing that we can't all just accept the credit that Redknapo deserves and just stop talking about him, but he makes it difficult too by the things he says. Even now. Personally I don't understand why people get so wound up by him, he's not the first person to not accept his failures or weaknesses.

I don't think I ever said 'anyone' could have improved us - I think a lot of people could have (being able to speak to the players directly rather than via a translator would have been a strong step in the right direction for a start).

I also agree that it would be good for people to just give Redknapp the credit he deserves and move on. I'm tired of seeing people at both ends of the spectrum, I don't think he's a prick but I equally don't subscribe to the Saint Redknapp camp either that seemingly want to give him credit for everything good in the world during the period he was in charge.

He was a solid manager, who did well with the exceptional tools at his disposal. That's about it.

 

[mpickard2087]

That's a good analysis @Spurger King , pretty much how I see it. If Ramos had stayed we were getting relegated, the whole club had gone into meltdown and a change was needed. I always thought there was enough talent in the squad (and with money to spend) and enough games to stay up but a manager would have to do a good job, particularly needing an immediate reaction with the fixtures we had. Lose them and we were really cut adrift and Harry got us picking up points straight away which was crucial. I wasn't his biggest fan either, but he achieved all targets that season.

 

[punky]

It's worth pointing out that even in Harry's book, he actually says that any fool could have kept us up and that the only real change he made was pushing Modric further forward.

It is quite good so far. Lots of anecdotes as you would expect.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

I don't think I ever said 'anyone' could have improved us - I think a lot of people could have (being able to speak to the players directly rather than via a translator would have been a strong step in the right direction for a start).

I also agree that it would be good for people to just give Redknapp the credit he deserves and move on. I'm tired of seeing people at both ends of the spectrum, I don't think he's a prick but I equally don't subscribe to the Saint Redknapp camp either that seemingly want to give him credit for everything good in the world during the period he was in charge.

He was a solid manager, who did well with the exceptional tools at his disposal. That's about it.

Exceptional tools? Again. Unnecessary, we had a forward line that would be nothing more than mid table in most sides in the year we finished 4th. We also had a central midfield that consisted of Modric/Huddlestone/Palacios/Jenas. AVB has far better tools and did so last year too, how he utilises them are different though. Adebayor being an example.

I don't think the 'anyone' was aimed at you, my point just went from replying to you and then into a more general one.

 

[dagraham]

It's worth pointing out that even in Harry's book, he actually says that any fool could have kept us up and that the only real change he made was pushing Modric further forward.

It is quite good so far. Lots of anecdotes as you would expect.

Really, the only change? What about telling Pav to "fucking run around a bit"?

 

[Coyboy]

I may be doing Redknapp a disservice, but my impression of him is that he is just the figure head of a team of coaches. The tactics, team setup is pretty much dealt with the rest of his team Bond, Jordan et al. Redknapp is chief motivator, makes a player feel he is better than the opponent, gets the extra 10% out of them.

He spends very little time on the training ground, and what time he does spend there is just observing. I think this is one of the major reasons for Levy sacking him. We just spent millions on a state of the art training ground, Redknapp probably didn't even care about it.

People talk about the football we played under him. Well he was lucky to inherit King, Bale, Modric, Huddlestone, Lennon.. VDV was bought for him. I remember the direct play into Crouch, laying off to VDV, it was effective not beautiful. Then we had the season of Bale and Lennons pace which frightened opponents until Everton did a job on Bale and he was moved up front against Norwich.

Then there's the money and media side of things which was really cringeworthy. I appreciate the 4th place and the CL run but for me Redknapp is still behind Nicholson, Burkinshaw and Pleat (87), in fact Pleats team of 87 was the best football I've seen Spurs play.

Oh come off it. Ramos inherited those players too. VDV was bought for him? Yea so what, just like any player. What do you expect that he buys his own players? I don't understand this point.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

It's worth pointing out that even in Harry's book, he actually says that any fool could have kept us up and that the only real change he made was pushing Modric further forward.

It is quite good so far. Lots of anecdotes as you would expect.

I think it'll be a good and frustrating read. Haven't started it yet.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

You weren't worried that we'd lost to Hull, Middlesborough, Sunderland, Stoke, Portsmouth and Aston Villa with Arsenal and Liverpool coming up? With the players looking lost and two stupid ****s in Bent and Pavlyuchenko up front?

I wasn't worried. even in that poor state, we were way too good to go down. we won our first few games under him, but still lost quite a few after that and still finished 8th, comfortably away from relegation. for me, it just wasn't ever a realistic prospect. yes we lost Berbatov and Keane, but we still had the makings of a very good team. we weren't going down.

 

[Spurs_Bear]

I wasn't worried. even in that poor state, we were way too good to go down. we won our first few games under him, but still lost quite a few after that and still finished 8th, comfortably away from relegation. for me, it just wasn't ever a realistic prospect. yes we lost Berbatov and Keane, but we still had the makings of a very good team. we weren't going down.

Fair enough. Not for me.

 

[mattstev2000]

Exceptional tools? Again. Unnecessary, we had a forward line that would be nothing more than mid table in most sides in the year we finished 4th. We also had a central midfield that consisted of Modric/Huddlestone/Palacios/Jenas. AVB has far better tools and did so last year too, how he utilises them are different though. Adebayor being an example.

I don't think the 'anyone' was aimed at you, my point just went from replying to you and then into a more general one.

I know you obviously don't rate the strikers we had at the time, but they were expensive, proven and considered by most to be more than adequate for the job.

I'd also argue that a Modric + Palacios pair in the middle prior to the Sarge's decline was a stronger midfield pair than the Dembele + Parker combination that we had for half of last season and we managed more points last season than ever before.

I'd definitely say that scoring more points with the squad we had last year than we did when King, Modric, VDV and Bale were all available together deserves a certain level of respect.

I do agree on the handling of Adebayor though, I think he's the kind of character that you've got to be a bit flexible with to get the best out of and I don't think AVB is.

 

[tototoner]

He is on Jonathan Ross now

 

[Houdini]

He is on Jonathan Ross now

Bollocks...i'm watching Les Miserables.

 

[absolute bobbins]

'Arry's still got it, set up a goal today!

 

[sebcole]

Here's the a bit of the Spurs part of the book: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...t-night-football-life--Ruud-Gullit-doing.html

 

[Misfit]

at no point during those 8 games did I seriously consider for one second that we could or would be relegated. it was just never going to happen. it makes for a great story to pretend 'Arry saved us from relegation, but it's just not the case. did he do a good job? of course, but this Great Escape story is simply not true.

Exactly. Well, I'll add a note to that. Had Wendy stayed then I'd have put money on us going down. Fucking wanker. Some players didn't cover themselves in glory either. At no point did I think DL wouldn't drop-kick him long before that though so yeah...We weren't going down.

Thought H would right the ship and we'd move on. Turns out he finally got us over that hump. S'funny old game innit.