Villas-Boas "Tottenham Board Destroyed Everything I Built"

[Jonboy]

I personally think another season could have set us back years considering all the behind the scenes stuff that was going on.

I think you should elaborate slightly Trix.
Then when some of these Harry fan boys know the facts they might reconsider their opinions.
Loyalty works both ways

 

[Jonboy]

No.

Speaks volumes

 

[tooey]

It's getting good again.

 

[Jonboy]

It's like getting a new girlfriend
She's fit and it's exciting.
She's good in bed and you're happy.
Then she starts flirting with someone else.
You know she would dump you for the other guy, she doesn't even bother with you much now and is losing interest
So fuck her off, have a bit of pride in yourself and find another girlfriend

 

[bomberH]

I would understand that if it wasn't for the fact that we were on a title wining/challenging form by the time he got his head turned. I like Harry but that was simply unforgivable.

As I said, I would have had no problem with his taking the job. But he clearly didn’t give a shit about us when he thought he had it. A decent professional would have said to the FA, “I’d love the job, but I’ve got a crucial 8 weeks at Spurs. I need to finish the job here well, then I can focus on the Euros.” That’s Harry all over, and always has been. All about him. The club he’s at is always a distant afterthought.

Yep I said it was probably the right decision to sack him because of the way he went about it. All I’m saying is that for me personally, I understand why his head was turned and I understand why he went about it the way he did, even if it was wrong, because the England job is a once in a lifetime opportunity and he thought he’d never get the chance again. It was just unfortunate for us that it came about mid season and therefore he had to make what he thought was an immediate choice. And like I said, he never hid his desire to want to manage England.

He’s never come across as the most loyal person (unless it’s to Sandra, and even then he ran her over) and I can see why he’s called unprofessional etc. And yes he deserved to be sacked.

I didn’t know about the contract thing while the funeral was going on but Levy has spoken highly and fondly of Redknapp since so if it did happen then I’m sure he’s been forgiven. Plus I’ve seen it mentioned, but what was the timeline for this? Did he phone Levy up at the actual funeral or did his agent just want to negotiate business with Levy at a personally difficult time for him? If the former, did Harry know Levy was at a funeral? Etc etc. If a good ITK has said that then fair enough but I’d like to know the context.

 

[Jonboy]

This will interest a few of you

http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/met-harry-today.42275/

 

[bomberH]

Can’t really agree.

For a start there was that former West Ham star (honestly can’t remember his name...the twat Skinner and Baddiel took the piss out of) was on the England board, and has some ongoing grudge against Harry. It was never going to happen.

He refused to rule himself out pretty much immediately after we supported him through his court case. The top level ITK on here at the time suggested that he stopped turning up to training sessions after that. I was at the Newcastle game when this all blew up, with the crowd chanting ‘Harry Redknapp, we want you to stay’, and he simply carried on pimping himself out to the FA as our form collapsed.

I think it was JJ who said that the clincher was Harry phoning Levy to demand a pay rise...as Levy was attending his mother’s funeral.

I still like him and the memories he left, but he deserved to be sacked after all of that.

I think you’re talking about Brooking? Yeah he had beef with him but there’s no way anyone can say Harry definitely wouldn’t have got the job just because he was on the panel

I wouldn’t rule myself out of a job I want either. As Poch hasn’t exactly done with Madrid. Redknapp said several times that he loved managing us but he couldn’t exactly say ‘I want to leave and manage England’ because England hadn’t asked him. I remember that Newcastle game and he said it was the most amazing feeling afterwards, but he still didn’t commit because he wanted England. Sol Campbell said a zillion times that he’d sign a new contract with Spurs and we all know what happened there. Redknapp didn’t want to commit because he thought he’d be off. That’s how I saw it.

I don’t know about missing training but that’s unforgivable if true, but even then so did Berbatov and Bale. Both are ex Spurs that the vast majority of us are still highly fond of.

But yep, if he did miss training, plus the whole fucking off Levy at the wrong time thing, and the form that had followed the speculation for a few months, then he needed to be fired.

 

[Krule]

Yep I said it was probably the right decision to sack him because of the way he went about it. All I’m saying is that for me personally, I understand why his head was turned and I understand why he went about it the way he did, even if it was wrong, because the England job is a once in a lifetime opportunity and he thought he’d never get the chance again. It was just unfortunate for us that it came about mid season and therefore he had to make what he thought was an immediate choice. And like I said, he never hid his desire to want to manage England.

He’s never come across as the most loyal person (unless it’s to Sandra, and even then he ran her over) and I can see why he’s called unprofessional etc. And yes he deserved to be sacked.

I didn’t know about the contract thing while the funeral was going on but Levy has spoken highly and fondly of Redknapp since so if it did happen then I’m sure he’s been forgiven. Plus I’ve seen it mentioned, but what was the timeline for this? Did he phone Levy up at the actual funeral or did his agent just want to negotiate business with Levy at a personally difficult time for him? If the former, did Harry know Levy was at a funeral? Etc etc. If a good ITK has said that then fair enough but I’d like to know the context.

I understand his leaving but as you say at the time every single day Harry was interrogated about the England job and was always diplomatic in his response. It was the Clough scenario all over again. The media hype was enough to turn anyone's head and it is the ultimate accolade for any English manager. I honestly thought the FA sold him down the river and to pick Hodgson over him beggared belief. I do agree his attitude changed during the latter months of his tenure but at no time during his sacking or afterwards has that man disrespected the club or Levy. For that he has earnt my respect and for the great moments and memories he gave me he has my eternal thanks.

 

[bomberH]

This will interest a few of you

http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/index.php?threads/met-harry-today.42275/

The best part of that thread is JJetset’s post seemingly before he was ITK ?

 

[Jonboy]

The best part of that thread is JJetset’s post seemingly before he was ITK ?

Great spot ??

 

[bomberH]

I understand his leaving but as you say at the time every single day Harry was interrogated about the England job and was always diplomatic in his response. It was the Clough scenario all over again. The media hype was enough to turn anyone's head and it is the ultimate accolade for any English manager. I honestly thought the FA sold him down the river and to pick Hodgson over him beggared belief. I do agree his attitude changed during the latter months of his tenure but at no time during his sacking or afterwards has that man disrespected the club or Levy. For that he has earnt my respect and for the great moments and memories he gave me he has my eternal thanks.

Yep good point, forgot to mention that too. He’s been the most complimentary pundit about us over the last few years. Even more so than Hoddle and Jenas! By that I mean that the latter 2 are often critical in a ‘frustrated for Spurs’ way when things go wrong but I’ve rarely heard a bad word from Redknapp. Very complimentary, especially about the board* and that goes a long way for me when we can always do with a few more pro Spurs pundits. He argues our case against pundits who know nothing about the club and gets decent points across most of the time.

* he may well hate Levy and everyone at the club but as long as he keeps it private then it’s all good!

 

[Krule]

Yep good point, forgot to mention that too. He’s been the most complimentary pundit about us over the last few years. Even more so than Hoddle and Jenas! By that I mean that the latter 2 are often critical in a ‘frustrated for Spurs’ way when things go wrong but I’ve rarely heard a bad word from Redknapp. Very complimentary, especially about the board* and that goes a long way for me when we can always do with a few more pro Spurs pundits. He argues our case against pundits who know nothing about the club and gets decent points across most of the time.

* he may well hate Levy and everyone at the club but as long as he keeps it private then it’s all good!

Says it all....

 

[Spurger King]

I think you’re talking about Brooking? Yeah he had beef with him but there’s no way anyone can say Harry definitely wouldn’t have got the job just because he was on the panel

I wouldn’t rule myself out of a job I want either. As Poch hasn’t exactly done with Madrid. Redknapp said several times that he loved managing us but he couldn’t exactly say ‘I want to leave and manage England’ because England hadn’t asked him. I remember that Newcastle game and he said it was the most amazing feeling afterwards, but he still didn’t commit because he wanted England. Sol Campbell said a zillion times that he’d sign a new contract with Spurs and we all know what happened there. Redknapp didn’t want to commit because he thought he’d be off. That’s how I saw it.

I don’t know about missing training but that’s unforgivable if true, but even then so did Berbatov and Bale. Both are ex Spurs that the vast majority of us are still highly fond of.

But yep, if he did miss training, plus the whole fucking off Levy at the wrong time thing, and the form that had followed the speculation for a few months, then he needed to be fired.

Trevor Brooking. That’s it. Apparently it had to be unanimous, and Brooking was a no go.

The training and funeral stuff I read on here. Pretty sure it was from very credible ITK such as JJ.

I still like Harry, but I was a bit indifferent to his sacking.

 

[Jonboy]

He lacked class in those final months.
I've said what happened about losing interest
and let's not even mention on occasions not even attempting the long commute.
Neg rep all you like, facts are facts
He tried to play all spurs fans, yet eventually got outplayed by Levy

 

[Spartan Spurs]

Hell, when Harry took over we were bottom of the table (below Bolton & Wigan ffs).
He was a hell of a man manager & with those same players took us up the table.

For me, Redknapp re-ignited the Spurs flair of playing.
He gave them the freedom to play & express themselves & the players grew in their respective positions.
It wasn't only our play that was exciting but also the anticipation of each game.
You just knew that something special could happen.

But you could also sense that something was still missing in order for us to reach higher under Harry's guidance.

Under Harry, we played like talented kids on a playground enjoying ourselves while getting results.
But we still struggled against the more organized sides.

We needed that tactical edge to break into the top 3.
That little something extra that could make the difference.

Enter AVB. I wasn't surprised by his appointment.
In a sense, it made sense.

He was a young, up & comer with some past success bringing a more cerebral approach.

He also had to contend with a Modric sized hole in midfield that needed to be filled.
He targeted Moutinho, who was class back then (& still is to a certain extent), which I supported felt would have helped his cause. We didn't get him.
Was he integral in bringing in Lloris, Dembele, Verts, Siggy etc? I don't know or don't remember.

In the end, we ended with a central engine the size of a lawnmower.
Furthermore, him not rating Rafa was a bit perplexing given the circumstances.

But he & Bale seemed to have a connection & AVB recognized that allowing him to roam more centrally made us far more effective.

As for the rest of the players, they just seemed so static.
It seemed as if everyone else was shackled.
We moved up field slightly faster than molasses & rarely ever got out of first gear.

He may have had these nouveau ideas but they certainly didn't translate well on the pitch.
That Spurs Spirit had vanished once again.

Yes we got lots of points in that first season but it was harder to watch (less Bale's brilliance).

Those big losses near the end of his tenure showed the writing was on the wall. Couldn't continue like that.

 

[Krule]

Hell, when Harry took over we were bottom of the table (below Bolton & Wigan ffs).
He was a hell of a man manager & with those same players took us up the table.

For me, Redknapp re-ignited the Spurs flair of playing.
He gave them the freedom to play & express themselves & the players grew in their respective positions.
It wasn't only our play that was exciting but also the anticipation of each game.
You just knew that something special could happen.

But you could also sense that something was still missing in order for us to reach higher under Harry's guidance.

Under Harry, we played like talented kids on a playground enjoying ourselves while getting results.
But we still struggled against the more organized sides.

We needed that tactical edge to break into the top 3.
That little something extra that could make the difference.

Enter AVB. I wasn't surprised by his appointment.
In a sense, it made sense.

He was a young, up & comer with some past success bringing a more cerebral approach.

He also had to contend with a Modric sized hole in midfield that needed to be filled.
He targeted Moutinho, who was class back then (& still is to a certain extent), which I supported felt would have helped his cause. We didn't get him.
Was he integral in bringing in Lloris, Dembele, Verts, Siggy etc? I don't know or don't remember.

In the end, we ended with a central engine the size of a lawnmower.
Furthermore, him not rating Rafa was a bit perplexing given the circumstances.

But he & Bale seemed to have a connection & AVB recognized that allowing him to roam more centrally made us far more effective.

As for the rest of the players, they just seemed so static.
It seemed as if everyone else was shackled.
We moved up field slightly faster than molasses & rarely ever got out of first gear.

He may have had these nouveau ideas but they certainly didn't translate well on the pitch.
That Spurs Spirit had vanished once again.

Yes we got lots of points in that first season but it was harder to watch (less Bale's brilliance).

Those big losses near the end of his tenure showed the writing was on the wall. Couldn't continue like that.

Brilliant... nailed it.

 

[Jonboy]

He was appointed to get us out of a relegation scrap.
Says it all

 

[For the love of Spurs]

He was appointed to get us out of a relegation scrap.
Says it all

No it doesn’t, he did far more than just get us out of a relegation scrap. We played some of the best football in years and had a CL run to boot.

 

[Jonboy]

No it doesn’t, he did far more than just get us out of a relegation scrap. We played some of the best football in years and had a CL run to boot.

Yes, I agree.
But the fact is he was appointed to fend off a relegation scrap.
Just like his appointment at other clubs for the same reasons.
He achieved so much more

 

[Trix]

Yep good point, forgot to mention that too. He’s been the most complimentary pundit about us over the last few years. Even more so than Hoddle and Jenas! By that I mean that the latter 2 are often critical in a ‘frustrated for Spurs’ way when things go wrong but I’ve rarely heard a bad word from Redknapp. Very complimentary, especially about the board* and that goes a long way for me when we can always do with a few more pro Spurs pundits. He argues our case against pundits who know nothing about the club and gets decent points across most of the time.

* he may well hate Levy and everyone at the club but as long as he keeps it private then it’s all good!

I wouldn't disagree with any of that but the infighting and split was growing wider all the time. Something had to give, and fortunately it was Redknapp