The Redknapp Revelation
Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 9:10PM Harry Redknapp has revealed himself unto me. He appeared and spoke, softly but firmly, and assured me that everything was in hand. He spoke not in a voice or manner I recognised. I was startled at first, but then felt a wave of warm, comfortable euphoria sweep through me. He said ‘Fear not my child. And listen not to what is said. For the truth is thus – we will put those godless fuckers in their place. United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal – Judgement Day is upon them, and soon mankind will rejoice in the Kingdom of Tottenham.’ It was at that point I realised that how Harry appears physically to us is simply his ‘earthly body’. He has to do this; otherwise we would be bewildered by his brilliance. He has spent his time in the wilderness. Many people doubt him, and call him a shaman. But he will lead us to the Promised Land.
Harry has been tested this season more times than I care to remember. And each time he has come through with clarity and skill. I knew he was a good coach, able to organise a defence and get a team passing the ball better than the average gaffer. What I also thought I knew was that he was a man of simplistic footballing views and assertions. And that these assertions would be what ultimately held him back from the upper echelons. More fool me. When Robbie Keane was being sent on loan to Celtic, or Jenas was being basically put out for the binmen to pick up after the Wolves debacle, I found myself double and triple taking – is this really happening? Did Harry really haul Jenas off at half time, never to dress him in a Spurs shirt again? Did he really publicly humiliate £20 million club captain Robbie Keane? Did he really make the calls that all of us implored him to make, but privately thought were a bit too outrageous? Yes. Yes he did.
How many of us, hand on heart, would have gone with the Modders/Hudd CM combination? We thought Harry would be humble, play it safe. 2 points from 8 games. Never had it so good. Punching above our weight. And how we all fell for it! The clues were there though. All season, whilst always playing things down, he quietly muttered that we were aiming for 4th. Of course, he did more than enough to counter that with the constant bollocks spouted about how good Liverpool are, how far we’ve come, how grateful we should be etc etc. And I use the word bollocks advisedly. Because that’s what it was. Pure bollocks. Harry knew all along that we would do it. Privately, he is probably mad as a lorry that we finished with as few points as we did. Privately, he knows that next season they are all there for the taking. All of them.
He could have brought in a safe bet as keeper (James, Green), but he didn’t. He stuck with the big, odd, whackjob. He could have sold Dawson, or just let him continue having the regular schoolboy panic attacks. He could have let Bale drift as the next floating showpony. He could have let Huddlestone become Jan Molby but without the team-mates. BAE and Bentley have come on so much since Harry and his team of coaches got hold of them. Harry has coached the arses off them, and induced quite remarkable rises in the performance levels of most of the team. Even the recruitment of Sherwood and Ferdinand, when viewed retrospectively, is genius – what PL player has ever heard of old jokes Kevin Bond and Joe Jordan? Better get a couple of flash gits with nice suits and lush birds that the players will listen too. Then sneakily make them better players without them even noticing, while Shersy and Ferdsy regale them with enthralling tales of mindless idiocy.
Harry made many errors this season. Playing Keane and Jenas for too long. Not playing Pav. Getting the left sided choice wrong at times. But on all of these occasions, he has righted his wrongs with startling speed. Once all the debris had been cleared and the engine was tuned up, the team was like a runaway train. And when the hard choices had to be made, he made them. No sentiment whatsoever. Wilson, sorry, but you are not the centre midfielder for the ‘next level’. Thanks, but no thanks.
He has learnt a lot. Nobody knows everything, something that certain other North London managers would do well to remember.
And maybe I’m losing my fucking mind here, but maybe, just maybe, Harry is about to switch on all of us. Secretly, late at night, in Harry’s palatial home in wherever, when Jamie has been tucked up in bed in his Spiderman PJs, Harry lights up a fat Cuban cigar, and sits back in his big chair, Tony Montana style. And he turns to Sandra and says ‘You know what luv? We’re gonna rip this shitty little slag-league apart next season. Wenger? Fucking losing it. Fabregas? Gone. Fergie? Alzheimers. Drogba? Don’t worry; I’ve got a mindgame for that little tart. Lampard? Modric. Mancini? Can’t speak English. Ferdinand, Essien, Persie, all crocks. Vidic is off. Ok, so maybe give me Evra, or that other little ponce who can play left back. And Rooney or Tevez. The rest can fuck right off.’ I’m not saying this because I necessarily believe it. I’m saying it because I believe that Harry is at least 2 steps ahead of us all, and believes in the talent of himself and his players a lot more than anyone else does.
All this transfer talk of Bellamy, Richards and Carlton Cole is rubbish. He is going to sign 2 shit-hot strikers and 1 left back. He knows that there is no such thing as standing still in this league. You’re either going forwards or back. And forwards for us means challenging the top 2. And you ain’t doing that with Craig Bellamy, much as I have always been a fan of his play. Behind the façade that Harry presents to us, there is a disturbingly ambitious and motivated man. Harry wants to prove he is the best. Behind old cockney bagpuss is an absolute beast of a manager waiting to be unleashed.
By guest-blogger, Chrisman.
Reader Comments (64)
That was epic. Best guest blog yet.
Harry Redknapp = God
In 'Arry we trust?
It was a great blog post until you said Wilson wasn't good enough, which was when I puked up in my mouth a little.
He is still vital to us. Yes I know we beat Chelsea, Arsenal and City without him, but they were all very off par and for the first two of those we sat back and hit them on the break. We can't do that all the time. We would have had a lot fewer points without him this season.
cmon harry - richards,kjaer,j cole, bellamy and dzeko
Harsh on Wilson, but every fan has a differing opinion on players so I wont hold it against you. This article is very Spookyesque. I like it. I think Harry gets tagged with the media whore label far too often and people should give him respect (more than he gets from some quarters) for a job very well done.
He wasn't meant to be astute enough was he?
Oh, did you not hear Spooky? We just signed Beattie.
In the midst of all the intertrash articles one sifts through these days your article is as refreshing as it is well written.
My compliments to you Sir,
Thank you!
Often this season I've read and heard some Spurs fans accuse Harry of not caring, not getting off the bench to drive and scream instructions. I think he's firmly shut people up, probably way he didn't dance about it in front of the cameras in the interview post-Eastlands.
great article just hope I dont live close to you as wouldnt want harry in his other form visiting me at night by mistake! This could really be the start of something special and love the way he plays the media, have really warned to him, thought he was a bit of a tosser before he came to the might yids. Agree now given Cudicini another year, 2 worldies up front and a left sided player depending on what happens with Woodgate
spot on !
Quality article! I hope you're right about the signings and I beloved in Harrys ability to pull off a couple of major coops! Dzeko please, Turan please, COYS!!!
"believe" not "beloved"! Lol
Chrisman finally returns to DML. With a bang.
I always fancied myself as a bit of a writer, but after reading that, I think I'll just remain an avid reader. Really great blog, one of the best yet. You've voiced my thoughts and fears in one easy action.
Chrisman? Father Chrisman? You've come along way since your Defoe article. Which in retrospect was not far off. Excellent read. Is it twisted for me to want to pinch his saggy cheeks?
If we sign two shit hot strikers then I think the sky is the limit in all honesty, we have a young squad which is going to improve every year. COYS
If the authorities have their way, Harry will be found guilty of the charges which have been levelled against him and will end up getting a prison sentence as a deterent to others.
If that happens, I cannot see how Levy can retain his services and we are back on the manager merry go round.
If he is found guilty but not sent to prison, I reckon Levy will retain him.
Its a potentially huge issue for us and could wreck next season.
please say this with a whisper... can only help if the rest of the league doesnt know just yet
I think the 'authorities' are in dreamland if they believe they can do anything against him to be quite honest.
I hope you are right JEP, but they have invested an awful lot of time effort and money into this investigation and whilst I suspect they are trying to settle some old scores with Harry, if it goes to trial, you can never be sure of the outcome.
Wilson is good at everything except kicking a football.
What a pile of poo.
For the record, I do firmly believe Wilson has a big role to play in our squad next season. But he will probably be number 4 on the CM depth chart. So Harry has kind of said that he is not quite good enough at the moment for a starring role in our fantastic quest. However, I expect Harry to do some big time coaching, and Wilson to do some big time graft to improve his game. We need to develop a culture of desperate excellence, where everyone is constantly busing a blood vessel to eek out that extra few percent in performance levels. Hopefully Sandro arriving will light a fire under Wilson. He's only 25 so perhaps has a big capacity for improvement.
As I've said though, Harry is probably well ahead of me, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Wilson used as a high-end baraining chip in transfer dealings. Whatever happens, I expect Harry to get it right.
Nice, makes perfect sense to me.
Great read.
COYS
Quality article.
great blog. Signings - Dzeko, Cole and Richards. People say richards is bad but with redknapps coaching skills he may return to be the player he once had the potential to be. just like bale ey?
I deserve to be punched in the face for once questioning 'Arry's ability. That was after we lost to wolves the second time. Quite fickle, for one week I would be behind him 100% and then another week I would ask if he took us as far as he could and whether it was time to bring in a new manager. I quickly learned the error in my ways. He managed to pull off what many before him tried and failed to do. He delivered us to the promised land. I will ne'er doubt again.
Very good Chrisman, really enjoyed reading that!
''How many of us, hand on heart, would have gone with the Modders/Hudd CM combination?''
Did he have any other choice ? If Wilson wasn't suspended do you really think he would have gone with that combination against Arsenal and Chelsea ?
Bale's run in he side was due to BAE getting injured or if he didn't get injured he not he would have gone to the ACoN anyway.
Alot of these changes which you say Harry made were forced upon him. Sure he could have gone for Jenus but maybe he wasn't fit after having surgery on his groin ?
Credit to Harry though, when we had players injured he had the squad to cope unlike Liverpool for example and came up with a plan B which could materialise into plan A next season
'BAE and Bentley have come on so much since Harry and his team of coaches got hold of them.'
Both guys played ok, not as outstanding as Bale though. If both players were to be replaced next season I wouldn't shed any tears and neither would you by saying we need a new left back.
Good article though. You got any more raps ?
Chrisman, I was pissed off all day reading about other clubs and you filled the void with just what I needed to read. harry is indeed a genius and his rantings to the press are just great. But he is really a brilliant manager and can get a 'lost cause' playing again. I really hope he signs a few skillful toughies for the new season and, your right, the top two better watch over their shoulders. ARRY IS COMING TO GET YOU.
trust in 'Arry! the man knows!
You have to give managers credit when they use the breaks to their advantage. Personally, I don't believe luck really exists in sport (only in very rare freak occasions). If you instill belief and ambition into all of your squad then you can appear 'lucky' as everything will generally go right for you, even when it shouldn't. Maybe consider the mental/physical weaknesses of the opposition. There were many times last season where you felt we wouldn't get a result, and we did. I think at the heart of it is a deep roted belief within the squad that they are a really fucking good football team. And I think this in turn creates fear and uncertainty in the opposition. This is quite a powerful thing and can enable a group of people to do things that may seem lucky ie win shitloads of football matches
The 'outsiders' coming in and doing well has to be seen as a massive statement of the quality work that is going on on the training pitch. And yeah Harry changed the midfield due to suspension, but he has the bravery to run with it. Harry has made errors, but he has learnt from them, and learn from things that have happend on the pitch really quickly. He has shown that he can think on his feet and is capable of adapting.
As for Jenas, I think you have to give Harry credit for the coaching job that's been done on Hudd, and the confidence he has shown in him. It's been pretty clear since about game 2 of the season that Harry views Hudd much higher than he does Jenas.
As for BAE, I think he was Harrys first success. When we were first getting going in late 08, BAE was playing really well, but he has regressed a bit. Remember he's only young, and will prob kick on again next year. I think we should sign basically a BAE mark 2 - someone for under 5 mil who will come in and challenge BAE and create competition.
I am pretty sure that we will see some 'disappointing' signings, such as Bellamy, Joe Cole if they are for the right price and improve the squad. Even Carlton cole could be ok as a partner to Defoe (ie a Pav replacement). We do need a better striker though. Crouch is a good option of the bench. Wilson will come good, people need to remember a) his family circumstances and b) the player he was when he joined. It is not that we had lacked an enforcer and went over board, he was amazing when he joined, his passing was good (not Huddlestone good but decent) he could push forward well and generally was amazing. This year the main problem seems to be that his passing is off, but we should give him more time - he has looked top4 quality in many games in a spurs shirt.
I coming along to the idea of Bellamy. Ended up watching the 'Goals of the Season' program this weekend. Almost every time Man City came up it was Bellamy (even moreso than Tevez) that was in the middle of it. Starting to think he'd be a very decent signing for 6-8mm quid.
Good article. I once put money in a bucket that Harry was jangling in the faces of Bournemouth supporters in a quest to save the club. (Born in Bournemouth, lucky to be raised a Spurs fan). Absolutely loved the fact that he took on Spurs and still get a warm feeling whenever i see him leaning on the sponsors boards in post match interviews. I'm sure there have been times this season when we've all wondered whether he's the right man for the job but as you point out, Harry has taken this squad to the pinnacle of their capabilities with a mixture of spot on decisions and others that may have been forced upon him, but that, in hindsight, he very much made the most of. A quality striker is surely our priority and i have been watching some Dzeko highlights on Youtube today that have completely sold me on his calibre. He looks to be potentially shit hot, get him in. Harry is the best thing that has happened to Spurs since the departure of Venables. (Remember, when he was a good football manager, not a media whore?) Long live Harry and his reign. As you so very adroitly pointed out, he shows evidence of learning on the job and is capable of rolling with the punches. As long as he stays out of clink, i very much look forward to next season... COYS
all wilson has done wrong was give up a pair of (non)penalties when playing out of position. with further harry's tutelage and young sandro breathing down his neck, i believe wilson will only add to his form.
don't expect harry to sign "2 shit-hot" strikers. he is a man who looks for dimonds in the rough, players everybody else discounted and forgot about. micah richards whose stock went down this year would be perfect example. and thats ok. blowing bank on 2-3 big money signings when CL's group stage is not even guaranteed would be a bit wreckless. although i wouldn't mind seeing dzeko and huntellar in spurs shirt. the later being another one whose pricetag shouldn't be that high this year.
Good article and one with which I agree almost 100%(almost a first).
You point about Palacios is "spot on" despite some of the above comments
which I would ignore.
Palacios came here as our first competent DCM since Roberts and showed the
WHL masses what we had lacked for so long(the "doughnut" formation anyone?).
Zokora as a DCM was a joke(just watch THFC vs Seville to see what I mean)
and the arrival of Palacios gave our defence its first protection for decades.
However, Palacios is not the finished article and IMO will never be. He is inconsistent
(to say the least) his passing can be and often is atrocious as can be his judgement
and he always earns one
yellow/match for an absolutely stupid tackle a la Pratt(who was better than Wilson).
Although, usually the offence is further out than was Zokora's usual stupid tackle
If you cannot see what I mean just watch some old videos of Mackay in action.
IMO Palacios is NOT good enough for the CL and I am hoping that Sandro is the one
who will be the first team regular with WP as backup. But will WP stay then? Who cares?
As after the RM delusion attributed to him no doubt he will be overwhelemed with offers
and we will have better fruit from which to pick.
I’m glad to see good vibes addressed to Harry R. He definitely deserved them. It is rare these days for home grown men to get necessary respect and chance to manage one of the elite PL teams. And I love how he handled his clueless doubters and make them foam with…”when I took over we were bottom with 2 points from 8 games….”. As far as I’m concerned, the man has all the rights in the world to drive them insane and choke on their own shit.
Good article.
IMO we have five stone-cold guaranteed starters when fit: Gomes, Bale, King, Hud and Modric. (Possibly Dawson and would've said Corluka until Kaboul Mk II reappeared). Sure, there are areas of the squad that can always be tweaked/strengthened, but the real glaring omission is a striker like Drogba, Rooney, Tevez, Torres who's always going to be automatically on the teamsheet without a second thought. If we rectify that, it's frightening to think what we could achieve, because the players we already have are only going to get better over the next couple of years.
I am glad that someone has explained very simply how i feel about Palacios - 100% commitment, brave hearted, tenacious...but not good enough at the very top level. Expensive squad player next season.
OUTS - Pavlyuchenko, Jenas, O'Hara, Keane
INS: Gudjohnson, Richards, Dzeko, Bellamy and a CM (I wanted Milner but that looks unlikey given recent interest from every other team around). I 'd take Scott Parker.
Chrisman, great post. i was highly entertained.
can we add balotelli to the wishlist of dzeko and huntelaar? he is potentially a drogba style player. complete beast physically.
Harry was a big success and managed to skewer his critics too. I remember when each Spurs site had several posters slagging him at every turn. Where did they all go ?
It must be an odd feeling to know that success only came to the club because the views they held and regularly repeated were totally ignored.
I would like to think it would mean people judge things according to results. But I doubt it and expect they shall return when things turn bad.
Nice prose. Bellamy will sign for us. Hopefully Ruran will and as much as I would like Dzeko I can see him wanting Utd or Pool or even Arse if he chooses prem football. Ricahrds also I thuink will be winding his way to WHL.
I have seen many posts that have stated that Harry just likes to play his favourites, and stick with them. If that was the case, we are definitely seeing a new Harry - one that is a bit more ruthless, but importantly one that selects on merit - and sees the same things us fans see. He even came out and criticized Defoe. He played Pav before one of his favourites Crouch. He gave Bale a chance when we thought he did not like him. I hope that he is able to take this further, and make those tough decisions that take us ahead. If we someone better than Defoe, he should go for it - and the same should apply to any other position.
By the way I do think that Bellamy would be a fantastic squad player - He can play on the wing, up front and has pace. Not someone for the first 11, but if we have injuries I would rather have him than Keane.
This is solidly written, but this is the sort of attitude that gives us Spurs fans our ridiculous, generally undeserved reputation of talking as if we "deserve" to be right up the top. The whole "next year for sure" phenomenon.
I do believe in Harry though.
Father Chrisman I want your babies.
But kidnap is illegal so I'll just say well done, and what a great read that was.
Redknapp is a Twitchy Cunt
only one year etc?
fantastic
Thnx for the reads
it will be interesting your analysis on the next campaign
Harry was exactly what our club needed. A no=nonsense English manager who knows our history and is proud of it which in turn transmits to the players. I do know that Harry on the training ground and Harry in the media (or as the media perceive him) are two pretty different animals. I think a lot of people like to imagine him hopping around the Lodge being pally with the squad, giving them a rendition of knees-up mother brown and giving them a little pinch on the cheek (face not arse) But apparently he rarely talks to the players away from the training pitch or the pre-match dressing room.
He is very much 'the gaffer' and not to be messed about with.
Have to admit that when he arrived I never thought he'd do so well. But at the time I was certain he'd save us from the relagation battle and perhaps take us up to mid table the following year only to be replaced by someone better. Well I can't see many better managers around in terms of being a good fit for the club. Well done Harry and well done Levy.
If only we'd got him 5 years earlier as he's an old fucker now and I can't see him being here for more than a couple more seasons
I didn't think we'd make 4th (along with a lot of others) and I've questioned Redknapp's decisions more than once (rightly so), but it isn't about what I or the rest of us believe. The difference last season was that the players believe in Redknapp, and an excellent team spirit has emerged (take note money bags City) which is essential for future success. Having only one true - self confessed - mercenary (BAE) has helped this.
Allowing for the resources that he's had at his disposal, Redknapp's done a good job and duly reserves praise and the chance to take on the best, BUT talk of 'genius' and 'god' is crazy. He has much to prove tactically until he can be considered more than just a good man manager.