Loving, hating Harry Redknapp
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 10:45AM Redknapp. He's like Marmite spread across your toast. Half of you would really like it and the other half would not be so keen and would much prefer jam as an alternative (not certain what jam is meant to be representative of at this time).
Happy with Harry? Staggered that I'm asking this question six games into the EPL. I'm going to humour all the discussion currently musing around on the various blogs and forums.
Obviously many of you are not or have never been (happy with Harry). Some of you are more supportive than others. Both sides have strong opinions. It's massively subjective for a number of reasons. It's the perception of the fans that adds (removes) credence to Redknapp's tenure. Half full, half empty ethics.
Quick history lesson then.
Harry came in and did a job. One that involved the resuscitation of the club as it slumped half-dead in the deepest darkest hole at the foot of the Prem. Mouth to mouth from the boat race of Harry, not a pretty sight. But it fixed the problems that needed fixing. He hugged a few players, got confidence on the up. There was no twitching, just a wide smile, a cheeky wink and a thumbs up. And we pulled ourselves to the upper regions. Miracle worker? Or making the most of a win-win situation? Levy master-stroke regardless. Because it was a risk that worked. Is that risk now punching above it's weight?
Here's the first subjective piece of the debate.
Harry got the players playing to an acceptable standard and on occasions out of their skin. That's it. He hasn't worked a miracle. He took over the botched up job Ramos left behind and got them to work for themselves and each other. A unit. To some, this is simply the result of decent management and not the by-product of the messiah. He didn't get us onto a new level. He got us back up to the level we were meant to be at and instilled some self-respect. Across the divide, it was more than just a rescue mission. He was seen to fulfil a duty that so many others couldn’t quite get their heads around. Not only did he fix confidence and resurrect the team, he took us further (CL) when many had argued he was not cut out for either job. Especially the latter one, with aiming and taking fourth.
Onwards onto the second subjective piece of the debate. What level are we meant to be at then? I ask this because some people see claiming fourth again as the be all and end all whilst others want even more and plenty understand and appreciate we might find ourselves just outside the CL places but as long as we challenge until the death, it's nothing to be ashamed of.
We have been inconsistent for years. Mediocre (see the 1990's). Previous modern day managers have all failed to match expectations. The Jol period was (is) the foundation we have managed to build on, be it that some of the structure collapsed when we hired a Spanish cowboy to finish the job. But there was no genuine push or challenge after 2006 that would suggest we had genuinely turned the corner. Flirted with the dream, with the ideals. Nothing more. Think of the pre-Jol era. Depressing. Jol got us back into the game, but then many cited at the time he had limitations. Wasn't good enough for the big occasion. Had to be replaced. Déjà vu, eh?
Harry is the first manager for a long time to truly get results for us. Statistically, his win ratio is unequalled (yes it's only been 2 years). We've looked the part on the field in terms of style and application (eventually) during the recovery of 2009 and the epic journey of 2010. 4th and CL football. The impossible dream achieved. Of course, the landscape of the domestic league is a very different place to what it was back in 2006. It's far more open now. Not to say that a manager should be marked down on points just because Liverpool are crap.
However, just because we finished 4th doesn't mean we should be resting on our laurels. And the argument is that in more capable hands, this team would be doing far better than it is at the moment.
Harry rebuilt a lot of the damaged parts. He gave Levy that quick fix of stability. But how long do you give someone to see if they can continue to build on the newly laid foundations? Is there a lack of patience because of the need to see instant and continuous results? Or should we attempt to remember how long it's taken for us to get here?
The divide is with the people that embrace time and those that want to travel through it at pace.
The third subjective piece would be the one that splits me at times. And actually forms part of the previous one.
I appreciate the challenge at hand. If we're going to progress we need to be ruthless. On the pitch and off it. Levy has a strategy, be it one that concerns redevelopment off the pitch. What he wants on it is consistency. What we need is something more than that. There is no point plodding along. But he's astute. He's already made statements about not over-extending ourselves.
And we all know that the Prem is looking like it might well birth a time-share on 4th spot between 2/3 clubs. Still, you would hope deep down the ambition is to destroy the other contenders and claim it for ourselves. Why just aim at the target when you can see it's bulls eye? But that's me the fan, wanting and needing, always that little bit more. He (Levy) knows that patience is a virtue and prefers to make sure it's a steady rise to the top. No cutting corners. No massive unnecessary risks. Although the risk here could be the lack of risks.
So how does this split me exactly and divide the rest of you?
Harry has his limitations. I questioned him, at times, last season in terms of tactical prowess but still he mastered some superb victories - high pressured victories - at the death of the season. He's not daft. And he has proved people wrong, time and time again. But is he good enough for the Champions League? Good enough to push the team and pioneer its evolution? Can he adapt at this stage in his career? Learn from mistakes? Change his ways if it means improving the team? Is he out of his depth? Is it even fair to be posing these questions when the true test of his skill has yet to begin?
Harry works best when Harry has to fix things. Although, this current problem (if that's what our current form is) is one made from the hands of Harry and not inherited. There's no hiding place or quickie catchphrase available to divert and deflect. Some believe we just got lucky last season. If that's luck, bottle it the f**k up.
So on the one hand, you have us stable and looking in the right direction, but on the other, if he's not going to be here long term then what else is he capable of bringing to the table? Some of us, they want that sacrifice. Club before loyalty to a servant.
The subjective piece here is whether we go ahead and sacrifice the present, to guarantee the future. It's a bit wishy-washy mainly because you can do something about the present in terms of changing things, but you can't predict what's ahead and how it will effect the progress of the past two seasons. This, ties back into what level we believe ourselves to sit at and also if Levy is willing to take another risk. The last risk was forced upon him. Some of you would rather see it being premeditated this time round rather than reactive because there's no other choice.
I know one thing for certain. Stability. It's imperative.
My gripe with everything I've covered is the complete lack of consistency with how we think it's all meant to work. There is plenty of drastic cut-throat fan opinion at the moment. And quite a bit of see no evil hear no evil going on too. So where do you stand on this?
We have stagnated if you review our low-key performances and lack of oomph six games in, if you take it from the second half of the City game to the present day. But it's not quite an implosion or an epic failure. We've had the good with the bad and been average overall. It's disappointing in terms of the standard of our football in comparison to what we know this team has achieved on the pitch. Disappointing we've dropped points to team we 'should' be beating. We are missing the vital traits of intensity and spirit. Disappointing we look over-stretched defensively. Missing Defoe too. And that pride thing that set us on our way back in the post-two points from eight games days. That has gone AWOL.
Panic will no doubt rear it's head if we fail to get out of this lazy slump in the next month. We might find ourselves struggling with confidence in a far more evident detrimental way. But next month hasn't happened yet. And as much as I would want us to be outstanding from the off, this is a first time experience for our squad and for Harry in terms of EPL and CL. There is some vital, urgent re-tuning to be had. He's a manager. It's his job to fix it up. We need to look the part in the league.
Harry now has to adapt tactically and motivationally to the challenges ahead and within this, the divide between both sets of opposing views might well close up a little. But in terms of support (personally) I'm nowhere near the state of mind that would have me calling for his head on a plate. I'll admit I'm wrong if it all goes full on pear shaped, but then last season I can remember plenty of near suicidal fans screaming message board abuse at how Harry was mucking up our season. There are some that are incapable of handling the pressures from one game to the next.
Perhaps a learning curve is not an acceptable reasoning tool. But considering we have not been here before, I'm not sure we have a choice other than to support the team and just wait and see. That isn't exactly a mind-blowing assessment of matters. But what else? What would the alternative be?
Do we have impossible expectations with no room for compassion and the memory of a goldfish in terms of the past? Or is it that compassion is no longer welcomed in this particular high-end arena we wish to stay in? Or is it far more simplistic than that. We're not world beaters but it's obvious we can be playing far better and it's obvious how. If it's the latter, can we perhaps wait until the 15th game before we start burning effigies.
The lack of a world class striker is the biggest negative for both manager and fans. The injuries, not the best in terms of preparation from one game to the next. We've lost key players. But it's football. You don't always buy the players you want and you don't always have all players available for selection.
I guess it goes back to the subjective matter of what you want from the team at this specific moment. Do you think we are under-achieving, this early in the season, and that it's not acceptable and that all the evidence points to it being a problem that can not be sorted long term? A fatal tumour that can not be operated on because our surgeon doesn't have the necessary tools and experience? Or do we simply need another mouth-to-mouth to save the day?
Overly dramatic, yes. Well all this just about sums up how fragmented and fickle we are as a collective.
As for myself. I can see what isn't working and expect to see improvements. I know I'm adding fuel to the fire by opening a platform for discussion. But it's the type of discussion that's unequivocally made in Tottenham. And let's not pretend it's not going on. It's a slice of the now. And we can refer back to this at the end of December and laugh (cry) about it.
So go ahead and burn the place down...
Reader Comments (113)
Sorry Killjoy but got to disagree with you there.
The idea that there were no strikers out there is just not believable.
Not when you have good quality strikers available from every part of the globe.
We chose not to invest in the strikers and w chose to stick with the ones we had.
What type of forward are you referring too? Another Berbatov type signing? Or someone less known than what Berbatov was at the time? The players we got linked too were high profile and high asking price. We got burnt signing Pav last time out, I can see why we didn't go out and spend money on just anyone. We'll agree that scouting seems to have failed us this time.
I am talking about replacements for Pav Keane and Gio. Sell those three and you have about £20m to play with. I would back Harry to get a couple of better striking options for that money and still break even on the transfer budget.
I wouldn't give up on Gio just yet. i really don't think Harry is using him correctly at all. we all saw how he owned most of the games he played in for Mexico in the WC, but he was playing a much more central attacking striker role, much like modric/vdv play for spurs. Gio needs more time playing in the EPL i think, because it seems like it takes him time to catch up to the speed of the game, and since he's always playing back or on the wing, inexplicably, he gets caught on the ball and thinks pass first, instead of attack. i would actually like to see him tried as an out&out striker sometime.
I'm getting the feeling from Harry's comments that he is trying to do what Mourinho did when he came to chelsea, i.e. "the special one" comment.
Jose was and still is a master at deflecting the attention of the media etc off his players and onto himself. He does not care becuase his is mentally strong enough to handle it. It worked and what it did was instill a belief in his players that at the very least in public he was 100% behind them. Whatever goes on behind the closed doors of the dressing room is another matter. But the players respected him for that and always had his back and more often than not they gave everything they had for him and eachother.
I reckon in Harry's case this is not working as well as it did for Jose. The idea seems right but when you blurt out childish shite like "i'm a fucking manager not a wheeler dealer" then you gotta look around the dressing room to see what kinda effect that has. Even though I agree with all managers and players giving Sky correspondents/reporters both barrells at every given opportunity...but thats another matter.
What would help is;
1. having a fully fit squad
2. Playing a consistent formation...from the academy to 1st team
3. Playing a consistent way...from the academy to the 1st team
4. Forget tinkering with formations from one game to the next "with one eye on the champions league"...the champions league will be gone quick enough and if we dont progress we could find ourselves at that point sitting mid-table fighting for a Europa League spot.
5. Playing your best available players in their best/favoured positions i.e. charlie at RB (I know I know!!!) Gio behind the front man....bale LWB/LW etc etc....Crouch up front WITH somebody. Bentley at RW...
6. Having a squad that respects you and respecting them back (not having favourites)....for the most part he does but its clear to me that PSB & Pav dont...hence benchwarming.
7. Buying a bloody good striker in Januray to play with Defoe.
Just my opinions.
WRT to Spooky's question "...(paraphrasing) where do you want us to be ?".....I want us to push for 4th and have a run to the knockouts of the CL. The FA Cup would be nice too but being back in CL action next season and having given the scum and shitteh a bloody good run for 3rd would be sweet.
I want us to leave the field at the end of each 90mins being able to say "we fucking gave everything out there boss" and Harry to say back "you fucking did lads well done you are all top top lads...triffic innit"
Not much to ask is it?
Spooks...as always good article.....
September last year I want to take you back to.....only beat Burnley in the league....the year before didn't win in the league.....the year before that, well that fateful september under Ramos....anyway my point is...I HATE SEPTEMBER......but it is not the making or breaking of our season as last year proved. Lost to Manure and Chelski and still ended up fourth....so have faith...I have.....COYS
September, Voodoo. Hex, etc are just excuses Neilm. Its all about positive mentality and the necessary application and quality.
We have to stop accepting this kind of supernatural phenomenon excuses. "We don't win in September"...well o.k. "We never win away against any "top 4" sides"...well o.k. I mean! West Ham do actually win at Ars*nal and at Old Trafford. What's that all about? Even Charlton used to do it. Why not Spurs?
Apparently the bookmakers are tipping us to win tonight 4/1. Crouch to score a header and shit! If our winning in the CL can only be achieved by that long ball stuff then I don't know if this CL thing is really necessary. We better step away and concentrate on the league and FA cups where we can atleast play some game. To dare is to do. Dare stick to the tradition and promote it.
We need to do something about our fitness!! Look at this quote from Harry:
"I was close to naming 18-year-old Steven Caulker on the bench for West Ham but he was struggling after starting in midweek against Arsenal. He got cramp everywhere - even his ears!"
This is ridiculous!
That's why we've been having good first halves and mediocre second halves. Harry is great but something HAS to be done to get the boys as fit as the Chelsea/Real Madrid players.
Spooky, would you consider doing a piece of Hutton? I think he's a bit like a right-sided Bale. A fullback who is really a good winger. I say "a bit" because even his running is not as good as Bale's (but really we haven't seen a lot of it, have we?).
The main difference between Hutton and Bale is that the RW/RM is not open to be taken as the LM/LW spot was wide open waiting for Bale to fill it. We already have a great, established RW in Lennon. Thus, Hutton will most likely be measured against him and come up short.
But with Lennon in poor form, surely Hutton can give us something from the right side? Don't you think so?
I just think that his lack of composure and bad passing at RB is because that is not his true position in this team! He is not comfortable playing there for us.
"The players we got linked too were high profile and high asking price." Presumably the players on the list that Harry gave Levy. Where are our scouts? Can no one get on a plane to Germany and have a look about? FFS, you can get by speaking English there, I'm not talking about the back woods of Azerbaijan.
"Jose was and still is a master at deflecting the attention of the media etc off his players and onto himself." True. But Harry courts media attention by mocking his players in public. Which one would expect to have quite the opposite effect of "instill a belief in his players that at the very least in public he was 100% behind them."
Harry's pattern. pretty much from day one, has been to deflect blame away from himself and on to the players. The buck never stops with him. A poster on the last blog entry pointed out the number of times that Spurs managers have "lost the dressing room" and suggested perhaps this explains the listless displays we've been seeing. Scary, if true, but perhaps not surprising.
it's alright saying sell this guy, sell that guy, we'll have 25M etc, but lump sums of money were not the stumbling block over summer, if a striker is good enough to demand CL football he is above our wage cap, and thats something we shouldnt risk breaking before a big build and on the back of one season
@Nochman
I don't think it's necessarily Harry's fault if the guys are getting injured. Perhaps the training staff (or physios as you call 'em) are to blame, especially for muscle injuries and cramping, etc... can't do anything about a knee injury from a tackle, etc...
madvibes: I was not talking about injuries - FITNESS - STAMINA - ENDURANCE - RECOVERY!!!!
The boys tire in games and do not recover well from one game to the next - CARDIO!!!!!!!!