Harry Redknapp. Thank you and goodbye.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 10:27PM Two points. Eight games. We'll never forget the ride. Run out of gas in the end.
I thought it would be apt to go back in time to when Harry Redknapp was appointed Spurs boss and quote some choice paragraphs from a 2008 article (following on from a 2-0 home win against Bolton before we played Arsenal away). Times have changed in the space of four or so years. Our expectations have shifted. Interestingly, some of us forget (ignore) what that catalyst for the shift was. We didn't consider it at the time that a few seasons after his appointment we'd be gutted about missing out on 3rd spot in the league. Gutted and ironically disappointed at the very same catalyst that led to said progress.
And in comes the media whore that is Harry Redknapp. A manager with little integrity. Sorry 'arry, but it's true. His Pompey/Soton merry-go round will tell you all you need to know. Levy claims that he's had conversations with Harry in the past, suggesting that 'he almost got here' before. Shudder.
Yeah, he saved Pompey from almost certain relegation. But couldn't save Soton and also relegated West Ham. What exactly is so great about his CV? Have we now lowered our ambitions? Have we accepted a place alongside the likes of Blackburn and co?
Well firstly, scrap ambitions and comparisons, because that's what has got us into this mess in the first place - believing the hype.
We are now behind the likes of Villa and City. As they develop and progress, our work has to begin again. Maybe not quite from ground zero, but we are limping at the minute. Although in modern day football 5th - 8th spot tends to shift about every season so all we need to do is regain a bit of pride and form. And no matter the progression you make (that goes for Villa and City at the minute) - you still need to depend on one of the Top 4 having an off season if you. Which is rare. And even if it does happen, you might find hotel food conspire against you. So we are not that far behind if you go on recent Prem records.
The simple fact of the matter is - at present - we are bottom. The players were not playing for Ramos. Levy had to do something drastic. Sacking Ramos and co was the first part. Appointing Redknapp was the second. Because for the moment, the only thing that's important is remaining in the Prem.
Survival. That's it. That should be the mission statement for this season. And having tried every type of manager, we've now gone for the 'not really done anything, loves his money a bit, Sky and the tabloids love him a lot' type of appointment.
We've stopped acting like the 'big club' and just taken stock of our current predicament.
So, am I happy? Nope, unsurprisingly, I'm not.
Levy, for all his little boy lost innocence, is knee-deep in damage limitation and blame deflection. The players, having performed today well enough to claim 3 points are questionable commitment wise if you look at some of our prior performances (although, I'm happy to agree that Ramos wasn't helping himself with selection and tactics). New manager usually gets a reaction from the players, but I still can't get rid of this feeling that Spurs will never push on until they get rid of the vanity at the club. £15M+ for Bentleys hair is proving to be a hard pill to swallow.
Harry himself paid money for Kaboul and does select players out of position. Sometimes has three DM's in his team and still gets bullied by the opposition and generally isn't the most astute tactically. So, I would guess, it's down to his man-management to get things going again.
It's worked one game in. And come Jan, we might see the return of Defoe and one or two other players - including some very un-Tottenham like signings that might have some of us question wtf is going on (BRING BACK THE DOF!!!!!1111) but that's what we want isn't it? Players we NEED - and not superfluous signings. So, there is a positive, one hopes in his appointment. Although getting rid of the DoF and letting Jol sign his own players would have worked fine too.
So, is Harry an interim manager for the club? I hope so. Am I know being a hypocrite for suggesting we are too big for Harry? Call me that if you want. What I'm saying is, Harry isn't a great manager and has limits which will become apparent in a couple of seasons. But this all serves a purpose. A recovery period, washing off any remaining residue of the DoF era. It's the consequence, not of Comolli but of Levy. The buck does stop with him, and this I feel is the final sorry chapter of mismanagement. He's admitted it hasn't worked, so he has gained a final encore. And this is it. Harry will take us so far, and then Levy (if he's still around) will no doubt appoint someone new. We'll see how it all pans out. No point dwelling on this at the minute. If Levy suggests that Harry is the one to reclaim GLORY - then Daniel will be leaving us in the very close future.
If (there's that magic word again) Harry performs a miracle and is still knocking around with us in 4 years time then Levy will be deemed a genius and I'll have to eat a hat (preferably made of bagel).
In the mean time, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt (that's Harry). And do what any fan would do: Support the team with all my heart......and cry uncontrollably when it goes tits up. Again.
Well, I guess I got certain aspects of it correct. The main point that should be made and will probably be drowned out by a fair few is that regardless of Redknapp's inability to control his mouth and his lack of articulation and timing (and his contradictory statements that are based around reacting to the moment in hand rather than fitting into a more robust consistent bigger picture) - with all his faults he's achieved measurable success at Spurs. It's just that from that success we - he - could have achieved so much more.
When you look at the competition at the top of the table and the managers there, was there anyone else that could have done what Harry did? At that time, no. In the end, he's only guilty of being Harry Redknapp. That's Harry with all the good things and the bad. Much like I predicted he would be, even if he did prove me wrong along the way. The bad for me was not his media persona and love for car windows but his lack of cutting edge on the pitch when the chips were down. His man-mangagemnt skills don't always work when they're required the most. Harry is reactive to making sure he looks good at all times and walking slowly away from any blame. You've got to be accountable. So do we. We (the fans) have hardly covered ourselves in consistency either. Much like Harry, we've struggled to get to grips with the expectations that have continued to evolve over the past two seasons.
He was actually likeable when we were having success on the pitch. But then people tend to smile more when their team is winning and only point, complain and accuse when things go wrong. There was even a connection during his court case battle and during the immediate aftermath. But in the end, Harry looks after Harry and for the most part - we as a collective remain fickle but equally so ambitious and in love with our club. Something Redknapp was never likely to ever have.
Positives from all this? We've lost a manager but we're not 'in trouble'. Not unless in trouble is finishing 4th spot and akin to our past mid-table mediocrity (regardless of the fact we could have finished higher). We're not dizzy or confused or punched in the gut in tears on the ground. We've just sat down for a moments rest and a re-think. We have stability. There will be no mass change transitional season to follow. Not if Levy appoints quickly and appoints the right man and we go marching on.
(I'm sure that 'right man' comment will come back to haunt all of us, as most are already arguing the merits of certain potential appointments and disagreeing about them already).
Harry came in, fixed us up, got us playing like a team and got all the assembled quality playing to their potential (well, not all of them, the ones he didn't like he disowned to the detriment of the squad). The stats don't lie. And in that is the crux of the issue. We grew stronger and with others lagging around us, the opportunity was there to take advantage. We messed it up. Perhaps if Harry was younger or more willing to adapt. Perhaps if he saw eye to eye with Levy on the long term rather than short-term season-to-season moneyball strategies...perhaps if he was a little more shy in front of the camera. Who knows? He'd have got another crack at it next season. But alas, no. His lack of focus has seen to a not so surprising ending.
I should also cite the lack of investment into 'long term' signings in recent seasons. We'll soon find out if this was largely down to manager and chairman disagreeing on targets based on whatever the new man achieves in the transfer market.
In the end, that rather fragmented disassociated relationship he appeared to have with Levy dissolved into nothingness. Levy pricing out Redknapp from getting his dream job, a different catalyst to the one that started this journey. Redknapp then seeking a contract extenstion, with some irony. From the outside looking in. Harry voicing his position from tv interviews, the club remaining silent. The England debacle, the slump in league form...it's the right time for change. We would have moved on had the FA given him the job so this doesn't change much. I'm not going to knee-jerk and concern myself about whether this will impact transfers. Levy will have a contingency. So, all that's left to say is...thank you Harry Redknapp. When we were good, we were very good. We made it to the promised land people! We had our adventure. We wanted more. We might still get more but it will be with another leader. So thanks for the memories. It's a shame that you couldn't quite find the balance of team selection and contain the pressure to guide us just that little bit further forwards (and upwards). It's a shame you couldn't be completely committed to the Cockerel or at the very least disguise your true intentions.
Football, is a funny game, because had that margin of a point been two in our favour, had Chelsea not beaten Bayern...this blog article would never have been written.
Onwards.
Reader Comments (70)
Is this done deal....I am rubbish on this here computer thing and can't find anything...help....
Moyes = Status Quo
Martinez/AVB = progression.
Who passed Levy the self-destruction button?
Moyes??? The mere thought of him makes me shudder, I hope I'm proved wrong...
1st?
sky and no doubt bbc are quoting fans and in skys case john scales (eh?) saying how gutted etc they all are but im not gutted and i think we need to let sky etc know that we aren't all fooled. but arry is a powerful media player esp in the murdoch empire, as is jamie. so i guess levy will take a battering from a pro redknapp media over this. so i implore all spurs fans who back DL to let sky etc know about it. id take moyes btw.
Thank god for that. I don't want him anywhere near the club again. I don't care if we finish 5th.
Ding Dong the Twitch is dead!
copyright me - but you can use it!
Bye Harry. Hi David. Cheerio Bale & Modric. Ello Evertons 'best' players (who ironically couldn't get in our team when they were here).
We're all doomed, lol.
If Levy has sacked Harry for not getting champions league it is an absolute disgrace! This will set us back yet again. Players will leave. Our best Manager for over 23 yrs. He has made us a top four side and we have let him go...? Stupid is putting it kindly. Pathetic.
Has Harry actually gone then Spooky?
Yes. Would be the most spectacular turn around if the club tell us otherwise.
He's gone.
He's called spurs bluff and lost. He's a whore to the media and his ego. 5 years time we won't be saying what could have been he was hardly a long-term option.
Don't care if we finish 5th? what about mid table or worse. not that likely but could happen this is a major turning point. Hope DL knows what he's doing
Must admit I'm somewhat disappointed at the way this whole thing has played out. It's quite unbelievable how quickly Redknapp has gone from hero to zero. The Newcastle home game... to this?
I remember Redknapp saying during the England speculation that in six months time he could be manager of Tottenham, in charge of England, or completely out of a job altogether. How prescient. If he could envisage each one of those scenarios, then why on earth did he so recklessly jeopardise the one job that he did actually have?
Personally I believe he should have been given one more season, and it reminds me too much of Jol's unfortunate departure. A 4th place finish is not really something you should turn your nose up at.
I just hope Levy knows what he's doing. Past experience suggests that his appointments have been somewhat hit and miss, to say the very least.
Great blog, Spooky.
Harry who?
Harry could have done so much more if only he had not let the England job get to him.He said after the court case how much the support he got from the club and the fans meant to him.Then he thought he had a chance to manage England and could not wait to leave us.A recent comment by Harry said a lot "Players need this to be sorted.You don't let your best players go into there last year of a contract.If this is not sorted players could be affected by it and say whats the point".If thats the case then it should have also been the case when Harry took his eye off the ball and was looking at England.He must have really made Daniel angry for this to happen.I believe Harry was up to all sorts and did drift in that patch.Rumours had it that it was the coaches that were running the team at the time and not Harry.If so then thats just not good enough.He did a great job for us and has brought us to where we would like to be up there in the top four.We needed him to keep it going and if he had just said its not for me i think he would have got that money to spend in January past.You don't however give a manager £20ml to spend after he has just said on tv he would be interested if the job was offered to him.
So thanks Harry and good bye.
Ok dubyid my point is - I just was sick of the sight/sound of him and irrationally would give up champtions league to get rid.
good riddance. verbal diarrhoea was enough for me. He had one of the best teams spurs have had for a long time. Jol did bloody well with a much weaker team!! WE need a clean fresh start with an honest decent manager, no more game playing. I would settle for another 4th or 5th under a new manager whom i respect.
Holy timeliness, Spooky, you must have had that piece prepared in advance.
Have to disagree on some points.
Some of us, despite much abuse, have been saying Redknapp needed to go after that first season. The argument being that the squad was so strong that anybody but Ramos would have gotten us back to mid table. Redknapp brought nothing other than the inital ability to rehabilitate the demoralised squad. When push came to shove, and the team required some actual football manager expertise e.g. tactics, rotation, develoment of younger players, appropriate training at set peices so we didn't have to go 132 corners before actual scoring from one, etc 'Arry never produced.
"got all the assembled quality playing to their potential"--really? Players like Pav, Dos Santos, Bent, even bollocking Sandro for scoreing, blaming has-been-on-antibiotics-for-three-days Lennon for last minute bottling instead of accepting a scintilla of blame for a screwed up formation? Not too mention blowing so much smoke up Bale's butt that he's practically ruined him--"plays where he wants, plays where he wants, Billy Big Bollocks, he plays where he wants" I could go on and on and on. Playing to their potential, more like playing the first 11 into the ground, season after season.
"Just Harry being Harry" So we excuse utter a**hole behavior because the man in question is well known to be an utter a**hole? in what other realm of life is that acceptable? He's a corrupt, self serving, narcistic pr*ck. He always has been. Look at all his other previous clubs. He has not managed to leave Spurs in financial disarray, but has managed to create civil war among Spurs supporters and paint a big fat target on us as far as the British media are concerned. (Interesting excercise: compare ESPN's coverage of this story with Sky and the British press.)
I am absolutely over the effing moon that he is finally finally gone. Having this waste of human skin associated with my beloved club has been a constant irritant for the last three years. Hearing the phrase "Harry REdknapp's Tottenham" increasingly replacing "Tottenham Hotspur" has been really really bad for my molars, now ground down considerably.
There, rant over. Wow, that feels better. God, I feel so optomistic now. And the Euros have been great too!
I should have elaborated on some of that. Redknapp is great at man managing players he likes. Players he doesn't, he completely disowns to the detriment of the squad.
Re: Harry being Harry, what I mean is, don't expect anything classy from him (as seen with Pompey/Soton). He looks after himself and that's all. Perhaps I should have been a tad harder on him there. But in the end, I just found him tiresome and tbh, I didn't expect anything different.
Think you got it bang on Spooky. No denying he did a (damn good) job in whittling a paddle for shitcreek, but we surely always knew he had his limits. Onwards and upwards.
Cheers Arry, if I were you i'd just soak up the media cash and treat Sandra to some sausage n mash..fershaw!
An utterly unintelligent article.
Anyone advocating the pedestrian Moyes as the man to replace Redknapp, knows next to nothing about football. No one is perfect, and to forgive is Divine. For all his faults, and self-interest is one of them, Redknapp has made Spurs into a footballing force to admire. Pretty football isn't enough? Try teling that to our smug neighbours. Lesser teams fear teams that play good football - it wears them down psychologically and pays off in the long run.
If Levy is a business man, then he's too fixated on the mechanism; the pounds shillings and pence of it all to see that this makes no business sense. If Redknapp goes, so will half the squad. Does that sound like a recipe for success next year?
Whereabouts in the article to advocate Moyes? Unless you're referring to a comment.
Sorry, Spooky but I disagree. Harry has brought us what we craved for so long. What of the players now? If Harry goes how many of them will go, Luka, Gareth if we loose these guys we are a lot further back than before Harry. So what if he spouted crap when he was on tv, that was his perogative, if you didn't like it, turn over. Tactically niave ? 4th 5th 4th in 3 seasons is pretty good for some guy who supposedly hasn't a clue! Who is going to replace him? Do we have another 2 years of the new guy settling in? These aren't the players the new guy bought so changes in personnel are on the cards. Harry is not the best manager but he is a lot better than we have had for a long time. We played some of the best football that I have ever seen under him, finished 4th 5th and 4th in 3 seasons, when was the last time we did that? A lot of our fans are the niave ones, did they really think we were gonna win the title this season? We had 3rd in our grasp, the players, those guys wearing the shirt bottled it. We are going in the right direction, we are on a learning curve. Harry and most of the players have not been here before, next season they would be more aware of what was coming and this time be ready for it. I truly dread who is gonna come in to replace him if it's true that he has gone.
DD you may not care if we finish 5th but I do and we didn't.
Love the shirt COYS
"If Redknapp goes, so will half the squad." Bwaaahahaha.
Modric, maybe, but that was already on the cards, and if harry had had his way, it would have happened last summer.
Who else do you see Levy letting leave in a fit of high dudgeon?
Maybe Moyes will be the next Ferguson, who knows..enjoy the ride. God I love soccer ball.
Dick Advocate?
Levy that c*nt has done it again.
Tryto get champions league place on the cheap and this is what happens Daniel you shit
And now what, moyes, Martinez ???? Joke
Typical spurs, getting close then fucking it up.
Bring some rich Arabs in and get rid of the penny punching levy c*nt
By the way, I made my feelings clear on Redknapp and Spurs just before the end of the season in that he's taken us as far as he can.
I think in terms of the decision to let him go / sack him - you all need to step back and see that this is more than likely because his position become untenable in the end, probably due to Levy pricing him out of the England job and then not offering him a new contract (extension). Redknapp wants to be awarded for loyalty when he looked to leave. Their relationship has degraded. Not much you can do there tbh but move on and look to the long term.
I think my article above shows some support for the fact that Redknapp has given us stability ON the pitch. That's a good thing and I'm not ignoring that.
Great post. I agree with most of what you've said. Redknapp did a good job of firefighting when he was brought in, but the short-termism that goes with that has been to our longer term detriment - no interest in developing young players, bringing in old pros etc. he was still managing like he was firefighting three years later.
You pretty much set out back then exactly what has been the problems with him all along - nice. Villa pushing on ahead of us though?
remember kranjcar? a couple of seasons ago his goals got us into champions league i think?to see such a good player being frozen out of a spurs squad or being played in the wrong position is criminal...as for redknapp?its better that daniel levt shafts him then redknapp shafts us..
Ive said before that Harry earned the right to manage us for a few seasons after taking us from where we were. We can all sit and say anyone would have done it but I don't think that is the case.
I would have preferred him to have another year but it sounds like he won't accept that deal and after the fall from 3rd we had and England he should not have tried to get one over DL.
I'm very thankful to harry for putting us back on the football map and for getting CL, he's don't overall an excellent job but his personality is just a bit disrespectful to the fans, the club and his boss. It's a shame really and he's been a bit unlucky with the chelsea situation.
Interesting summer ahead.
Bang on, Ayokel.
Prior to coming to Spurs, what had Harry done? I've had this chat with an Everton supporter. While I'm not a huge fan of the Everton style of play, a manager can only work with the players he's got. And given the challenges Moyes faced with Everton, bugger all money and best players sold every season, he's kep them not just up, but bloody respectable. As others have said, I just want an honest, hard working manager who learns from his mistakes and will do his best for the club, not a complete blaggard out for himself alone.
Given how short term our last few seasons' signings/fixes were, and how much of our "success" was due to the failures of our immediate competitors, next season may see us doing some rebuilding/developement for the future while liverpool and arsenal may be recovering form. We may not get fourth next year, but hopefully that will be because we are building a squad/system that will see us genuinely challenge for the title and or actually winning a cup or two, not just scraping into a champions league qualifying spot by foresaking all other competitions. Instant gratification isn't a good way to build a dynasty, a squad that can compete on all fronts, not just a first 11 that runs out of gas during the january sales--and truly, isn't that what we want? Spurs re-established amonth the European elite?
Thank you, Harry. Generally accepted as playing the best football in the league last year, your Tottenham team was a far cry from the one that you inherited. While I shed not a single tear at your departure, I can't help but ask who can we appoint that will do a better job? I admire Martinez as a man, yet surely appointing him would be a huge risk. AVB proved to be tactically questionable during his ill-fated spell at Chelsea (and that with their formidable cheque book and wage structure). I respect Moyes but is his brand of football really what the Spurs faithful want to watch? Will these men inspire confidence in our squad, sequester "big name" signings, make our best players think that it is in their best interests to stay at WHL? As a previous comment has already mentioned, these events do bring back murky memories of Jol's dismissal somehow. One way or another, this summer will be interesting and, while being a Spurs fan does somewhat go hand-in-hand with pessimism, I hope that we can move forward somehow (and PLEASE complete the signing of Vertonghen - he looks too good to let him elude us) and no matter who is at the helm, no matter who is providing the financial backing for the club, no matter what players leave or come in, I hope that we can progress as a club. If you truly learn from your mistakes you can be the master of your own destiny.
Chewbacca for manager!
if harry has gone ,then spurs need a manager with european football knowlegde and knowlegde of european players ( something that harry didnt have)and also levy needs to spend to bring in the players that we need.
.
To call this article unintelligent is way off the mark. At no point is the appointment of Moyes advocated, and thank god it isn't as I would have been forced to agree with Douglas (which ironically depresses me as much as the thought of hiring Moyes.)
Just wish this had all played out sooner when Rodgers was available. To be honest, even he would have been a punt but, I think, a sensible one. None of the realistic candidates that are available today fill me with confidence...to the point that I genuinely do not know what/who to hope for.
As for Harry, whatever I think about him as a man, his tactics and his general behaviour, when I look at THFC now vs 4yrs ago...I can only say Thank You.
COYS
Well, really mixed feelings about Harry. No doubt he did come in and motivate the players, but, hey, look at the state of the moral after Ramos, if you couldn't come in with a bottle of ketchup after him and motivate people what the f?ck. He tok us on from there and gave us three great seasons, but I always wondered about his tactical ability, somehow he exceeded his potential, but you always thought he was running on a wing and a prayer. So now he is gone, and we are back to square one, Moyes, Martinez or even Mourinio? Can they do better than Harry? You know I think after supporting the Spurs with everything I have for over 40 years, I hate to say that the last five years have been a blip, and next season we are back to our spot in 6 th or 7 th place. Until we get a decent stadium we will never be a really top side. Unless of course our owners sell us to a really rich bloke. Hey ho! Such is life. And I am doomed to be a Totenham supporter for the rest of my days. God I am pissed off!!!
Also, if we do get Moyes in, we can finally say goodbye to our end of season slumps... and say hello to our start of season slumps :-D
@ Ziegemonster, tell like it is, I fully agree.
"PLEASE complete the signing of Vertonghen"
There's no way he's coming to Spurs now. He's hardly gonna be salivating at the prospect of a season of one-up-front, long-ball footie under safe-as-houses, utterly predictable Moyes. Arsenal must be shaking in their boots. Levy has done this because of a stupid grudge. How very objective and rational.
Ziegemonster++
Didn't we think Jol had taken us a far as he could do? So we brought in Ramos which would guarantee that 4th spot that every Spurs fan dreamt of. Ramos had trophies under his belt, European pedigree and was a winner. Well we all know what happened under his reign! We have made the same mistake again! Unbelievable! What is all this nonsense I'm reading and hearing that Harry has taken us as far he can! Who do we think we are! Harry has turned the club into a bloody top four team! Look at the teams ahead of us, City, United...any Spurs fan who thinks Moyes or Martinez will improve on Harry's achievements is deluded! This a disaster for the club and the players. You watch us finish out of the top 6 next season. Only a small majority of Spurs fans want Harry out. The fans who understand the game know this is terrible, terrible news. Congratulations Spurs you have brought the circus back to White Hart Lane.
This is good news and the reason I say this is, that if Daniel Levy had bowed to any contract pressure from Redknapp (especially given the fact that he has just appointed Paul Stretford to play some 'hard ball' with Levy and his disgraceful mutterings during the past year towards the club and the fans) I would have lost any respect I had for Levy. But he didn't buckle. He knew Harry was a spiv who had outlived his usefulness to the club. Instead he dispatched him and it had to be done in order that we got some professionalism into our management system. Lets get an honest manager with a professional approach who doesn't resort to the media to big himself. Personally I would runwith David Moyes. I don't beleive any of our present players or indeed any of those earmarked to come in will 'bat an eyelid' at Harry's demise.
I agree, I think his media comments (and agent signings) in the last couple of weeks have cost him. They were calculated to put pressure on Levy. Levy is going through bereavement at the moment and I reckon he just got sick of it. If Harry had kept his mouth shut I think they would have given him another year.
I fear for next season. Must not rush the manager signing. Honestly, Moyes/Martinez (if we can get them) all have their faults (as Harry did) but I think both are 60-40 to succeed. Which is about the best you can do. If we get Benitez i'll start supporting Leighton Orient.
Never liked the Redknap way of talking about Spurs in the 3rd tense and you always got the feeling he had negotiated deals where he would build up a player and then unsettle him to get a % of the sell on fee......
I recon Levy has a plan and i hope it's not Moyes. I like Jurgen or maybe Slavan Bilic as he was talked about 4 years ago and has come on since then.
Not interested in any available prem managers as apart from the two Manchester clubs none have the managerial draw to attract top players to the club. If Levy goes down the Martinez route then he's saying bargain basement buys whereas if he gets in a proven international manager (Capello is ominously available) at least we stand a chance of retaining our best players, bringing in big names & maybe developing some obvious and overlooked talent such as Dos Santos & Gomes.
A new manager will bring a freshness, and I know I should say thanks Harry but the harsh reality is he never bought into the club and it's supporters and never showed the passion and commitment of Jol, Venables & Hoddle.
You always got the feeling he never really gave a shit if he lost.
Myntopm3 replace,emits in a fantasy world ( with a twinge of reality hence the omission of Guadiola & Morinhio).
klinsman, Hoddle or Bilic ( only one has been mentioned and my feeling is he's family are loving things state side and he looks chilled to the max and enjoying iLife)
3 I don't want Martinez, Benitez, Moyes.
I think he was sacked mainly on his conduct, I'm sure Levy didn't appreciate the media sound bites from HR while he was dealing with burying his mother. Not cool, but I'm sure the rest of the stuff conspired against him in the end also, oh well thanks for good times and COYS!
Gaz, you're (relatively speaking) a genius.
By way of contrast Cookiebun (relatively speaking) has bought into received wisdom hook, line, and sinker:
"Instead he dispatched him and it had to be done in order that we got some professionalism into our management system."
Granted that'll be all very professional and business-like, but not a very desirable alternative to finishing in the top four and having the country swooning at out style of football.
Moyes. Mr safe-hands. He's gonna have us playing long-ball for the privilege of mid-table predictability. But how solid we'll be at the back, and at least we won't be relegated.
And with that comfy knowledge, we can sleep easy.
No Alarms and No surprises.
If its Alladyce I will off myself.
How about a list of all the people we dont want anywhere near our precious club, its pointless to say who we do want because we are Tottenham and thats not how we do things. Then we can all shrug our shoulders and say "typical Tottenham" when Levy appoints a complete fuckwit.
Or.. Its all part of the Doctor Evil Masterplan of World Domination and Pep (or Jose) turn up for work at The Lane tomorrow.
When alls said and done though, THANK YOU Harry, you gave us 3 triffic years
TTID
Wow I am always amazed how many people still beleive the Arry myth. Those who suggest that players will leave if Harry goes are swept up in media hype. Harry is the most self created through the media manager ever and we are three years too late letting him go. Redknapp walked into a great squad and all of our current good palyers were not recruited by him. It is hard to defend Ramos due to his record but he won one more cup for us than Harry. Ramos was also saddled with Gomes in net at the time who for whatever reason had no confidence and truly stunk at the beginning. He later was fantastic and Twitchy decide we get a 40 year old who doesnt leave his line to replace him. Ramos also was forced to play "the hair" Bentley which was Levy's fault. What a nightmare that was( is). It must be noted also that Ramos began the season without the two starting strikers from the previous season. Berbatov screwed off and Keane went as well. The two combined for 22 and 21 goals respectfully the previous season. Luka Modric had just arrived and Benoit Assou hadnt established himself yet. Harry for all the put your arm around the shoulder "man manager" complete bull artist would have sold Bale within two months at being at the club if injuries didnt force him to play Bale. Harry said he couldnt even write a ledger in court yet he sure figured out that buying back useless English supposed talent would line somebodies pockets. Under Harry we did not win a single trophy!! The best he could bull about was before xmas we could compete for the title. Then the goal was second. Then Third. We were 13 points up on the Gooners!! There was always a chance an English team could win the Champions League and finish outsied the top 4. To not close the deal is pathetic. Cant wait to see the back of Harry the biggest self promoting joke out there. Good for you Daniel. GET RID!!!
Oy, Stevo, keep your grubby mits off Klinsmann, he belongs to us (the US National Team) for the foreseeable future because a) he loves California. I don't doubt he still loves Spurs, but he wasn't thrilled about the time he was required to spend in Germany when coaching the national team so I just don't think it's likely he would even consider having to spend 10 months of the year in Blighty. and b) As well as coaching the national team, he's redesigning the entire youth development system in the US. He got everything he asked for from the US FA and it's a chance to change the face of the footballing world. Legend wouldn't even be in it.
Bilic is someone I've advocated for as well. Knows England and the premier league, young, ambitious, right attitude. Understand he's agreed to join Locomotiv Moscow after this tournament though. Expect it would be pricey to pry him away, but who knows?
The thing is, shouldn't a football manager be judged on what happens on the pitch, and not the circus that accompanies it? Harry the character isn't important, what is important is that he consistently delivered the best results of recent Spurs history. So what that he's a bit of a berk, the footballs been great. Why make a soap opera out of it?