Beyond redemption
Friday, June 15, 2012 at 10:49PM Via The Secret Footballer's blog:
I have been told by more than one player at the club that one decision in particular last season angered Daniel Levy, the club chairman, beyond redemption. After Norwich City had held Arsenal 3-3 at the Emirates Stadium, Tottenham needed to beat Aston Villa to all but secure third spot.
With the score at 1-1, Redknapp made a change. But instead of the extra striker that was needed to grab a vital winner, he threw on Scott Parker and played for the draw. A few people have told me that there were strong words in the Tottenham camp after that incident and that relations between manager and chairman were never quite the same again.
Full article here.
Can't disagree with the fact the substitution was a negative one lacking fortitude and desire for victory. It's about glory and there would have been plenty of it with an attacking substitution even if we went on to lose the game. Would Levy truly blow his top and have words with Redknapp over this? Strong words is a touch ambiguous though. There's no suggestion there was a face off or angry text messages exchanged. Strong words amongst the board of directors? They probably had a good moan. We weren't happy. Why should they be? Everything we had built was being demolished from within.
The game cited might have been the catalyst. They're have been plenty of questionable tactics since February that you could argue as being instrumental in the failure to consolidate 3rd spot. Point being, there were several occasions during the course of the season that would have seen Levy pulling metaphorical hair out. The Villa game was the final opportunity to take control of our destiny and in that moment Redknapp turned his back on it. Pragmatism, safety, consolidating a single point. Whatever the reasons it was his choice. In the manager we trust until that manager has been removed.
Beyond redemption sounds about right if a little dramatic and harsh in relative terms (the damage was done long before the Villa game, as stated, the Villa game was the final straw). But that's the beauty of hindsight and circumstance. It adds weight or removes it from the shoulders that hold it. Micro-analysis of tactical shuffles and substitutions can be long forgotten (even if they warrant more discussion) if all goes well in the end. It didn't end well. So as long as Harry continues to perpetuate a paragon of perfection regarding his tenure at Spurs, we'll have to make do with these lesser scraps that wont be appearing in a tabloid column any time soon.
Reader Comments (58)
Pressure on AVB would be greater than say appointing Moyes.
@TottenhamTyke-your lengthy piece totally tells the complete story of last season-Thank You for that.
Are we missing something amongst this agonising speculation?
Should we read more into the strange timing of the announcement of Redkrapp`s demise?
He was in this country, as was Levy - no constraints on their time, so why was it necessary for this decision to be made in the small hours?
How about if the decision - or agreement on Redkrapp was made well before the announcement and Levy offered him severence pay in return for keeping his mouth shut until the club were ready to announce. Remember Redkrapp`s total horror the day before the announcement when it looked ike it had been leaked? Therefore, could we be looking at a new manager who is currently involved in the Euros?
If so and if that nation were involved in a game on the evening prior to the announcement, with no training next day, then that night would`ve been an ideal time for negotiations to take place.
And, didn`t Germany play that day? Yes alright alright, I`m willing to bend space time to convince myself we`re getting the right man. Maybe AVB is a pundit on Portuguese TV, That would explain it too!
Moe;
Could you be more specific, please? I’m sorry, but I didn’t get a single point from the things you rumbled about in your post. Me, personally, I’m tired of fucking conspiracies and hidden subliminal “facts”.
Im already resigned to the fact its midtable next season with some idiot foreign manager. Seem to remember same thing happened to jol after he took us to 5th. Enter mr Ramos. If someone can help mr levy to remove his head from his arse he might be able to see that 4th/5th is the best we can hope for. COYS FODL
Fellow yids, I'll stick to the point here... new coach/manager. I'm in the steady-as-she-goes camp on this.
We don't need a revolution but - and here's my twopenn'th - what we do need and must have is a person with a modicum of intelligence. You know, someone who can add-up, read, write, spell, communicate etc., etc.
If's he's foreign, that doesn't matter, as long as he speaks good, proper English. In fact, I'd prefer one!
@beetleblues - sorry mate - I was saying I hope Herr Loew becomes our new manager and I know there`s little chance of it happening. I typed it in that nonsense way in order to mock all the ITKs, who seem to be everywhere at the moment.
Harry was never going to stay with us, because he is an Englishman and poison chalice that it is, the Manager's job is still the top job in the Country - you're treated like a king (until you lose a couple of games) and your name gets written into history when you take it up. On the Flip side of this, if he had turned the job down, all his two-faced chummy journo mates who had built him up and given him the Tall Poppy, Talking Head treatment for years would have turned on him and cut him down dead, dragging all his skeletons out for close examination. I think that, after his health scare and court appearances, the media clamour was too much for him, and it affected his decisions. He couldn't admit any mistakes as the FA were still looking at him and he was waiting for the knock on the door. There were plenty of games where one point could have been saved. We didn't turn up for Norwich or QPR, which is the player's fault as much as anyone's (sorry is that sacrilege to say that). The Villa game was the one game where you could clearly pin something on Harry. He hesitated when in the process of bringing Jermain DeFoe on.While I was chewing through my knuckles he decided to put Scott Parker on to allow William Gallas to act as a temporary striker! It took me a week to get over that draw. I'd given up hope of finishing up 3rd on the last day of the season, but was given a glimmer of hope. However,the performance of Marton Fulop for WBA was horrendous (and should be investigated) I also blame Ben Foster that low-life deserter, because I'm sure could have been fit on the day. I didn't see the Champions League Final - I went for a meal to avoid it, only to return in time for Drogba to score the final penalty. I was well and truly gutted and it took quite a lot philosophical cant to put me right.
"For sure" we cocked it up again, finished below Arsenal and didn't qualify for the Champions League - so we can't afford or attract Fantasy footballers and might lose our best players. But we still came 4th.
Then there's hope on the horizon, a promising new defender and then you look to the new season.
Then sneaky little rumours get out that Harry's resigned a day before his big meeting with Daniel Levy (similar to Jol's exit).
Followed up with early morning announcements of the king is dead, long live the king!
We may never find out the real reasons why HR was removed from his job - I don't think his comments to Sky helped. What I do know is that under him the team played the best football a Tottenham team has played since I have being going to Spurs. We have achieved our highest positions in the Premier League history whilst being restricted by a Wage Policy and limited transfers. Events affected last season but the decisions not to invest in better players in the January transfer window and to let Corluka and Pienaar go out on loan counted against us.
Daniel Levy must have been making a contingency plan in the event that Harry Redknapp was going to join England - even before Capello found a convenient point to resign on. I hope that he doesn't consider his thoughts for too long - otherwise we are likely to get another Santini or Ramos. His successes - Jol was promoted from within and HR was probably only a stop gap that turned up trumps.
I hope that DL does find us a good, strong, decisive manager who gets results with good tactical awareness (but who is not obsessed with tactics) and allows our players to do what they are good at and that is play football the Tottenham Hotspur way.
COYS.